Amosque is a place whereMuslimsworship.[1] The wordmosque comes from theArabic wordmasjid.[2] A larger, 'collective', mosque is called amasjid jāmi.[3] Larger mosques offer moreservices to theircommunity.
For many Muslim people, a mosque is more than a place of worship. Muslims worship, study and discussIslam, and do many other things in a mosque and its compounds. In theUnited Kingdom, many mosques are used as community centres. They are also used to teach about Islam. Religiousfestivals and gatherings are held in mosques. Weddings are one example. Mosques have rules to control what people do inside. One of these is that it is disrespectful to disturb another person who is worshipping.
TheJami Ul Alfar mosque inColombo,Sri Lanka, has striking Moorish and Colonial architecture with a candy-stripedfacade.
Many mosques are famous works ofarchitecture. They are often built in a style that has stayed the same for many centuries. Many mosques have prayer halls,domes, andminarets. They may also have acourtyard. Mosques are often built with patterned walls.
Mosques were first built on theArabian Peninsula. The Muslims who built them used old architectural styles. They also combined these styles in new ways. A major influence was thepalaces built during theParthian andSassaniddynasties ofPersia. TheSarvestan palace from the Sassanid era is a good example of this. It has anarched entrance and a central dome. These features already existed inPersia before Islam.
After the Arab invasion of Persia, the new style, with its Sassanid influence, was used for the newIslamic world. Many forms of mosques have developed in different regions of the Islamic world. Important mosque types include the earlyAbbasid mosques, T-type mosques, and the central-dome mosques ofAnatolia. In the20th century, many countries that grew rich fromoil paid for the building of many new mosques. The rulers of these countries often hired leading architects to design these mosques. They included non-Muslims.
Many early mosques have a square orrectangular plan. They also have a prayer hall and an enclosed courtyard. This is known asArab-plan. The first mosques of this type were built during theUmayyad Dynasty.
The flatroof of the prayer hall was supported bycolumns. Many rows of columns were needed to support such roofs;[4] this is called "hypostyle architecture". One of the most famous hypostyle mosques is theMezquita de Córdoba inSpain. It is supported by over 850 columns.[5]
In the warmMediterranean and Middle Easternclimates, the courtyard served to hold the large number of worshippers during Friday prayers. Often, hypostyle mosques have outerarcades. They allow the visitors to enjoy theshade. Arab-plan mosques were built mostly during the Umayyad andAbbasid dynasties. The Arab plan was very simple, which did not allow for much further development. This caused that style of mosque to fall out of favour.[4]
TheOttomans began buildingcentral dome mosques in thefifteenth century. These mosques have a large dome centered over the prayer hall. There may also be smaller domes, which are off-center over the prayer hall or the rest of the mosque.[6] This style was heavily influenced by theByzantinereligious architecture with its use of central domes.[4]
Iwan mosques are famous for their domed rooms andiwans. Iwans are spaces with an arched roof. They have an opening at one end. One or more iwans face a central courtyard that serves as the prayer hall. The style borrows from pre-Islamic Iranian architecture. Most mosques with this style are inIran.
The Great Mosque inAleppo,Syria. The tower-like structure is the minaret.
Most mosques have minarets. Minarets are talltowers. Usually they are at one of the corners of the mosque. The top of the minaret is the highest point in the mosque, and usually the highest point in the area around the mosque. The tallest minaret in the world is in theHassan II Mosque inCasablanca,Morocco.[7]
The first mosques had no minarets. The mostconservative Islamic groups, likeWahhabis, still avoid building minarets. They see them as simply a fancy decoration and unnecessary. The first minaret was built in 665 inBasra during thereign of theUmayyadcaliphMuawiyah I. Muawiyah encouraged the building of minarets, as they were supposed to be the same asbell towers onChristianchurches. Because of this, mosque architects used the shape of the bell tower for their minarets. Both the minaret and the bell tower serve the same purpose — to call the faithful to prayer.[8]
Before the five required daily prayers, amuezzin calls the worshippers toprayer from the minaret. In many countries like Singapore where Muslims are not the majority, mosques are stopped from loudly playing the call to prayer. The main problem is the use ofelectronic amplification of the call, which is now widely used by mosques.
