Mosque and Masjid

A Mosque, or Masjid is, a Muslim place of worship where Muslims go five times a day to pray their prayers in Jama'ah (congregation) behind an Imam (prayer leader).

The technical meaning of Masjid is a Muslim place of worship

And the technical meaning of Mosque is a Muslim place of worship

The linguistic meaning of Masjid is a transliteration of the Arabic word مَسْجِدٌ meaning the place of Sajda سَجْدَةٌ (prostration).

There are 2 types of Masjids: the main Masjid is called Jama'a, and is the one where the Friday prayer is performed. The Jama’as are often richly adorned. The other is called Masjid, and are local and smaller Masjids. Also anywhere a Muslim kneels down in prayer is a Masjid, even a prayer mat layed down on the side of the street is a Masjid. While Masjids can be richly adorned, they can seldom be compared to the Jamaas.

While Salah can be performed anywhere, it is considered more meritorious when performed in the Masjid, i.e. together with other people. The Sunna states that Salah in the Masjid is 27 times more valuable than the one performed in the home.

The first Masjid is the one in , defined as the area that surrounded the . But the model of an early Masjid was the Prophet Muhammad's Masjid in . This was organized with a Qibla, which at first faced the direction of . To the left of this Qibla, houses for Prophet Muhammad's wives were erected. There were three entrances to the courtyard. An area of the courtyard was roofed, and here prayer was performed. After 1 & ½ years the direction of the Qibla was changed, to face Mecca.

However the first purpose built Masjid was the Prophet Muhammad's Masjid in Medina (622 CE), in present-day Saudi Arabia. The wall of the courtyard facing in the direction of the holy city of Mecca—called the Qibla wall—was provided with a roofed area where prayers were prayed; the other three walls were lined with arcades. This method became the basic plan for all later Masjid design, of which the three main essentials continued to be the courtyard, the Qibla wall, and the roofed prayer hall. In the centre of the Qibla wall is the Mihrab, or prayer niche, that indicates the direction of Mecca. Next to the Mihrab is the Mimbar, a platform from which the Friday sermon is delivered.

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Domes originated in turkey, they were inspired by Turkish tradition. Domes also help the air to circulate and to amplify the human voice, since there were originally no microphones or loud speakers.

Masjid's usually have one or more minarets, from which the Muathin (the person who calls for prayer) calls Muslims to prayer five times a day. In the earliest Masjid, the call to prayer was given by the Muathin, or crier, directly from the roof of the Masjid itself. The first  came probably in 703, in , , almost 100 years after the Medina Masjid. As ...

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