Qibla wall
This wall facing Mecca tells Muslims which Direction Mecca is. All Muslims worldwide are united in facing Mecca at times of Prayer which is where Muhammad (pbuh) the messenger and prophet of Allah. Mecca is also the Destination of Hajj one of the five pillars that all Muslims have to make the Journey to at least once in their life.
The Kaaba in Mecca
Mihrab
This is in the Qibla wall and indicates the exact direction Of Mecca and the Kaaba. The prayer leader (Imam) stands in front of this and leads the prayer.
The Mihrab (prayer niche) and the Minbar (pulpit) in the Amr Mosque in Cairo are focal points of public worship.
Minbar
This is the pulpit where the Imam stands and gives the sermons and reads from the Qu’ran to the congregation. This represents when Muhammad made himself a platform to stand upon and reminds Muslims of this and carries on the tradition.
Woman’s gallery
Women do not have to attend mosque due to family responsibilities but, however if they do chose to go there is a separate room or balcony for them to worship in so as, not to distract men and vice versa so their minds are not disturbed by sexual thoughts. It is also done so that modesty is kept, and that neither sex is displaced from prayer. It is respectful to the women to allow them to pray separately.
Calligraphy
Calligraphy simply translates into ‘beautiful writing’ and is used as decoration in the mosque with words of the Qu’ran written on the walls. The Islamic art of calligraphy is a way of reminding Muslims of the Qu’ran and Hadith. It is written all over the mosque to remind Muslims that Allah is everywhere. Calligraphy is the only decoration in the place of worship as images of humans and animals may lead to idol worship.
The Qu’ran
This is the Muslim Holy Book. Muslims believe that this is the word of God, Allah, the same as how the prophet Muhammad received it. The Holy book is a way of life and a guide to living. The Qu’ran is the highest book in the mosque as it is seen as the most important. Whilst being read you must not talk or make a noise as this is a sign of respect. It should be handled with much care and should be protected greatly.
The Six Clocks
These are important as they represent the times of prayer; five of the clocks show the times of the daily prayers, or Salah. The sixth one shows the time of the Friday prayer. This Friday prayer unites Muslims and is a time of support, encouragement and a sense of togetherness. These clocks show the importance of prayer to Muslims.
When Muslims say they worship something they usually mean they give praise, thanks, and giving respect through prayer to God. Prayer is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims pray to praise and glorify God, as Muslims owe everything to him. To Muslims prayer is sacred, as it is a time for worshippers to come into contact with God and be brought closer to him.
On entering the mosque Muslims carry out a ritual called Wudu before worship and prayer and worship which can be seen as an act of worship this symbolises the ritual cleansing with water to purify the body and soul. Wudu needs running water and taps so there are wash facilities at mosques.
These are the actions made by a Muslim as told to by the Qu’ran
Wash your hands to the wrists three times, rinse your mouth three times with your right hand; wash nostrils three times, wash your entire face three times, and wipe head once with fingers, wash ears by putting two fingers into the ears and wiping back with thumbs. Then with the backs of both hands wipe the neck once and finally wash the right foot then the left up to the ankle three times.
Washing each part means a different thing. While washing the hands and mouth they pray to God that they could be forgiven from sin they may have committed using there hands or mouths. When washing the nostrils the person needs to pray that they are pure enough to be able to smell the sweet scent of heaven. The washing of the face is to be prayed by asking God to remove the darkness of sin. The person must pray to God to give them the Book of Deeds whilst washing the right arm, and whilst washing the left arm the person must pray that God will not place it there. When wiping the head the person must ask to cover his with Gods mercy. When washing the ears the person should pray to God that they should not hear bad things. As wiping the back of the neck the person should ask that God does not throw ‘The Throne of His Curse’ on them. When washing the feet the Muslim must pray that they are guided in a straight line and not led astray.
For this reason, Wudu is an act of worship in itself. All actions are repeated three times to maintain a tradition started by Muhammad.
