Acongregational mosque orFriday mosque (Arabic:مَسْجِد جَامِع,romanized: masjid jāmi‘, or simplyجَامِع,jāmi‘;Turkish:Cami), or sometimesgreat mosque orgrand mosque (جامع كبير,jāmi‘ kabir;Ulu Cami), is amosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known asjumu'ah.[3] It can also host theEid prayers in situations when there is nomusalla oreidgah available nearby to host the prayers. In earlyIslamic history, the number of congregational mosques in one city was strictly limited. As cities and populations grew over time, it became more common for many mosques to host Friday prayers in the same area.[4][5] In early centuries, the congregational mosque was also a center of social and public life, hosting various other activities in addition to prayers, such as judicial and educational functions.[6][7][8]
The fullArabic term for this kind of mosque ismasjid jāmi‘ (مَسْجِد جَامِع), which is typically translated as "mosque of congregation" or "congregational mosque".[4] "Congregational" is used to translatejāmi‘ (جَامِع), which comes from the Arabicroot "ج - م - ع" which has a meaning ‘to bring together’ or ‘to unify’ (verbal form:جمع andيجمع).[9][4] In Arabic, the term is typically simplified to justjāmi‘ (جَامِع). Similarly, in Turkish the termcami (Turkish pronunciation:[d͡ʒami]) is used for the same purpose.[10] As the distinction between a "congregational mosque" and other mosques has diminished in more recent history, the Arabic termsmasjid andjami' have become more interchangeable.[11][12]
Since theearly periods of Islam, a functional distinction existed between large central mosques built and controlled by the state versus small local mosques built and maintained by the general population.[13] In the early years of Islam, under theRashidun caliphs and many of theUmayyad caliphs, each city generally had only one congregational mosque where Friday prayers were held, while smaller mosques for regular prayers were built in local neighbourhoods. In fact, in some parts of the Islamic world such as inEgypt, Friday services were initially not permitted in villages and in other areas outside the main city where the congregational mosque stood.[14]
The ruler or governor of the city usually built his residence (thedar al-imara) next to the congregational mosque, and in this early period the ruler also delivered thekhutbah (Friday sermon) during Friday prayers.[13][15] This practice was inherited from the example ofMuhammad and was passed on the caliphs after him. In the provinces, the local governors who ruled on behalf of the caliph were expected to deliver thekhutbah for their local community.[15] Theminbar, a kind of pulpit from which thekhutbah was traditionally given, also became a standard feature of congregational mosques by the earlyAbbasid period (late eighth century).[16][17]
Until the 11th century at least, the congregational mosque of a city served many wider civic functions, differing somewhat from the more strictly religious character of mosques today.[6] It hosted judicial activities such as Muslim judges (qadis) announcing their judgments on cases. Its courtyard (sahn) often acted like a public forum for political and scholarly discussions as well as a semi-recreational area that sometimes contained gardens or trees. The courtyard could be occupied by sellers,hawkers, and others conducting business and even animals were sometimes brought inside. The range of informal activities inside the mosque was so diverse that some jurists (ulama) and rulers, such as the Abbasid caliphal-Mu'tadid (r. 892–902), attempted to place restrictions on them.[6] Until the emergence of themadrasa as a distinct institution during the 11th century, the congregational mosque was also the main venue for religious education by hostinghalqas (study circles).[18][6] As it was usually located in the heart of the city and attracted much traffic, the neighbourhood around the congegational mosque also commonly became one of the mainmarket areas in the city.[6]
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In later centuries, as the Islamic world became increasingly divided between different political states, as the Muslim population and the cities grew, and as new rulers wished to leave their mark of patronage, it became common to have multiple congregational mosques in the same city.[13][14] For example,Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, had just two congregational mosques by the late 9th century: theGreat Mosque of al-Mansur, located in the originalRound City on the western shore of theTigris River, and the Mosque ofal-Mahdi, in theRusafa quarter added on the eastern shore of the river.[18] During the 10th century, the number of congregational mosques grew to six, compared to hundreds of other local regular mosques. The Abbasid caliphs, who had by the mid-10th century had lost all political power, retained the privilege of designating congregational mosques in the city and of appointing their preachers.[18] By the 11th century, the Arab writer and travelerIbn Jubayr notes eleven congregational mosques in the city.[14]
