The mosque is also used for special prayers on events like Eid and on every Friday for Jumah. These days are special because this is when the people unite in the mosque in worship and celebration, bringing the community together on Eid it is a great opportunity for the community to celebrate together and even meet new people. In the month of Ramadan is also used for Tarweeh prayer and even to break the fast, at Iftar when the community gets together. These prayers are done, which are normally long and difficult and sometimes even tiring. Though, as the community is as one, they gain sustenance from each other and are able to complete the full 20 Rakahs, especially knowing that the reward will be double for actually reading Taraweeh and then in a mosque in congregation as well. This is a great blessing when people are together in a gathering.
The mosque is also used for certain ceremonies, such as Islamic marriages (Nikahs) and Aqiaqahs, a special celebrations held when are born. The mosque is used as a venue for such celebrations. They unite the community in the mosque, and all the people celebrate and socialise together.
The mosque is also has a very spiritual role in the community. When members of the community enter the mosque, they feel a sense of respect, as they are stepping into the house of God. They act with humility, dignity and humbleness as they pray, knowing fully well they are standing in front of God and he is looking down on them. Even though he is looking down on all the time, it is more sensed in the mosque. It keeps the soul and mind of the community in contact with Allah and Islam. In some cases when the spiritual side is ignored, people tend to wander mentally. It is very important therefore that the soul and mind stay in contact with Islam. Having a mosque that caters for everyone in the community makes sure that the people are linked to Islam in mind and soul.
Mosques usually play a key role in its community; it has a religious culture which despite the hostility and negative publicity towards Islam, has many visitors enquiring about the religion. There is always an Imam and some volunteers who are there to entertain these people and explain to them the basic issues of Islam and how to practice it. This is usually talking about the most important things in Islam which are the five pillars of Islam. Some people are either fascinated by this that they decide to embrace Islam or they are confused and don’t know which religion is right.
The mosque can also be a very sad and depressing place. When a member of the family or Muslim dies, the body is purified by the family, with the help and support from the Imam and maybe even some volunteers from the community. Janazah prayers are then said this is usually lead by the Imam of a local mosque. This is so the community unites, to make prayers for the person who had died and to see how the mosque unites in times of hardship and pain. After the person is buried, the people who pray the Janazah prayer often go along to the graveyard and assist with the burial ceremony.
Some mosques have a morgue to clean the body. In Islam, the body must be purified before burial. Without a morgue or a washing place, this purification becomes difficult. Having a morgue in the mosque relieves the strain on the family. The body is usually left in the morgue until the day of the burial.
Many mosques, in this generation, are used to educate children from the community. Special classes are held in which Quran and Islamic studies are taught. Some mosques also teach languages for small children, this is usually called the Madrassa School. Also, the mosques educate the community through sermons and gatherings on the days such as Friday prayer and Eid. As we can see, mosques educated the community and help it to advance intellectually. The mosques also educate the community by organising lectures, where people are invited from outside the community to give knowledge to people on a certain topic. Some mosques hold annual conferences as well which are organised by the Imam of the mosque, in which several speeches are made, all on different issues. The mosques, therefore offer lots of methods of educating the community.
The mosque is also used as a place to meet; people get together at the mosque for all sorts of different reasons. These may be to fundraise or to have an Iftar party in the month of Ramadan. Whatever, the reasons may be, the mosque is used for social reasons, which helps members of the community to relax and socialise in an Islamic environment.
The mosque is sometimes even a place where people can come for counselling, if they need help with their problems or issues and they come to ask the Imam for advice on what they should and shouldn’t do. The Imam is there to guide and try to solve their problems, with the help of Allah and the guidance of the Shari’ah and the Quran. The Imam is there to be fair, so he doesn’t take anyone’s side, he is not there to judge anyone he is only there to offer is help and support and be honest, and this is kept totally confidential.
This makes the community feel more secure in that they have somewhere to go with their problems, but also their faith in Islam is reinforced. Their trust in the mosque increases and they feel proud to be Muslim. This will encourage them more to go to mosque, and visit the Imam often. In my opinion, it is essential to have an Imam that can guide the community, as it stabilises and helps the community. The mosque can also be used as a law court, where Islamic Law is used instead of conventional law. These cases are usually problems’ facing certain people in the community, such as divorce, in Islam is used as a last resort. This is also important, as the mosque offers the community a just Islamic law court. To take these problems to a proper court would be extremely difficult.
In conclusion, the mosque is not only used for prayers. It is also used as a place of learning. It is used as a place of celebration and of sadness. The mosque shares the feelings of the community, and therefore has an extremely significant role in it. Without a mosque, the Muslim Ummah would be incomplete. The role of a mosque in society is vital.
