But out of all of these the most importance part is “submission” this is seen in the way Muslims prostrate themselves to Allah during the Rakahs.
Now I have said why they worship I need to tell you where, the place in which Muslims pray is called a mosque and this in Islamic is Masjid and it means “where people prostrate themselves”. A mosque can be in a lot of places and even in old buildings like a church or an old school. All a mosque needs is a place where people can wash under running water and a place were people can put there shoes, this is because to show your respect to the mosque and there god Allah. But in mosques where they have been built for that purpose they usually have four towers or also called the minaret so they can look out for Allah and so the Muadhin can call out the Adhan in all directions. But the minarets are not just the only main feature, the most important feature of the mosque is the Dome and this is built like it is because it is believed to give a sense of “open space” and it represents the universe, it also is very good acoustics for the imam to say the Friday pray or Jumuah pray. In an mosque there is also no chairs and this is because every one is equal this is also done so everyone sits on the floor, this creates a sence of humility.
Now that you know why Muslims worship Allah, I need to tell you how they do, first of all Muslims have to perform Wudu and this is when they wash themselves in clean running water, which is why all mosques have to have a wash room. This has to be done because they are getting ready for Allah to acknowledge them. Even when there is no water this wash has to take place because it is not just a physical action of being clean but also as a symbolic action which is also called Tayammum. In Muslim countries they know when to do this because there is “the call to pray” which is called out by the Muadhin, the call to pray is also called the Adhan. The call to pray is also done when some one is dieing or when a baby has just been born; this is done to make Allah look out for him or her. An example of an “call to pray”, pray is:
Allahu Akbar
Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah
Ash-hadu ana Muhammadar rasullah
Hayya alas salah
Hayya alal falah
Allahu Akbar
La ilaha illallah
This means:
God is great
I bear witness that there is no god but god
I bear witness that Muhammad is the prophet of god
Come to pray
Come to success
God is great
There is no God but God
All of this is said so that people can realise what to thank god for and why they pray for him five times a day and that he is the only greatest thing in there life. This passage also shows us the oneness of god, Tawhid, and Rislah, what is the name given to the prophet of Islam who was Muhammad.
To do Wudu Muslims need to follow a set Patten what first consists of there declaration of intent which is also called Niyyah and there heart must focus towards god. The second part of Wudu is to wash up to the hands, Three times and this has to be done under running water, this is done because if you clean in a bath you are just washing in what you have just washed off.
Next is washing your mouth is washed three times and then snuffing water in and out your nose three times. Then your face is washed three times which is also followed by washing up to your arms. Next the water on your hands is passed over your head and you have to wash behind your ears and head/neck region. This is then followed by the washing of your feet up to your ankles three times. To break Wudu all you need to do is brake wind, go toilet or shed blood. This practice is also broken if you take part in any sexually activity.
Before you get ready to take part in Salah you need to be in a clean place or on a pray mat and your mind should not be on other things, you should also be wearing clean clothes and if you are a man you should be coved from your navel to your knees. But if you are a woman you have to be totally covered with just your face and hands showing plus you should not be wearing any make up or perfume. This has been done because it is believed that women may distract the men and other worshippers by there smell or looks and stop people focusing on there god, Allah. But it is also done because it shows how shallow you are by looking good on the outside for god, where as he only cares on the inside and your sprit.
When Muslims take part in Salah most of them are on a pray mat and this is done so that the place you’re worshipping in is clean and in the Shiite denomination they have a piece of sand represented or place on the mat. This is done because they believe that Islam is not just Muhammad and Allah but Hussein and Ali who all died for their religion and the sand represents the place where they died in the desert at Karbalah. The Karblah is situated in Iraq where Hussein was martyred, killed for his believes. This is important because it caused the Sunni-Shiite split. But there is also one more denomination in Islam and these believe in the spiritual side to Islam and do not carry out the movements of Salah but do more of Dua and meditation. So you can see that there are still denominations where the common view is that there are none.
The next part of the ceremony, that is Salah what takes place five times a day, is the Rakahs, these are important movements but when the person is unable to do them they have to have the intention to do them, which is called Niyyah, This is done to focus on Allah. The first movement is Takbir and here you have to shut out the world and you have to focus on god and by doing this you place your hands across your waist and repeat “Allahu Akbar” which means “Allah is supreme”. The next stage to this ceremony is done by placing your right hand on the side of your chest and reciting Surah 112 which involves asking for blessing and to not be taken to Satan, Muslims then tell god that he is one and he the holiest thing in the world.
The third part to this is called Ruku and here the Muslim bows but not as much, her he places his hands on his knees and his back should be straight and this shows there love for god and to follow this a short passage is recited “Glory be to my great Lord, and praise be to him”.