Thedomes were often placed directly above the main prayer hall. They represent the universe that Allah created.[9] At first, these domes were small. They only took up a small part of the roof near themihrab. Later, they took the whole roof above the prayer hall.Domes normally have the shape of ahemisphere. TheMughals inIndia popularizedonion-shaped domes inSouth Asia andPersia.[10] Some mosques have several domes, as well as the main large dome. The other domes are often smaller.
Domes would help theimam be heard, as the sound waves would bounce in and then out of the dome making the voice louder.
All mosques have aprayer hall, which is also calledmusalla. Normally, there is nofurniture in it except for prayermats orrugs. These are necessary, as Islamic prayer is usually donekneeling.
Some mosques haveArabic calligraphy andQur'anic verses on the walls to help worshipers focus on the beauty of Islam and its holiest book, theQur'an, as well as for decoration.[11]
Theqiblah wall is usually at the other side of the entrance to the prayer hall. This wall is specially decorated. In a properly sited mosque, it will be setperpendicular to a line leading toMecca.[12] People pray in rows parallel to theqiblah wall. They arrange themselves so they faceMecca. In theqiblah wall, usually at its center, is themihrab, a niche or depression showing the direction ofMecca. Themihrab serves as the place where theimam leads the five daily prayers.[13]
A simple mosque in theAustralianoutback is different from the grand designs of older Islamic communities.Bourke cemetery, New South Wales.
All people must wash themselves before they pray. Mosques often havefountains or other facilities for washing in their entrances or courtyards, so that people can perform the washingritual before prayer.At very small mosques, worshippers may use restrooms for their ritual washing, or wu'du. In traditional mosques, there is often a building specially for washing. This is often in the center of the courtyard.[5] In the prayer halls, people must not wear shoes for much the same reason.[14][15]
Modern mosques should appeal to the community they serve. For this reason, other facilities may also be available at the mosque, likehealth clinics,libraries, andsports halls.
Adult Muslims are expected to pray five times a day. Most mosques have formal prayers for each of these times. If performing the prayer is difficult, for example forill people, then exceptions are made.
Mosques also hold a special prayer service, calledjumuah. This is done once a week. It is a form ofSabbath and replaces the Friday prayers at the mosque. Daily prayers can be done anywhere. However, Muslims are expected to do their Friday prayer at the mosque.[11]
When a Muslim dies, a funeral prayer is normally held. It is held outdoors in a courtyard or square close to the mosque. The prayers have all the worshippers present, including the imam, taking part.[16] Duringeclipses, mosques will host special prayers calledeclipse prayers.[17]
There are two large holidays (Eids) in theIslamic calendar. During these days, there are special prayers at mosques in the morning. Larger mosques will normally hold them for their own communities as well as the people from smaller local mosques. Mosques, especially those in countries where Muslims are the majority, will also hostEid prayers outside in courtyards ortown squares.[18]
There are many events inRamadan, Islam's holiest month. DuringRamadan, Muslims mustfast during the day. Mosques organiseiftar dinners after sunset. These are done after the fourth required prayer of the day. Part of the food is given by members of the community, which creates nightlypotluck dinners. The community contribution to these dinners is required. For this reason, mosques with smaller communities may not be able to hold theiftar dinners daily.
Some mosques will also hold meals in the morning beforedawn. Mosques will often invite poorer members of the community to these meals. Islam sees givingcharity during Ramadan as good acts.[19]
Larger mosques sometimes offer special, optional prayers. They are done after the last required prayer of the day. During each night of prayers, one member of the community who has memorized the entireQur’an will recite a part of the book. It can last for up to two hours.[11] Sometimes, several such people (not necessarily of the local community) take turns to do this. During the last ten days of Ramadan, larger mosques will host all-night programs to observeLaylat al-Qadr. It is the night Muslims believe that theIslamic prophetMuhammad first received Qur'anic revelations.[11] On that night, betweensunset andsunrise, mosques employ speakers to teach the worshipers about Islam. Mosques or the community usually provide meals at times through the night.
During the late twentieth century, more and more mosques have been used forpolitical purposes. Modern-day mosques in the Western world want to educate good citizens. The details differ greatly from mosque to mosque and from country to country.
