SHOE RACKS
When you enter Victoria Park mosque from any of the entrances there are shoe racks provided so people can take their shoes off and place it in a safe place. These are very big because for example, in Ramadan, when the mosque is busy at tarawih time, everyone must take their shoes off and these racks come in handy as it allows people to place their shoes in them. In addition, when you enter the mosque you should remove your shoes, because you have to keep the very clean and, as it is a holy place you should only be focussing on Allah.
LIBRARY
Victoria Park mosque does not have a library at the moment, but it intends to build one in the future. However, it does have many Islamic books that are available for the public to read. There are books in Urdu, Arabic, English and many more languages so people of any culture could come to the mosque and read a book, which is related to religion. There are also many Qur’an for people to read. These books and Qur’an are shelved in the main hall and several other rooms.
CALLIGRAPHY
Victoria Park mosque has much calligraphy of the names of Allah and verses from the Qur’an because pictures of animals and pictures are not allowed in mosques. There is a lot of this in the mosque especially near the mihrab, to make the mosque look nice. For example there is a big colourful board which has the kalimah written on it with its translation underneath it.
CHARITY BOX
Victoria Park mosque has many charity boxes placed all around the mosque. After these boxes are filled with money, the mosque distributes the money to families in trouble, poor countries etc. These boxes have a lock on them so no one can take the money. Anyone is welcomed to donate money for special causes.
CAR PARK
Victoria Park mosque has a large parking facility as you enter into the mosque. However, when is gets busy, this parking space is not enough, so people will have to park around the mosque on the streets. It is necessary for every mosque to have parking space otherwise, the people that bring their cars will not feel they are safe. Nevertheless, Victoria Park hires security guards to take care of the cars during jumma and tarawih as these are the busiest times.
KITCHEN
Victoria Park mosque has also got a large kitchen. This is used on special occasions, particularly during Ramadan when you break your fast; the mosque provides food for the people attending the Maghrib prayer.
SEPARATE PRAYER ROOM FOR WOMEN
Men and women are not allowed to pray in the same room. Therefore, Victoria Park mosque has a separate praying area for women. They pray upstairs and it is curtained so men and women cannot see each other. Many mosques now have a separate praying area for women, as it enables them to pray salah in the mosque.
FUNERAL SERVICES
Victoria Park also has a funeral service. It has a special room for the body. It has all the essential needed to wash the body etc. This room is close to the mimbar meaning that when it is time for the janazah prayer it is easier to face the body. The mosque also have several funeral cars.
PRAYER TIME BOARD AND TIMETABLES
The times of the five daily prayers depend on the timing of the sun. The times consistently changes in the UK so the mosque provides the times on boards which are located all over the mosque. The mosque also provides a timetable so people can take it home just in case they cannot make it to the mosque they can pray at home.
CONCLUSION
A mosque does not have to be as big as a mansion or an outstanding building. A mosque can even be a house as long as it has the basics. As long as it has a clean place to pray to Allah and there are no pictures around the house or anything else which should not be in a mosque.
ANALYSE AND EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF AN IMAM IN A SUNNI MOSQUE
An Imam is a religious leader that have great Islamic knowledge and that are known to be good practicing Muslims. Imams are not paid however, in some mosques the imams do get paid for their work.
The word "Imam" in Arabic means "leader". In Islamic terminology, it generally refers to any person who leads others in prayer. According to the early Sunni theologians, the Imam is the leader of the Islamic community, and his function is to enforce the revealed Law or Shari'ah.
The imam also has a fundamental role in prayer because he is the one who leads the prayer. Behind the imam is the whole congregation standing behind him.
As the imam is the one, who leads the prayer and his duties towards this part of the job is crucial. He has to ensure that he is always on time for prayer. This is important because there are set times for each prayer. If the imam is late, the people will have to wait to prayer their prayers and this will reflect onto the imam and the mosque.
It is vital that the imam is an educated and very Islamic person. This is because he is the leader of the prayers and this requires him to know the basics of prayer, the holy Qur’an by heart and all the beliefs about religion. The imam will also have to have a loud voice as leading the prayer requires you to lead the congregation.
The imam also plays an important part in the responsibility of the mosque. The imam will be needed to manage the mosque and this needs to be done properly. The way the mosque is managed will reflect in the way it runs. However, some mosques have committees to help in the organization of the mosque. In addition, some mosques have caretakers which are helpful because these people take care of the mosque in ensuring it is always clean and everything is operating correctly.
