The Mosque

A mosque is a place where followers of Islam. Muslims offer prayers five times a day. It is the place where collective prayers are offered lead by an Imam. The word "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship.

A mosque is also a center of social activities for Muslims where different people come for prayers and Quran Recitation and worship of Allah five times a day and meet each other, discuss some religious affairs, take guidance and help each other.

All adult Muslims, with exceptions for the infirm, are required to offer prayers five times daily. Most mosques will organize a formal time of prayer for each of the daily time slots. In addition to holding the daily prayers, mosques hold weekly Jumaah services which replace the midday prayer on Fridays. While daily prayers can be performed anywhere, it is obligated to attend Friday prayers at the mosque.

Mosques are also used as Islamic Schools where children come to learn and Memorize Qur’an, some of the children who are needy and orphans may reside there in attached hostels. All the expenses are paid by the people living in vicinity.

There are few rules that should be followed in the respect, when entering in the mosques e.g. one should be neat and clean, mentally normal and in senses. In mosques talking loud or irrelevant discussions are not allowed. One should not bring his shoes into the Mosque.

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.

The architecture of mosques is a continuation of pre-Islamic architecture of palaces built during the Parthian and Sassanian dynasties of Persia. The Sarvestan palace from the Sassanian era is a great example of this. For example, the idea of having an arched entrance and a central dome is clearly one borrowed from pre-Islamic, Persian architecture. After the Arab invasion of Persia, this architecture, as well as elements of Sassanian culture, was used for the new Islamic world. Many forms of mosques have evolved in different regions of the Islamic world. Notable mosque types include the early Abbasid mosques, T-type mosques, and the central-dome mosques of Anatolia. The oil-wealth of the twentieth century drove a great deal of mosque construction using designs from leading non-Muslim modern architects and promoting the careers of important contemporary Muslim architects.