Countries with small Muslim populations use mosques as a way to support civic participation. They are more likely to do this than Muslim-majority countries of theGreater Middle East.[20] American mosques hostvoter registration and civic participation drives. In the United States, Muslims are oftenimmigrants, or the children of immigrants. Mosques want to interest these people for politics. They also want to keep them informed about issues that concern the Muslim community. People who attend the services at the mosque regularly are more likely to take part inprotests, to signpetitions, and to involve themselves in political matters.[20]
A link betweenpolitical views and mosque attendance can still be seen in other parts of the world.[21] After theal-Askari Mosque bombing in February 2006, imams and other Islamic leaders used mosques andFriday prayers to call for calm and peace during the widespreadviolence.[22]
Beginning in the late twentieth century and continuing into the early twenty-first century, a small number of mosques have also become a base for extremist imams to supportterrorism andextreme Islamic ideals.Finsbury Park Mosque inLondon is a mosque that has been used in this manner.
Like other places of worship, mosques can be at the center of socialconflicts.
Babri Mosque was the centre of such a conflict up until the early 1990s when it wasdemolished. Before a solution could be found, the mosque was destroyed by about 200,000 Hindus. It took place on 6 December 1992. The mosque was built byBabur to mark the birthplace ofRam. It was believed to be on a site of an earlierHindu temple.[23] The conflict over the mosque was directly linked torioting in Bombay (present-dayMumbai) as well asbombings in 1993 that killed 257 people.
In February 2006,a bombing seriously damaged Iraq'sal-Askari Mosque. This increased the existing tensions. The conflict between two Muslim groups in Iraq had already led to other bombings. However mosque bombings are not limited to Iraq. In June 2005, asuicide bomber killed at least 19 people at anAfghan mosque.[24] In April 2006, there weretwo explosions atIndia'sJama Masjid.
Saudi involvement in building mosques around the world only goes back to the 1960s.[30]In the 1980s, the Saudi Arabian government began to pay for the building of mosques in countries around the world. An estimatedUS$45 billion has been spent by the Saudi Arabian government for mosques and Islamic schools in foreign countries.Ain al-Yaqeen, a Saudi newspaper, reported in 2002 that Saudi money may have helped to build as many as 1,500 mosques and 2,000 other Islamic centers.[31]Saudi citizens have also given a lot of money to mosques in the Islamic world, especially in countries where they see Muslims as poor and oppressed. Following the fall of theSoviet Union, in 1992, mosques inAfghanistan received money from Saudi citizens.[30] The King Fahd Mosque inCulver City, California and the IslamicCultural Center of Italy inRome are two of Saudi Arabia's largest investments in foreign mosques as former Saudi kingFahd bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud gaveUS$8 million[30] andUS$50million[32] to the two mosques, respectively.
In a mosque, people should keep focused on worshipingAllah. For this reason, there are a number of rules about the correct behaviour in a mosque. Some of these rules are the same all over the world, such as no shoes should be worn in the prayer hall. Other rules are different from mosque to mosque.
It is generally seen as good to have someone who leads the prayers, though this is not strictly necessary.[33] The person who usually leads the prayers is calledimam. He must be a free and honest man. He should also be an authority when it comes to answering questions on religion.[33] In mosques that were built or that are kept up by the government, the imam is selected by the ruler.[33] In private mosques, the community selects the imam, throughmajority voting.
In addition to washing, there are other rules that also apply to those who enter the mosque, even if they do not wish to pray there. It is forbidden to wear shoes in thecarpeted area of the prayer hall. Some mosques also do not allow wearing shoes in other parts, even though these may not be devoted to praying.
