The role and function of the mosque
in a Muslim community
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).
A mosque brings the community together as it acts as many things, a social centre, a community centre and an educational centre etc as it has many events which welcome both old and new members of the mosque. In addition to holding the five obligatory daily prayers, mosques hold jumu?ah prayers, or Friday prayers, which replace the midday prayer as the second required prayer on Fridays. It is required for all men to attend mosque on Friday for Jumu?ah. The sermons often have a strong practical slant, trying to integrate and apply Islamic beliefs and historical teachings into contemporary daily life. In many Islamic societies, jumu'ah often has a significant community or even political role. I believe sermons are significant in bringing the community together as the congregation is standing side by side in a line, facing Mecca, together, all united in their faith and worship of Allah
There are study centres for new comers of the faith to come and learn about the Islamic faith, about the teachings of the Qur?an, learn how to read it and pronounce . These are often take place on weekends or in the evenings. Some mosques provide full time schools if you depend on the mosque to provide a full time Islamic education. Few but some mosques have Madrassah?s Arabic classes, classes on the Shariah, the hadith, the Sunnah, Tafsir(Qur?anic interpretation) and Muslim history. This will expand ones knowledge of Islam and will also draw them closer to their faith. Mostly children attend this study centre however all are welcome who care to learn.. Which can deepen the faith as it can expand ones understanding of Islam.
... significant expression to the diversity of Islam, however it is also a powerful witness to the unity of Islam, and the meaning of the Umma, with millions of people, of every race and nationality uniting together in one goal of submission to Allah. “We were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood” (Malcolm X, a Sunni pilgrim, 1965)
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.
After years of gathering at each other’s homes to perform congregational prayers, Azhar Ali Shah and Majid Qureshi, two founding members of the small group, decided that a proper mosque was needed to accommodate the growing community, which was now at about 40+ members. Mr. Shah held a meeting with the other Muslims and announced a plan to begin collecting funds to finance the purchase of a building to be used as a mosque. It was necessary to collect the money upfront because in Islam, interest (on loans, etc.) is not permitted. In 1974, after almost two years of collecting donations from various sources, enough funding was on hand to purchase a former residence that would be used as a mosque. This mosque was located on McMillan Avenue near Clifton Avenue in the University of Cincinnati area.
Some were less religious in the new land, but most became even more connected to their faith when they came to the United States. They wanted to have a piece of their lives that was familiar to them on their new journey. They organized familiar rituals and spent their time at the mosque. As many immigrants that came to America, the Muslim people needed to establish a base to rely on. On September 11, 2001, things took a turn for the worse.
The Arab and Islamic Empire made some of the greatest contributions to the world during its reign. During a time when Europe was in the midst of the Middle Ages was cut off from the rest of the world, the Arab Empire flourished with trade and intermingling. As Christian Europeans struggled to reclaim Jerusalem for themselves with the Crusades, the Muslims’ vast territory not only housed Jerusalem, but Mecca, and land as far as Cordova, Spain. Where European Medieval doctors were untrained and performed numerous amputations, and leeching, Islamic doctors studied and practiced advanced medical treatments. The Muslims made great contributions to education, science, and trade alike. The Muslims were able to make contributions that impacted the
Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion alongside Judaism and Christianity. It is currently the second largest religion in the world today. Its beliefs come from the Qur'an which literally means "the recitation" which is believed to be a literal transcription of the word of God. Its main prophet is named Muhammad who began Islam by speaking with the angel Gabriel in a cave during his meditation and then acting as an instrument of God to help write the Qur’an. Muhammad then spread Islam to the scattered tribes of Arabia by becoming the leader of Yathrib and using his wonderful leadership abilities to then grow his influence over virtually all of Arabia. Muhammad is known by Muslims to be the seal of the profits because no profits after Muhammad should be considered legitimate. Muhammad also left behind the Hadith or “tradition” which is a collection of writings compiled of reports of Muhammad’s actions as leader of Yathrib. These reports are used as a more specific code of ethics in day to day life and from these reports the 5 Pillars of Islam are derived (Smith 160). Although Islam shares many similarities to Judaism and Christianity it is often viewed in the US with hate derived from preconceived notions following the attack on September 11th 2001. This paper seeks to provide an overview of Islam’s history as well as its two major sects and 5 main pillars to remove preconceived notions and provide a glance into the minds of the Islamic people.
