1.0 Introduction
The whole world is a place of worship. The essence of life is to worship the Almighty, the creator of all creations. Allah says that He had created both Men and Jinns only that they may worship and serve Him (Quran 51, verse 56). In another related verse; Allah says “O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (The Day of Assembly), hastens earnestly to the remembrance of God, and leave off business (and traffic): that is best for you if ye but knew! And when the prayer is finished, then may ye disperse through the land, and seek of the Bounty of God: and celebrate the praises of God often (and without stint :): that ye may prosper (Quran 62, verse 9, 10). it follows that Allah has given mankind the Gantt chart from the beginning of our life. Life is about worship and worship is about life, so it is inseparable. However, from (Quran 62 verse 9, 10) cited above, Muslims must perform prayers while at work, it is mean a mosque need to be located for the Vicegerency of Allah at work place. Therefore, “the position occupied by the mosque in Islam cannot be overemphasized. First it is a sacred institution because it is the Muslims' place of worship. In addition, mosque serves as a meeting point where issues that affect Islam in particular and the Muslims in general are discussed. In short all activities in Islam revolve around the mosque”. (Toyib, 2009)
Mosques represent the identity of Islam and gains its importance from the perch of prayer, the act of prayer, whether performed by an individual or congregation, is one of the pillars of Islam; it is considered to be the soul of Islam. The construction of Mosque could be seen as an extension of Muslim’s house where learning of Islamic culture and c...
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... Muslim Community. Published and distributed by:
UK Islamic Mission Dawah Centre 2-8 Ludlow Road, Alum Rock Birmingham, B8
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In Islam, their communities are called ummah. Their mosque is in the center, and cities are constructed around it. This symbolizes a life built around faith. In the Nation of Islam, their temple is also their sense of community. Though their cities are not physically around the temple, their social and spiritual lives are centered there. With school, religious services, banquets, etc. the whole community of believers sees the temple as a common ground and gathering place.
Different religions have shaped the cultural landscapes throughout history. In most religions, they have what is known as a sacred site. Many of the sacred sites are near the founding of the religion or near a place where something significant had once occurred. The followers of these religions often build temples to worship their gods. One example, would be the Dome of the Rock, where Muhammad, a prophet of God in the Muslim culture, said to have ascended into heaven.The Dome of the Rock is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture and is the "Noble Sanctuary" by Muslims. The place of worship for Muslims is known as the mosque, but the Dome of the Rock is much more iconic and would be best identified as a Muslim shrine. The temple was originally made for pilgrims and took thirteen years to construct. This is also a significant place for the Muslim community
For example, mosques and other praying sites always faced Mecca. The qibla in the Great Mosque of Cordoba is an exception because it faces Baghdad however, praying sites in the gardens of the Alcazar in Granada do face Mecca. Despite that difference, the mosque in Granada has a rectangular shape and is divided into a courtyard and the praying hall just like most mosques which derive their shape from Muhammad’s home. “The courtyard was an integral part of the Mosque, for it contained the fountains for washing the face, hands, and feet for the ritual purification before prayer.” (Burckhardt 10) and the minaret which brought cities together at the time of prayer. This standardized layout across the Islamic world provides a unifying structure for its people and the
The history of the Islamic Community of Cincinnati begins in 1961. At this time, the population of Muslims in Cincinnati was comprised of seven people, three men and four women. There was no mosque, which is an Islamic place for worship and gatherings, available at this time. So these seven decided to start congregating weekly for Friday (Jum’uah) prayer. During this time, there were only a few mosques in the Midwest, as there were a greater number of Muslims in larger cities in the East and West, mainly New York and Los Angeles. This small but vitally important start resulted in the Islamic Community of Cincinnati, which is now made up of two main mosques.
