Muslims are not allowed to wear shoes in the mosque so when entering each and everyone removes their shoes.
The earliest mosques were built without minarets, and the action of adhan could be performed in many other locations. Hadiths tell us that the Muslim community of Madina called out to prayers from the roof of the house of our beloved prophet Muhammad SAW.
After around 80 years of post-Muhammadan Islam, did the first minarets we know of, appear, in places as far between as Tunisia and Damascus, Syria. It is good reason to believe that the Great Mosque of Damascus, built in 705, was inspired by the churches of the city, yet the Muslim minaret served its own functions, continuing the old traditions from the house of the Prophet SAW.
Minarets are now very much a symbol of Islam but not theologically a heavy symbol. Minarets are often adorned, high, and striving to be as slim and elegant as possible. Modern minarets are often giving even more room for artistic achievements than in earlier times.
In modern built mosques there are loudspeakers fitted so that the adhan is echoed throughout the area.
All Mosques also have a mihrab and minbar.
The mihrab is an archway that indicates the Qibla, the direction in which a Muslim perform salaat. In most mosques the mihrab is the position of the person leading the congregation in prayer, and is by most Muslims considered the most holy place in the mosque, even though the mihrab is not dedicated to God, but frequently to religious personalities. A mosque will normally have only one mihrab. The mihrab is by both Muslim and Western scholars considered as an element taken from churches, element added to the mosque for architectural reasons. The mihrab was most probably introduced in the 3rd century of Islam, in the 9th century AD. Mihrabs can be of wood, but is generally made out of sandstone, and ornamented with pillars.
The minbar is a raised platform from which the imam of the mosque leads Jumu’ah and Eid khutbahs. Before the Jumu'ah Salaat the Imam should sit on the minbar and the Muezzin should call out the Adhaan in the presence of the Imam. The Imam ought to then stand up and deliver the KHUTBA facing the congregation. It is MAKROOHE TAHREEMEE according to the Hanafi Madhab to deliver the khutbah in any language besides Arabic.
Masjid –e- Zakariyah and all other mosques also have a wudhu khana where ablution (washing of the body is done). We wash certain parts of our body to become paak or clean before performing Salah and reading the Qur’aan.
Masjid –e- Zakariyah also has two halls. One is used for praying Salah and the other is used for weddings etc this will be explained later.
Analyse and Explain the Role and Function of an Imam in a Sunni Mosque
In Shi’i Islam the ideas around the term imam are the very foundations upon which the rest of the theology rests. In Sunni Islam the term ‘Imam’ is used principally as a title, and has negligible importance in theology.
The word imam generally refers to one who leads congregational worship. More broadly the term also applies to religious leaders in the Muslim community. Whilst an Imam leads worship, gives sermons and performs duties such as officiating marriages, they are not ordained clergy, nor do they belong to any kind of hierarchy. Also, an Imam does not act as an intermediary between an individual and God. The term imam has specific respected implications for Shi’is.
The Imam is regarded by Shi’is not purely as a political leader, but as a metaphysical being. One who is without sin whose doctrinal pronouncements are infallible and who bestows true knowledge on humanity. The Imams are referred to within the Shi’i tradition as “Ma’soom” – free from error or sin – and are regarded by the mainstream of Shi’is as twelve in number. The last Imam, the Mahdi, is believed not to have died but to be in hiding and will appear at the end of time in order to bring about the triumph of the Shi’i faith.