Since the beginning of Europe itself Muslims and Europeans have clashed over religious and cultural styles. This hatred began during the crusades when Christian Europeans drove out and killed Muslims that had begun to immigrate to their lands. Europe had been divided since into Western Christian Europe and Eastern Catholic/Islamic Europe. Even in current day the relations between the two cultures seems to have reached new peaks of instability. In Muslim culture the ideals of the West to do not sit well with them as Western Europeans are seen as blasphemous and scandalous in their eyes. From Western Europe’s perspective the Islamic culture is blasphemous and unprogressive compared to their ideals. Neither side has ever seen eye to eye
The Qur’an is believe to the ultimate source of God by many Muslim believers. It contains 114 suras for the believers as the core practices of the Islamic religion and Muslims throughout the world recites its verses (Chang, Lecture. 1/21/14). They believed the prophet of Allah was Muhammad, who received the words of Allah through Angel Gabriel, and was passed on with the Qur’an during Ramadan. Angel Gabriel one night came to Muhammad “in clear human form” (“Scripture and Tradition in Islam- The Qur’an and Hadith” 104), and gave the messages from Allah to him. From the establishment of the Qur’an, Muslims have viewed the book as the last revelation of their god Allah, and thus are the true words from God for their ways of life and in reaching Allah in their afterlife. The book also teaches “mankind’s responsibility assigned by God” (Gordon 115). Therefore, Muslims practices in ways to prove their devotion towards the new religion of Islam by being faithful, and performing religious practices.
Many non-muslims after 9/11 have judged and criticized Muslims for their ethnic, religion, and the Islamic terrorist groups in America. (4) Surprisingly, most Muslim Americans in our population are completely against Isis. Together as a country, we must create more unity and peace within Muslim communities in the United States. Building Mosques for Muslims is a great way to bring communities together! A Mosque is a Muslim place of worship like a church. (1) The first Mosque structure built in America, was in North Dakota, 1929.”The number of Mosques built in the United States has risen up to seventy-four percent since 2000 and there are over two-thousand Mosques built today. (1) “Mosques help Muslims integrate in U.S. society, and in fact have a very productive role in bridging the differences between Muslims and non-Muslims in the United States.” Mosques encourage social and political speech. (5) “Many American Muslim leaders and non-Muslim organizations have spoke out against terrorism and extremist violence.” Working together to prevent terrorism plays an important factor in uniting Muslims and non-Muslims. American will continue to help increase unity with Muslims and non-Muslims across our
The Islamic Center offers a great opportunity for non-Muslims who are curious about the faith and would like to know and understand more. The Islamic Center is open to the public for tours. At this time over 40,000 people have toured this facility. Set aside a couple of hours of your time to experience this unique community and enrich your cultural awareness. Schedule a tour for yourself.
Both Islam and Christianity have practices or duties, which are central to the daily routines of life. The five pillars of Islam are the foundation of the way Muslims live. The first pillar of Islam is the Shahadah, the Declaration of Faith. This says; ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah’. The second pillar is salah, which says that Muslims should pray five times a day. This applies to all Muslims, except Shi’is are permitted to combine the five prayers into three sessions. The third pillar is zakah, which means giving money to people who are poor or in need. The fourth pillar is sawm, which means fasting. Every year, during the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during hours of daylight. The fifth pillar is Hajj. This is the pilgrimage to Mekkah, which
... (Becoming) Islamic community is like Christianity in the aspect that everyone in community is closely connected and is focused on helping each other. In fact, "the word Islam connotes the community of all believers, suggesting inclusion in one large family. (Molly 437) People are called to pray several times a day by a muezzin (Molly 439) Muslims are expected to attend mosque for prayer but it is not required.
On the board on Monday morning, there were numbers one through five and they each had a religion written next to them. 1 was Hinduism, 2 was Christianity, 3 was Judaism, 4 was Buddhism, and I was lucky enough to get 5: Islam. Oh, I know so much about Islam culture and their religion, are you kidding? I don’t even know where Islam is. I’m just kidding, it’s not a country. There are many differences between Islam and the United states like our religion, clothes, and food, and becoming a Christian or a Muslim, but Islam is the second largest religion in the world, so it’s important to a lot of people. The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Becoming a Muslim is not an easy process. You must do a long list of tasks. After you become a Muslim you must do everything in your power to try to have a good Muslim lifestyle.
For my places of warship assignment, I decided to go to the mosque. For the first time on September 28, 2014 I went to the mosque with a friend of mine who is a muslim. Mosque is a Muslim place of warship. When I was there I heard some people saying masjid. I ask my friend that what is the difference between mosque and masjid. He said that mosque is a english word for masjid; in urdu or in arabic we say masjid. Then i also realized why the mosque is named masjid. When I got there, my friend introduced me to some the members of the mosque and his friends. People there were the most friendliest people I have ever met. They never made me feel like I am not part of them. They welcomed me, greet me, and asked me to come every week if I