In another example,Fustat, the predecessor of modernCairo, was founded in the seventh century with just one congregational mosque (theMosque of Amr ibn al-As), but by the 15th century, under theMamluks, the urban agglomeration of Cairo and Fustat had 130 congregational mosques.[13] In fact, the city became so saturated with congregational mosques that by the late 15th century its rulers could rarely build new ones.[19] A similar proliferation of congregational mosques occurred in the cities ofSyria,Iraq,Iran, andMorocco, as well as in the newly conqueredConstantinople (Istanbul) underOttoman rule.[13]
As both a prayer and a community space, mosque buildings allow for religious and social engagement.[7][8] The Qur'an does not state architectural parameters for a congregational mosque, and as a result there are both differences and similarities between congregational mosques of different regions.[20][page needed] As all male members of the community are expected to attend Friday prayers,[3] congregational mosques must be large enough to accommodate them and their size thus varies from community to community. The Qur'an does highlight that the prayer hall has to accommodate the population of the community.[21][page needed] Almost all congregational mosques feature aminbar, which is an elevated platform where the Friday sermon is given. Theminbar is usually places near theqibla wall (the wall standing in the direction of prayer) and themihrab.[16][17]
masjid al- haram jami` masajid Makkah ? " [ Does praying anywhere in Mecca
Islam requires no physical structure for valid prayer, which may be performed anywhere, and a minimalmasjid ("place of prostration") may consist only of lines marked on the ground, but a building constructed especially for the purpose is preferred, in particular for congregational prayer at Friday noon, the principal weekly service. Such a building may be called amasjid or ajāmi (Turk.cami), frommasjid al-jāmi῾ (Pers.masjid-i jāmi῾; Urdujāmi῾ masjid), meaning "congregational mosque." This term is often rendered in English as "great mosque," or "Friday mosque," a translation ofmasjid-i juma῾, a Persian variant.
The English term 'mosque' derives from the Arabic masjid, a term designating a place of prostration, whereas the term jami', which is translated variously as Friday mosque, great mosque or congregational mosque, originates from the Arabic term jama', meaning to gather.
The Friday prayer (ṣalāt al-jumʿa), which is mandatory for every adult male Muslim (Shiite Islam makes an exception if no Imam is present), came to be conducted in a large, congregational mosque, known as themasjid jāmiʿ (< Ar.jamaʿa "to assemble"), or Friday mosque. In the early Islamic period, only one Friday mosque in a community was permitted, since the address to the congregation was to be conducted by the ruler of that community. With the growth of the Muslim population, however, this became increasingly untenable.
masjid-i jami (Turkish,Ulu Cami) Congregational mosque where the male Muslim community performs the Friday prayer, during which the khutba is pronounced; also known as a Great Mosque or a Friday Mosque.
A congregational mosque which can be used by all the community for Friday prayers.
Jāmiʿ is a designation for the congregational mosque dedicated to Friday communal prayer; in modern times it is used interchangeably withmasjid.
All schools but the Ḥanbalīs require that Friday prayers be held in a physical edifice; the Ḥanbalīs hold that they can be performed in a tent or in the open country. The schools of law differ on the number of participants required to constitute a valid congregation for Friday prayers: the Shāfiʿīs and Ḥanbalīs require forty, the Mālikīs twelve, and the Ḥanafīs only two or three praying behind the imām (in each case, counting only persons obligated to perform the prayer). Such limitations had significant practical repercussions, as when the Ḥanafī authorities of Bukhārā prevented the performance of Friday congregational prayers at a congregational mosque (jāmiʿ) erected in a substantial community in the region in the fifth/eleventh century and ultimately razed the building (Wheatley, 235). Shāfiʿīs further required that Friday prayers be held at only one place in each settlement. Until the fourth/tenth century, the number of Friday mosques (designated congregational mosques with a pulpit) was severely limited, even in major metropolitan centres; in later centuries, Friday mosques proliferated to accommodate the needs of urban populations (Wheatley, 234–5).