Islam requires that its believers wearclothes that showmodesty. As a result, both men and women must follow this rule when they attend a mosque (though mosques may not always enforce the rules). Men are supposed to come to the mosque wearing loose and clean clothes that do not show the shape of the body. Similarly, women who come to the mosque are expected to wear loose clothing, shirts, pants that cover to the wrists and ankles and cover their heads such as with ahijab. Many Muslims, regardless of their ethnic background, wearMiddle eastern clothing associated withArabic Islam to special occasions and prayers at mosques.[11]
Mosques are places of worship. For this reason, those inside the mosque should be respectful to those who are praying. Loud talking or discussion of topics that could be disrespectful, is forbidden in areas where people are praying. It is also considered as rude to walk in front of Muslims in prayer or otherwise disturb them.[34]
Islamic law requires men and women to be separated in the prayer hall. Ideally, women should pray behind men. The secondcaliphUmar at one time stopped women from attending mosques, especially at night, because he feared they may be teased by males, so he made them to pray at home.[35] Sometimes a special part of the mosque was railed off for women; for example, the governor of Mecca in 870 had ropes tied between the columns to make a separate place for women.[4]
Many mosques today will put the women behind a barrier or partition or in another room. Mosques inSouth andSoutheast Asia put men and women in separate rooms, as the divisions were built into them centuries ago. In nearly two-thirds ofAmerican mosques, women pray behind partitions or in separate areas, not in the main prayer hall; some mosques do not admit women at all. Although there are sections only for women and children, theGrand Mosque inMecca is desegregated.[36]
A few scholars ofIslamic law believe that non-Muslims may be allowed into mosques, as long as they do not sleep or eat there. Followers of theMalikischool ofIslamic jurisprudence disagree. They say that non-Muslims may not be allowed into mosques at all.[33]
Different countries have different opinions on the question. Nearly all the mosques in theArabian Peninsula as well asMorocco do not allow non-Muslims. TheHassan II Mosque inCasablanca is one of only two mosques in Morocco currently open to non-Muslims.[37]
In modern-daySaudi Arabia, the Grand Mosque and all ofMecca are open only to Muslims. Likewise, theMasjid al-Nabawi and the city ofMedina that surrounds it are also off-limits to those who do not practice Islam.[38] For mosques in other areas, it has most commonly been taken that non-Muslims may only enter mosques if granted permission to do so by Muslims and if they have a proper reason.[11]
In modernTurkey non-Muslimtourists are allowed to enter any mosque, but must obey the rules ofdecorum. Visiting a mosque is allowed only between prayers; visitors must wear long trousers and take off their shoes; women must cover their heads; no photos; no loud talk is allowed. No references to other religions are allowed (no crosses on necklaces, no cross gestures etc.).
However, there are also many other places in the west as well as the Islamic world where non-Muslims are welcome to enter mosques. Most mosques in theUnited States, for example, report receiving non-Muslim visitors every month.[39] Many Mosques throughout the United States welcome non-Muslims as a sign of openness to the rest of the community and to encourage conversions to Islam.[40][41]
Dogs are usually banned from entering mosques, but on 24 September 2008, the Muslim Law Council UK made special ruling, called afatwa, which granted a blind Muslim permission to take his guide dog into the mosque.[42]
It is common for a smaller mosque to serve as ahostel for Muslims onhaj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Sometimes mosques are used forrefugees, or as temporary homes for homeless people.Obligations to neighbours in Islam are very strict, and specific. In theQur'an Mohammed said that a person who helps others in the hour of need, and who helps the oppressed; that person God will help on the Day of Travail (agony).[43] There are other commands, such as helping the poor and being nice to people. An important part of being Muslim, or just being part of the mosque, is taking care of people who need help. A mosque is a social, as well as a religious, group.
Amadrassa is a little different from a mosque. A madrassa focuses on teaching Islam, usually to children and young people.
When Spain was under Muslim control, some of the most beautiful buildings were mosques. After 1491, Spain was under Christian control. However, the Christians did not tear down the mosques. They simply put acrucifix in them to make them into churches. These mosques influenced theRenaissancearchitecture (way of building) in Europe.
↑Walters, Brian (May 17, 2004). "The Prophet's People".Call to Prayer: My Travels in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Virtualbookworm Publishing. p.14.ISBN978-1-58939-592-3.Its 210-meter minaret is the tallest in the world
↑Mainzer, Klaus (June 1, 1996). "Art and Architecture".Symmetries of Nature: A Handbook for Philosophy of Nature and Science. Walter de Gruyter. p.124.ISBN978-3-11-012990-8.the dome arching over the believers like the spherical dome of the sky
12345Abu al-Hasankok Ibn Muhammad Ibn Habib, Al-Mawardi (2000).The Ordinances of Government (Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya w'al-Wilayat al-Diniyya. Lebanon: Garnet Publishing. p.184.ISBN978-1-85964-140-8.
↑Doi, Abdur Rahman I."Women in Society".Compendium of Muslim Texts. University of Southern California. Archived fromthe original on 2006-04-09. Retrieved2006-04-15.
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