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Mosque
A mosque is the building where Muslims worship. There are very strict building requirements for a place of worship to be called a mosque.
871 Questions
Why is a qiblah important in a mosque?
Muslims are supposed to pray facing Mecca, so knowing what direction that happens to be can be useful. The qibla (spellings vary) indicates the direction to Mecca, which can in some places be unexpected to people who aren't accustomed to thinking in terms of great circle routes. The qibla is there to indicate the proper direction.
The qibla for New York city is, for example, northeast by east. Mecca is further south than New York, so the natural inclination would be to face a bit south of east ... but that's not actually the shortest route.
Similarly, the qibla for Los Angeles is perhaps even more surprising; it's north-northeast.
What is the features of the outside of a mosque?
Mosques are often beautifully decorated with geometrical patterns.
What are the towers called that Muslims are called to worship in?
The towers are minarets. The domes are domes.
Why do you need to enter a mosque with the right foot?
The main reason we step in with our right foot is because it is sunnat (sunnat meaning the way of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)) and whenever we follow him in anything, we will get rewarded for it if we did it for the right intentions.
The mosques were built precisely based on the qibla, the official alignment with the holy Kaaba shrine at the centre of Mecca's Al-Haram mosque, according to the report in the Saudi Gazette. Hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world are bound to orient their daily prayers toward the ancient Kaaba, and mosques everywhere are built to face the black-shrouded cubic building, or have indicators of its direction.
Do all mosques have a washroom?
Yes! The mosques and even the smaller prayer rooms always have some wudu facility closeby where Muslims can do their ritual cleansing before making salaah (prayer). Being in the state of Wudu is a must for Muslims making Salaah.
What do beads rugs mosques the quibla muezzins and imams have to do with worship for Muslims?
Each of the items serves a different purpose in worship:
1. the Beads : some use them to do "thikr", because worship isn't only a feeling, you have to do something for it. Now thikr is a kind of worship, it's praising Allah (God) and thank him for example. Obviously you don't NEED breads for that, but you CAN use them if you like to.
2. the Rugs : the rug is used while praying. The prayer in Islam takes many positions, one among them is the sujud. (I wanted to insert an image here, but it seems impossible…) In english they call it prostration.
I don't know if you would like to do this anywhere on the ground… Also one of the conditions to pray in Islam is to do it in a clean place. Thats why rugs are used. But if the place is clean you are not obliged to use it. It's additional. Like having a car..
3. the Mosques : That's where the muslims come together to pray. You can pray alone, but it's better to pray in a group, that's what the Mosques are for in a first place. But they are also like some second living room… people read or learn the Quran together, sit there to chat a little after the prayer… and children are playing. It's great to run around there, trust me. Because there are carpets everywhere… Of course everyone has to take off his shoes before coming in. Then, when it's time to pray, everyone lines up in rows behind the Imam. Sometimes people pray outside because there is no place left inside the mosque, and happy are those who toke a rug along with them…
4. the Qibla : the Qibla is the direction where we pray to. Every muslim in the world is praying to one direction ; the Kaaba. It was built by Abraham thousands of years ago. Just to say it, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed (3alayhim assalam) all where of his descendants.
5. the Muezzin : he is calling for the prayer 5 times a day, so we don't forget it. Every Mosque has a Muezzin. What he is saying is called Athan. The minarets where built for the Muezzin, when there where no microphones…
6. the Imam : every person "leading" the prayer is called Imam. When Muslims pray together, one is always in the front. He is the Imam. During the prayer, the others are following him in his movements. In some prayers, he is reading some parts of the Quran aloud and the others are listening. The Imam in a Mosque normally has done islamic studies at the university, that's why people are consulting him about religion and everything related to it. Every Friday, he is doing a Khotba, kind of a speech where he is talking about a specific theme, advising, warning, instructing, explaining and so on.
What is the story of al aqsa mosque?