They were thus not only religious buildings but also the main social and political centres, as implied by the constructal-masjid al-jami῾, usually translated as congregational mosque.
Mosque (Ar.: masjid, Turk.: cami, Engl.: "place of prostration") The general term masjid refers to mosques that could be used every day. The particularly important Friday (or congregational) mosques, where the communal Friday worship is held, are called masjid-i jami or -i juma.
The Friday prayer (ṣalāt al-jumʿa), which is mandatory for every adult male Muslim (Shiite Islam makes an exception if no Imam is present), came to be conducted in a large, congregational mosque, known as themasjid jāmiʿ (< Ar.jamaʿa "to assemble"), or Friday mosque. In the early Islamic period, only one Friday mosque in a community was permitted, since the address to the congregation was to be conducted by the ruler of that community. With the growth of the Muslim population, however, this became increasingly untenable.
All schools but the Ḥanbalīs require that Friday prayers be held in a physical edifice; the Ḥanbalīs hold that they can be performed in a tent or in the open country. The schools of law differ on the number of participants required to constitute a valid congregation for Friday prayers: the Shāfiʿīs and Ḥanbalīs require forty, the Mālikīs twelve, and the Ḥanafīs only two or three praying behind the imām (in each case, counting only persons obligated to perform the prayer). Such limitations had significant practical repercussions, as when the Ḥanafī authorities of Bukhārā prevented the performance of Friday congregational prayers at a congregational mosque (jāmiʿ) erected in a substantial community in the region in the fifth/eleventh century and ultimately razed the building (Wheatley, 235). Shāfiʿīs further required that Friday prayers be held at only one place in each settlement. Until the fourth/tenth century, the number of Friday mosques (designated congregational mosques with a pulpit) was severely limited, even in major metropolitan centres; in later centuries, Friday mosques proliferated to accommodate the needs of urban populations (Wheatley, 234–5).
Islam requires no physical structure for valid prayer, which may be performed anywhere, and a minimalmasjid ("place of prostration") may consist only of lines marked on the ground, but a building constructed especially for the purpose is preferred, in particular for congregational prayer at Friday noon, the principal weekly service. Such a building may be called amasjid or ajāmi (Turk.cami), frommasjid al-jāmi῾ (Pers.masjid-i jāmi῾; Urdujāmi῾ masjid), meaning "congregational mosque." This term is often rendered in English as "great mosque," or "Friday mosque," a translation ofmasjid-i juma῾, a Persian variant.
Linguistic usage varied somewhat in course of time with conditions. In the time of ʿUmar there was properly in every town only onemasd̲j̲id d̲j̲āmiʿ for the Friday service. But when the community became no longer a military camp and Islam replaced the previous religion of the people, a need for a number of mosques for the Friday service was bound to arise. This demanded mosques for the Friday service in the country, in the villages on the one hand and several Friday mosques in the town on the other. This meant in both cases an innovation, compared with old conditions, and thus there arose some degree of uncertainty. The Friday service had to be conducted by the ruler of the community, but there was only one governor in each province; on the other hand, the demands of the time could hardly be resisted and, besides, the Christian converts to Islam had been used to a solemn weekly service. (...) The great spread of Friday mosques was reflected in the language. While inscriptions of the 8th/14th century still call quite large mosquesmasd̲j̲id, in the 9th/15th most of them are calledd̲j̲āmiʿ (cf. on the whole question, van Berchem, CIA, i, 173-4); and while now the madrasa [q.v.] begins to predominate and is occasionally also calledd̲j̲āmiʿ, the use of the wordmasd̲j̲id becomes limited. While, generally speaking, it can mean any mosque (e.g. al-Maḳrīzī, iv, 137, of the Muʾayyad mosque), it is more especially used of the smaller unimportant mosques.
Jāmiʿ is a designation for the congregational mosque dedicated to Friday communal prayer; in modern times it is used interchangeably withmasjid.
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