The fourth part of this ceremony is Qiyam and here they stand up and acknowledge the presence of Allah. The fifth part is when they get in to the humblest position and this is called Sujud, here we see Allah’s omnipotence to his followers this is Muslims prostrate themselves on the ground to show there love for there god, Allah. Here they say “Glory to be my Lord, the most High. God is greater than all else.” Then I the sixth part they Kneel again and repeat three times, “o my master, forgive me”. The seventh part of the Rakahs is where Sujud is repeated then the eighth part is where Muslims end and they pray for the prophet, Muhammad, and for there brotherhood with other Muslims, whilst doing this they turn there heads left and right to acknowledge not just their brotherhood, which is also called the Ummah, but also there guardian angels. They bow to these angels because it is believed when you acknowledge them you are forgiving your sins and your doings of good to make you have a good rite of passage on the day of judgement and in Bazaka, this means Waiting for Ahkrah what is the Islamic life after death, The equal to this in Christianity is the after life or heaven. This is the centre act of the ceremony and it show complete submission to Allah.
They finally end this by saying “peace be with you, and the mercy of Allah”, this is called the Salam. During any pray in a Mosque you must have full concentration and you should not talk or look around during pray. You should also not draw attention to your self and most of all you should not be too holy and this means you should not worship if you are doing it to look good and it should only be done if you truly want to, Allah will know if you don’t mean it. Also you should have a free mind and should be free of all worries and things that play on your mind. These prayers should all be done at a special time of day and these all have there own separate names, these names are:
- Salat-ul-Fajr this takes part between first light of the day and sunrise.
- Salat-ul-Zuhr After the sun has left the mid day sky.
- Salat-ul-Asr this is between mid-afternoon and sunset.
- Salat-ul-Maghrib this is between sunset and the last light of the day.
- Salat-ul-Isha this takes place between darkness and dawn.
Now that you know the times of day people may think that in Islam they are worshipping the sun, well they are not and most Muslims dislike that idea because it links Islam to pagan festivals.
Now I have told you about why Muslims worship and how they prepare to worship and how they do worship I will say what parts of the mosque they pray in and to do this I would like you to study the picture below of the mosque.
Here in this picture you can see the Qiblar wall, which means direction wall. At this time the Friday men face it because it is always pointing in the direction to the cube, Kabah which is the shrine of god in Makkah. In this wall there is a big concave in the wall and these are called the Mihrabs this is still faces the Kabah but it has quotes from the Quran in Islamic and it is beautifully decorated with coloured tiles, the Mihrab is also called the “Niche of light”.
This is visited by everyone on Friday and they read the quotes which the imam had explained in the Friday pray, which is very important, during this time every week shops are shut and all men go to the mosque to worship. But please note it is not just for men, women can go to but they must not be near the men as not to distract them and to not ruin there concentration on Allah, there submission. The sermon that is given is called the Khutbah. This is said by the imman in the minbar, pulpit and the Quran is explained and how it can be applied to their life. This also gives another aspect of Islam for the listener.
But Salah is not the only type of pray there is one more and this is called Dva, this is where People take place in personal pray. Everyone has to do this once in a while but it is not needed all of the time. When Muslims do Dva they are doing a quick pray to ask for forgiveness or to seek help and it is just where they ask for aid in decisions.
When people ask for help in times of need they are forced to be reminded what they have asked for and this is done by having ninety nine beads attached to string, this is also called the Tasbih. This is done so you are asking for forgiveness from every name of Allah, because it is thought there are ninety nine names for Allah with the last one being unknown to make it up to one hundred this is done because Allah is also still partly unknown.
So in conclusion I believe that the mosque is not a really important building, where, a church or a cathedral is in Christianity, but it is still a place of great worship. Where Allah is present and I believe that a Mosque is really a symbol for people to keep believing in Allah and that the whole community is together in worship on Fridays. A mosque is also there for help in the courts and help in Allah in times of need because the imam can tell you what to do to make things better. I think that the best definition is in a Hadith, said by Muhammad “wherever the hour of pray overtakes you, you shall perform it. That place is a Mosque” Which really means anywhere clean that you or another Muslim has prayed in is a mosque so really the building is symbolic of Islam.
But I also think that in Islam the beliers believe that Salah is the most important part and this is seen by them worshipping Allah five times a day and by have to be physically and mentally clean every time. But I don’t believe that the mosque is of great importance as the question may think it is. The mosque really is not need for the worshippers and to pray to Allah. But the mosque is really there for the community and the “Brotherhood” of Islam.