Al Aqsa is a mosque caliph Omar built in Jerusalem after conquering it in 638. Before that, there was not any mosque in Jerusalem- as there was not a single Muslim there. Omar needed some "legal ground" for declaring Jerusalem and Palestine, traditionally Jewish and Christian land, "the land of Islam", and in that time, when the people were extremely religious, the best proof was "the Divine Reason". So, Omar took a Kuranic sura( it was The Night Journey, extremely vague and unclear story about how muhammad, in his night dream, travelled from the "Sacred Mosque" to some "furthest mosque" on the back of some mysterious creature, half mule and half dragon, called AlBurak - and used it as a legal claim.
Glory be to He
Who carried His servant by night,
from the Holy Mosque
to the Furthest Mosque,
the precincts of which
We have blessed.
so that We might show him
some of Our signs.
Surely He is the All-Hearing,
the All-Seeing.
------------------Sura al-Isra'
------------------Qur'an 17:1
Find me a single word in this nonsense of the Night Journey that this "furthest mosque" was in Jerusalem. And of course anyone who would move such a " legal ground" as a night dream of someone flying on the back of a dragon as the legal claim on some territory would be just laughed over. However, there were over 30,000 horsemen behind Omar´s story, which made laughing over it somewhat risky. But Omar wanted to look not a savage and barbarian but a just and fair- although strict- ruler, and in order to look this he strived to make this insane story about flying dragons minimally credible. In that time people could believe whatever - but they could not believe the story about the mosque standing in Jerusalem if they saw with their own eyes that there was not any mosque . Omar was known for being a resolute man who took the decisions fast. There was not a single mosque in Jerusalem to support Omar´s claim? So, it must be built. And Omar in record time erected in Jerusalem, on the remnants of the Solomon Temple, a primitive wooden structure and said it was that same Al Aqsa - the Furthest mosque- of the Koran. Would you dare to call a liar someone by whose only word 30,000 horsemen would raise to the saddle?
In 685AD the Umayyad Khalif, 'Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, reconstructed AlAqsa. Now it was of stone, not of wood. Where was the stone taken from ? From the Christian Church of Our Lady. So, the muslim mosque was built of the stone of the Chrstian Church and built on the place of the Jewish Temple.
A wonderful proof to the frequently repeated by Muslims statement that "islam treats with respect all religions ".
Why is there a wash room in a mosque?
Every mosque has a place where worshippers may ritually cleanse themselves before entering to pray. they have to be clean before facing Allah.
When was the first mosque built in the Philippines?
The first mosque in Islam is Mosque Qiba, built in July 622. The mosque is in the country Saudi Arabia, in the city of Medinah.
What can the mosque building help people worship?
Religous Functions of a Mosque:
All adult Muslims, with exceptions for the infirm, are required to offer Salat prayers five times daily. Most mosques will organise a formal time of prayer for each of the daily timeslots. In addition to holding the daily prayers, mosques hold weekly jumu'ah services which replace the midday prayer on Fridays. While daily prayers can be performed anywhere, it is required to attend Friday prayers at the mosque.[12]
The mosque is the centre of the Islamic community, illustrating the idea of brotherhood and iman.[13]
A funeral prayer, or salat ul-janazah, is normally held for a deceased Muslim outdoors in a courtyard or square close to the mosque, with all congregants present, including the imam, participating.[14] During eclipses, mosques will host special prayers called eclipse prayers.[15]
There are two large holidays (Eids) in the Islamic calendar, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha during which there are special prayers held at mosques in the morning. These Eid prayers are supposed to be offered in large groups, and so larger mosques will normally host them for their congregants as well as the congregants of smaller local mosques. Some mosques will even rent convention centers or other large public buildings to hold the large number of Muslims who attend. Mosques, especially those in countries where Muslims are the majority, will also host Eid prayers outside in courtyards or town squares.[16]
Islam's holiest month, Ramadan, is observed through many events. As Muslims must fast during the day during Ramadan, mosques will host iftar dinners after sunset and the fourth required prayer of the day, maghrib. Food is provided, at least in part, by members of the community, thereby creating nightly potluck dinners. Because of the community contribution necessary to serve iftar dinners, mosques with smaller congregations may not be able to host the iftar dinners daily. Some mosques will also hold suhoor meals before dawn to congregants attending the first required prayer of the day, fajr. As with iftar dinners, congregants usually provide the food for suhoor, although able mosques may provide food instead. Mosques will often invite poorer members of the Muslim community to share in beginning and breaking the fasts, as providing charity during Ramadan is regarded in Islam as especially honorable.[17]
Following the last obligatory daily prayer (isha) special, optional tarawih prayers are offered in larger mosques. During each night of prayers, which can last for up to two hours each night, usually one member of the community who has memorized the entire Qur'an will recite a segment of the book.[12] Sometimes, several such people (not necessarily of the local community) take turns to do this. During the last ten days of Ramadan, larger mosques will host all-night programs to observe Laylat al-Qadr, the night Muslims believe that Muhammad first received Qur'anic revelations.[12] On that night, between sunset and sunrise, mosques employ speakers to educate congregants in attendance about Islam. Mosques or the community usually provide meals periodically throughout the night.