The imam can do the adhan if he pleases; however, he usually picks someone else who is religious and trustworthy to say the adhan before each prayer. The adhan is the call to prayer and is done first, and then the Iqamah is said. The imam again picks someone for the job but usually the person who did the adhan does the Iqamah.
On Fridays, the imam gives a khutbah before the jummah prayer. The imam will prepare this sermon before hand. The khutbah has two parts. The first part is where the imam will recite some verses from the Qur’an and then comment on them and in the second part he will pray for the whole Muslim ummah. The imam can also talk about any current affairs that are affecting the Muslims.
Imams sometimes perform religious ceremonies, and they will give people religious advice. Some imams also visit Muslims who are in prison.
The imam also attends many conferences. In these conferences, Imam’s from all over the UK meet together and discuss whatever they fell needs to be addressed.
The imams can also give religious and moral support to people. People often got to the imam to seek help and take his advice if they need it or if they have a problem. In addition, it is part of his job to preach Islam to everyone who seeks knowledge. However, the imam does need to be Islamically educated.
The imam is also a teacher. The imam teaches worshippers and children. He teaches them the basic beliefs and also teaches them hoe to recite the Qur’an. He also give people religious advice. Normally, in the afternoons, the imams set up classes within the mosques for the children or anyone else who wishes to learn the Qur’an and to learn the basics about Islam.
The imams also do more jobs. For example the imam has to be present for marriage because he has say a special sermon and blessings. The imam also led the janazah which is an additional prayer for when someone passes away. The mosque also has funeral services, for example a facility to wash the body etc. The imam is in control of all of this. Another job for the imam is officiating the nikah and the imam can also deal with divorce cases.
CONCLUSION
To conclude this part, I can say that the role of being an imam is very hard. You are in control of many things and you have to take control of the mosque from early morning to late at night. The imam also has a variety of duties from leading the pray to officiating a nikah. The imam also has a responsibility for the local people to notice them about any issues that need to be discussed.
THE ROLE OF THE MOSQUE IN THE COMMUNITY
The mosque plays and important role in the community. It provides the community with a quite place to pray their salah peacefully. The mosque also gives the locals and opportunity to come and read the Qur’an in the house of Allah as the benefits are great. The mosque is also a place where people can come, discuss their personal problems, and get help and advice from within the mosque.
Salah is the second pillar of Islam and must be carried out by all Muslims. The mosque provides huge halls for people to come and pray their five daily prayers. The followers will stand in straight lines, shoulder to shoulder behind the imam facing the qiblah. This shows the Muslim ummah as a unit and gives a sense of brotherhood. It also shows that in front of Allah everyone is equal. The mosque also provides the community with help to let them know the exact times of each salah through timetables. New timetable are made every month with the five daily prayer times for each day. In some cases, the sound of the adhan is projected throughout the local area to call them for prayer.
The mosque also provides facilties for special prayers for example in Ramadan; the tarawih prayer is recited loud on the microphone every night. In addition, the mosque is also used for the jumma prayer. Jummah is a special prayer, which is said on Friday afternoons. The imam first gives a khutbah and then after that they all pray shoulder to shoulder behind the imam. Furthermore, the mosque provides a place where people can pray their Eid prayers. The Eid prayer is said early morning. There is a khutbah followed by a Du’a after the Eid prayer. The mosque provides special facilities for janazah prayers. If someone in the community dies, the body is then taken to the mosque to be washed. The mosque has a separate room for this. The community will all then gather and say a special prayer together for the person who has died called the janazah prayer. The mosque then provided a funeral car to take the body and its family to the local cemetery to be buried.
The mosque also is a place where a child first reads the Qur’an and Islamic studies. The mosque is also a madrasah for anyone who wants to learn about Islam or read the Qur’an. These classes are held in the afternoon. Children come every day after their school period and the imam of the mosque starts to teach them. In addition, the mosque is always open to anyone who wants to come who is having a difficulty overcoming a problem or is having trouble within his family to ask for advice and to solve his problems. If anyone is doubtful about something about religion or needs confirming the imam is always there to tell what Islam says or what we believe as Muslims. The mosque also holds some special occasion where the community can get together for good reasons and can talk about the current affairs as a group. This is usually done in Ramadan when they organise iftar parties for the people to open their fast together.