The article also discusses the origins of Islam as well as the beliefs of Islam. The theme in volume two is the “relationship between the expansion and fragmentation of Islamdom into autonomous, local dynasties” (Turner 192). According to the author, “The background of Islam was the emergence in the Axial Age of a new conception of religion, not as a tribal commitment” (Turner 192). The main issue of the religion was the fact that other Muslim communities were challenged by different religions and the refusal to accept the teaching of Islam. The author also discusses the rise of sufism. The author refers to sufism as relgious cement (Turner 193). Turner mentions that the author of The Venture of Islam would like to see Islamic influences in technological advances because of the moral roots of
Scheduling time for prayers means that the Muslim is up early before sunrise and cognitive of the time. Muslims in the western world adapt their prayer schedule to their work schedule, but “in countries such as Saudi Arabia, companies must shut briefly three times a day; it’s against the law to prevent employees from praying” (Mahajan, 2013, p.130). In some areas of the world, the prayer may be heard on loudspeakers to calling Muslims to prayer (Corduan,
One of the reasons why Muslims were able to achieve so much is because they are strict religious people. Most everything they do is in the name of their God, Allah. Documents two, six, seven, and eight give examples of their cultural activities. Document six exhibits calligraphy. Calligraphy is used to decorate buildings, mosques, and objects in glory of Allah. Calligraphy is used to represent the word of God in different ways other than letters to show that Allah is the creator of all. It is also used to reduce the amount of art to avoid the idolatry of pictures that are meant to worship Allah. Today, cursive may have been created from the elegant writing of calligraphy. In calligraphy, words can be used to become pictures and have a deeper meaning than the picture. Calligraphy is also used in the Dome of the Rock. Muslims worship Allah at the Dome of the Rock, which is located in Jerusalem, shown in document seven. The Dome of the Rock is a dome that is on top of a building to worship Allah. In the twenty-first century, domes are used for many buildings. Even the big sphere in Epoct, Disney World is an extension of the Dome of Rock. Document eight has an excerpt form the Quran and Persian Poems to compare the two. The Quran is the Holy Bible for Muslims and is the base of Arabic literature and poetry. The Quran is written in a way that voices the writer, which many poems do today. The figurative language and choice in words have affected the ways of wr...
There is plenty of controversy whether women should be allowed to pray in the same room as men. Men have even taken it as far as banishing women to basements, using barriers like curtains, walls, and partitions, and even banning women from the mosque entirely! With this kind of inequality and preferential treatment one can understand how shocked and amazed that this continues to go on. The questions society ponders about is, is this part of the religion? Is this what the Qu'ran promo...
First, literature shows that it is very important to stand up for and help people who need it. In “The Grand Mosque of Paris”, the Muslims were kind
.... For a Muslim, Friday is the holy day and special services are held in early to mid-afternoon. The Mosque is open seven days a week and available for each of the daily prayers.
Islamic art and architecture is a blend from three or more different cultural traditions from the east. The Arab, Turkish, and Persian traditions are three such traditions that were adopted into the Islamic art and architecture design. The best expressions of Islamic art and architecture are found in Muslim mosques. The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for prayer of Islam. Mosques are also a center for information, education, and dispute settlement. One of the most famous mosques of the Islamic art is the Great Mosque of Samarra in preset day Iraq. The Great Mosque of Samarra also has a spiral staircase on the outside of it.
A mosque is generally a very symbolic place for a Muslim, being a humble way for Muslims to recreate pure divine presence on earth. The primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place where Muslims can come together for prayer. Nevertheless, mosques are known around the world nowadays for their Islamic architecture but most importantly for its general vitality to the Muslim Ummah (community).
The worship of Allah is principal in a Muslim’s mind at all time. There are also five formal acts of worship which help strengthen a the faith and obedience of a Muslim. They are frequently called the “Five Pillars of Islam”. The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework and guidelines of the Muslim life. They are the testimony of faith, prayer, supporting the needy, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the once in a lifetime trip to Makkah for those who are able to do so. These Five Pillars are the thing Muslim’s do to please God and to keep themselves well and happy in this lifetime and for the future ones to come. It was Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, who was reported to have said, “Islam is based upon five pillars”.
The Islamic religion has a powerful meaning - surrender. Muslims in their religion pray to Prophet Muhammad who is regarded as the greatest of all prophets. Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam. The doctrinal narrative and experiential dimensions. The doctrinal dimension is important because ritual prayer of Salat Is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and is always in the direction of the ka’ba the shrine in mecca. The narrative dimension is also very important. this prayer must always be preceded by following the steps of washing their face hands and feet that can be done with sand when water is not available. Praying five times a day in a prescribed manner called the Salat. This is an extremely important tenet of Islam and has been enjoined with great emphasis both in the Holy Quran and the sayings of Prophet Mohammad. It is the greatest source for purification of the soul. If a man is not reciting Salat must be considered as soulless man. The way the Salat is offered and the words which are recited explain the true nature of religion.