During the last ten days of Ramadan, larger mosques within the Muslim community will host i'tikaf, a practice in which at least one Muslim man from the community must participate. Muslims performing i'tikaf are required to stay within the mosque for ten consecutive days, often in worship or learning about Islam. As a result, the rest of the Muslim community is responsible for providing the participants with food, drinks, and whatever else they need during their stay.[12]
The third of the Five Pillars of Islam states that Muslims are required to give approximately one-fortieth of their wealth to charity as zakat. Since mosques form the center of Muslim communities, they are where Muslims go to both give zakat and, if necessary, collect it. Prior to the holiday of Eid ul-Fitr, mosques also collect a special zakat that is supposed to assist in helping poor Muslims attend the prayers and celebrations associated with the holiday. (wikipedia)
Do ALL Muslims go to a mosque?
No because we are not allowed in the church as Muslims. And the Muslims can only pray in the mosque and at home but not in the church. And my dad always tells me you can go inside it only when you are doing working and Allah knows you are only doing your work.
By Abshir Abdirahman
What is the function of a muezzin in a mosque?
He is the person who calls the faithful to prayer at the mosque.
Which is not a type of decoration used at the Great Mosque in Cordoba?
Human and/or animal pictures is not a type of decoration at any Islamic mosque.
Hi,
It is not a requirement, but since Masjid Al Nabbawi (the Prophet's a.s.w.s. mosque in Al Madina) was and is painted that color, they tend to be that color. Shia, an Islamic sect, especially tend to use the color green. But there is no other religious reason as far as I know and Allahu A'laam.
Hope this was helpful
Why do you have to wash in a mosque?
You don't have to.
While you can go to a mosque for different reasons, Muslims usually go to offer prayers. Wudoo' (ablution) is a prerequisite for offering a prayer, that;s why they do so.
What are the 3 mosques mentioned in the Holy Quran?
There are 5 not 3 mosques mentioned in the Qur'an; Masjid-ul-Haram ( Mecca, Saudi Arabia), Masjid-ul- Dirar (Medina, Saudi Arabia), Masjid-ul-Nabawi (Medina, Saudi Arabia), Masjid-ul-Aqsa (Jerusalem) and Masjid Quba (Medina, Saudi Arabia) Peace.
There are 3 not 5 mosques mentioned in the Holy Quran:
1. Masjid-ul-Haram ( Mecca, Saudi Arabia),
2. Masjid-ul-Aqsa (Jerusalem),
3. Masjid-ul- Dirar (Medina, Saudi Arabia),
Where is the largest mosque in the world located?
Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (المسجد الحرام) or "The Sacred Mosque") or the "Grand Mosque", is the largest mosque in the world.
This mosque is Located in the city of Mecca (or Makkah) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It surrounds the Kaaba, the place which Muslims turn towards while offering daily prayers and is considered by Muslims as the holiest place on earth.
The mosque can accommodate up to 4 million worshippers during the pilgrimage (or Hajj) period, the largest annual people gathering in the world.
What are characteristics of all mosques?
All mosques typically feature a prayer hall oriented towards Mecca, known as the qibla, where Muslims gather for communal prayers. They often include a minaret for calling the faithful to prayer and a mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca. Additional elements may include a courtyard, ablution facilities for ritual washing, and decorative elements reflecting Islamic art. Mosques serve as both places of worship and community centers, embodying the principles of inclusivity and spirituality in Islam.