The mosque is also a place where it sorts out problems for families in need. The mosque will try to assist the family. The mosque interacts with the community by sending subcommittees out to the areas of need. The mosque can also sort things out like arrangements for nikah, aqiqah and divorces. In the cases of divorces, the mosque will try and get the couple together going ahead with the divorce. The mosque will carry these out under strict Islamic laws and they will ensure everything is done the right way.
As well as all of this, the mosque also gives lectures to give right direction and instructions to people. The imam usually gives short speeches at the end of every prayer. The mosque also encourages good behaviour and accordance with Islam.
The mosque is a place where your zakah can be given. Usually in mosques they collect the money and send it around the world to help all the suffering Muslims in the state of poverty. The mosque also keeps a small portion of this just in case a family in the society needs financial assisting the mosque will provide money for the family to relieve their problem. In addition, this money can also be spent on the mosque to improve its facilities so the local community can benefit from them.
CONCLUSION
In general, the mosque plays a vital role in the community. It provides the local people with a place to pray, recite the Qur’an, learn new Islamic related things etc. The mosque also allows people do practice Islam in a righteous way, which is essential if you live in a non-Muslim country. In addition, the mosque helps the local community through their difficulties.
EVALUATION QUESTION
‘YOU DO NOT NEED TO GO TO A MOSQUE TO BE A GOOD MUSLIM’
Some people agree with the statement that you do not need to go to a mosque to be a good Muslim. They base their beliefs around four reasons. They are: -
- You do not essentially need to go to a mosque
- Allah will look at our iman
- Anywhere can be accounted as a place of worship
- Depends on the persons intention
The first reason they say is that in the Qur’an Allah says you have to pray five times a day. They say that if you had to go to a mosque Allah would have said we have to pray our five prayers in the mosque. Therefore, we do not have to go to mosque and still be a practicing Muslim.
The second reason they say is that in the end Allah will look at the iman we have in our hearts. Consequently, whether we pray in a mosque or at home doesn’t make a difference as long as we have iman and faith in Allah when we pray at home.
Another argument they say is that the prophet (saw) says that the whole world is counted as a place of worship or prostration. So now they say, if we put a prayer mat down we could pray anywhere as long as we are facing the qibla, and if we had to go to a mosque to pray the prophet would have informed us.
They also say that in the end the only thing that counts is the intention. They say that if they have the right intention and pray at home that doesn’t mean they are not good Muslims. They go on to say that in the Qur’an Allah says in the Qur’an that the east and west belong to him so where ever you turn Allah is there. From this they say Allah is saying that we can pray from anywhere we want because we are still praying to Allah.
However, on the other hand, some Muslims believe that you need to go to the mosque to be a good Muslim. They base their beliefs around four reasons. They are: -
- Extra blessings and rewards for going to the mosque
- Better to read as a congregation
- Sense of brotherhood and unity
- You can benefit from going to the mosque
In the Qur’an and Hadith it is stated that when a person goes to the mosque, for each and every step the person takes he is rewarded with ten good deeds and ten bad deeds are taken away from him. Clearly, from this we can say that it is a great virtue going to a mosque and you become a better Muslim because you are earning more and more good deeds.
Another point is that if a person prays at home by himself he will get a certain amount of good deeds. However, if you go to a mosque and pray as a congregation you will get 27 times more reward than if you read by yourself. Evidently, you can pray by yourself, but it is encouraged that you pray as a congregation a mosque because the good deeds are much greater.
In addition, you are supposed to pray in a clean place and the mosque is guaranteed to be clean whereas your house may not.
Another reason they say is that if you pray as a congregation, it shows the Muslims as a unit and a ummah because all the Muslims praying are praying to one god, in one voice, all repeating the same actions. This also shows a sense of brotherhood and equality between the Muslims. Moreover, it is stated in a hadith that if you do not go to the mosque for congregation prayer then there is a strong penalty.
Furthermore, if you go to the mosque you could benefit from several things. You could meet other Muslim brothers, and you could take part in the activities that take place and you can benefit from those. Additionally, the prophet (saw) stated that a person who is always connected to the mosque will be under the shade of Allah. Therefore, from this I can say that going to the mosque is a benefit in this life and in the hereafter.
Therefore, it seems to me that going to a mosque to pray is a great benefit. Besides how hard can it be for a person to get up walk to the mosque and gain rewards on the way. In addition, if you constantly make a habit of going to the mosque you will be rewarded with the shade of Allah while the rest of humanity will be suffering from the heat of the sun that will be overhead. So in conclusion going to the mosque will make you become a better a well-practiced Muslim so you should go to the mosque to pray your salah.
