The important features of a Mosque

The Mosque or also known as a Masjid in Arabic plays a big part in the way of life in the Muslim culture. We know this because this is a place of worship and a place where Muslims can meet, celebrate and more importantly pray. Muhammad said: “Where ever the time of prayer overtakes you, pray; this place is a Mosque.”

The most important features of a Mosque are various. Most Mosques have at least one Minaret. The Minaret is a tall tower which is quite narrow. This is where the Muezzin calls them to prayer 5 times a day. This is important as it reminds them to come to prayer. This is one of the five pillars or Islam. It also promotes Ummah as it brings a lot of fellow Muslim’s together.

Another important feature of a Mosque is the fact that it has no pictures or idols of any living being. This is so that they do not get distracted. As if they were to get distracted they would not be able to concentrate as much on Allah and might have impure thoughts. Also Muhammad says that you should not worship any idols as you should worship Allah alone. This is also why nobody is allowed to draw a picture of Muhammad. Also in a Mosque there is no furniture. This is because it is not needed as everybody sits on the floor so nobody is superior to anybody else. They pray on prayer mats so they are clean. Also men and women sit separately so they don’t get distracted. This could ruin the holiness of your thoughts and your prayers to Allah.

The prayer sequence is known as Ra’kah. Before you do pray you perform a sequence in which you clean all parts of your body. This is called Wudu or Wuzu in Arabic. There fore there is a wash room within the Mosque so you can perform the ritual. This is so you are clean physically and it gets you in the right frame of mood. Also so the mosque stays clean they also take off their shoes on entry and put them on a shoe rack. This is so they don’t bring the filth from the out side inside.

The Qiblah wall is a wall in a mosque with calligraphy on it. It has one mistake to show that nobody is perfect except for Allah. The Qiblah wall as the Mihrab (alcove in the wall) is faced in the way of the holy city Makkah. Muslims believe that Allah’s throne is situated directly above the Ka’ba. The Ka’ba is also very important as Muhammad once went there and removed all of the idols and pictures in there and only left two of pictures of Jesus and Mary. He then walked round it 7 times. This is also why Muslims have to go to the Ka’ba at least once in a life time to perform the Hajj as it is one of the 5 pillars.

The Imam (Muslim teacher) teaches from the Minbar. Here there are some steps where he reads the sermon. The Imam is very important to Muslims as he promotes Umah and is also a very educated person who can fluently read and write Arabic. This is because they have studied the Quran thoroughly and the Hadiths. This is so he can lead Muslims through prayer and can provide help for the community.

In a mosque another important feature is the dome in the ceiling. This does not only make the Imam’s voice sound louder as he leads the congregation. It also represents the universe and symbolises that Allah is everywhere.

The Madrassah is the school in the Mosque. This is so that children and adults can learn about the Quran and to speak Arabic. Also it promotes Ummah and it helps Muslims get closer to Allah. This is because the Quran is in Arabic and it’s the true meaning of Allah’s words.