Salah is the prayer that is compulsory five times a day. It is a religious obligation performed by Muslims. Yet it doesn’t always have to take place in a mosque. However it is compulsory on a Friday, as said by the Qu’ran. Prayer five times a day is one of the five pillars.
The daily prayer times relate to the place of the sun in the sky,
Morning Prayer Between dawn and sunrise
Midday Prayer Between midday and halfway between midday and sunset
Afternoon Prayer Between midday prayer and sunset
Evening Prayer After sunset until darkness covers the twilight
Night Prayer Between evening prayer and dawn
Each prayer only needs to take a couple of minutes. Muhammad used to do this and since then Muslims have fixed the times of prayer on this. During these prayers everything else is set aside and Muslims concentrate on Allah, praising, thanking for his forgiveness and alike. Prayer helps Muslims get closer to God, bring peace and tranquillity and reminds people of Allah.
Du’a is a private and/or personal prayer not including Salah. This is performed kneeling with your hands facing up. These prayers maybe for thanks, a plea for help and more but are generally are personal. These prayers are for any length an of anytime. Many Muslims keep a part of the house clean so they are able to worship there.
Many Muslims prayer before there sleep and pray as soon as they wake up as to be their first and last thought of each day. The best known prayer for Muslims is for personal strength and faith.
Every Friday all adult male Muslims are expected to go to leave any other activities that are not associated with the mosque. Muslim men converge together for the Midday Prayer. In Muslim dominated Countries shops an businesses close during the Midday Hour on Fridays this is where the Imam will read from the Qu’ran where all Muslims face the Qibla wall and after all Muslims pray separately before returning to work. Meeting at the mosque is indicating brotherhood. Everyone stands close together showing everyone is equal at the time of prayer. It gives Muslim reassurance to face the next week knowing that there are others like them, who are following the same path. The Qu’ran dictates that Friday prayers are held so Muslims are obeying Gods word.
Worship is a pillar from the five of Islam and to discontinue will destroy the pillar.
Muslims pray to bring themselves closer to God, to tell him things that you don’t want others to know and to concentrate on just Allah. Praying brings peace and tranquillity, courage, hope and confidence. Prayer marks Muslims who have faith. Praying, for Muslims, is the most sacred part of life as it is when they come into contact with God.
In the Qu’ran it is said to pray as it is what Muhammad (pbuh) did. Prayer demands performance and regulation, as it can often be inconvenient to perform.
Religious Buildings come between Muslims and God.
Muslims believe that a place of worship should be free of statues and figures as it is possible that when the place of worship is over ornate, it can sometimes lead you away and distract you from God as you may be looking at the pictures and idols and not worshipping for the right reasons. Only calligraphy is allowed, as that will focus The Muslims attention on Allah’s teachings. Yet it could be argued that the building itself can distract you and to have pictures and figures in the place of worship will help keep you on track and your mind focused on what you are doing and the reasons for it and that if your mind does drift that seeing all the pictures will bring you back to the original thoughts.
On the Fridays it is compulsory for the male to attend mosque and the Friday prayer as the Qu'ran says it. This gives the Muslims a chance to meet and worship together and share experiences and get all the help and benefit from it they need. However, it could be said that that money spent on buildings and maintenance on the mosque could be used in a better way like towards the poor or hungry in less developed countries instead of on the mosque, Allah would have preferred it this way.
The mosque isn’t actually needed some may say purely because Allah is everywhere so why waste money on buildings and features that are not strictly needed? Muslims however say that a mosque provides a place of focus on God and anything performed there does have a reason like for example Wudu, Arabic lessons Qu’ran teachings for children it is also a place for Muslims to meet, talk and to know one another.
A mosque is a place from distraction in the outside world, and also keeps the mind focused on the teachings of Allah. Yet wouldn’t it show more commitment if a Muslim did worship at home?
