The Virtual Mosqueattending the mosque for the daily prayers

“Keep up prayer at the two ends of the day

and in the first hours of the night” (Sura

11:114).

The mosque is the assembly place for Muslim worshippers.

The action carried out here is not, however, simply a Muslim

form of the worship that Christians and Jews practice in their

churches or synagogues. Muslim prayer (known as salat) is

distinctive.

In Islamic countries, mosques usually function only for daily

prayer, and are funded by private donors, including kings

and other public figures. In the West, however, mosques are

much more multi-use, used as education centers, venues for

weddings and special celebrations, and much more.

Hasan II Mosque of

Casablanca, Morocco was

built during the years 1986-

1993 by Morocco’s king at a

cost of over a half-billion

dollars. It boasts the world’s

tallest minaret and holds

over 100,000 worshippers.

The worship of the gathered community is essentially the

same as the worship that a Muslim carries out as an

individual five times a day, every day of his life.

The shrine of Reza Ali in

Mashhad, Iran is the

world’s largest mosque

by capacity. It is the

burial site of Haroun al-

Rashid and Imam Ali al-

Ridha (who was

murdered by Al-Ma’mun

in 818 C.E.)

A believer can do the five

daily prayers at home, work,

even on the sidewalk. Some

choose to do some of their

prayers at the mosque in the

presence of the community.

On Friday, however, Muslim

men are obligated to do the

midday prayers in the

mosque.

Whether standing alone in a

quiet spot at home or in the

office, or standing with others

in the mosque, believers the

world over face the Kaaba in

Mecca as they pray. At the

Kaaba, and only here, they

form a circle.

Every mosque has a niche, or “qibla”, in one

wall that directs believers toward the Kaaba.

PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO

THIS DETAIL!

For the first few years

after Muhammad

began receiving the

revelations, the

Muslim community

actually faced

Jerusalem together.

Located on the site where

the Jewish temple once

stood, al Haram al Sharif is

considered the third holiest

site of Islam.

Built in 692, it was

celebrated by the Jews of

Jerusalem for having

restored beauty to the

Temple Mount.

The Western Wall of the

Jewish Temple still stands

(in the foreground).

The bendings – the

actual physical

posture of absolute

submission long

used for Middle

Eastern kings –

create a life-

rhythm that shapes

the life of the

Muslim before God.

Muslims are

commanded to

gather on Fridays

to practice this

same act, andwithin the community of believers they are reminding

themselves and one another that the ultimate goal of Islam is

the unity of all before God.

Mosque in China

Cairo, Egypt

Delhi, India

Prayer times vary from day to

day, with the changing length

of the day through the year.

Since prayer is an act of

Muslim unity, Muslims depend

on a muezzin to call out the

community to prayer. He does

so from the minaret beside the

mosque.

Before beginning the prayers, a Muslim removes his

or her shoes, and performs a ritual washing (called

“wudu” or “ablutions”) of the hands, feet and face.

This serves to set the prayers apart from the rest of

daily life.

Persia

Turkey

To further set

the moment

apart from

the rest of

daily life,

prayer mats

are often

used, but not

required.

In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful...

The Bismallah

While moving from

the standing position,

to his or her knees,

and finally to

complete obeisance,

the Muslim recites

the Al-Fatihah (the

opening sura of the

Qur’an) ...

… followed by other verses from the Qu

’ran.

The daily prayers are determined by the position of the

sun, and are scheduled throughout the day from just

before sunrise until after sunset. The way the times

are set is described in a hadith (tradition about

Muhammad’s life): “The time for Zuhr is from when the sun has passed its zenith and a man’s shadow is equal in length to his height, until the time for ‘Asr comes. The time for ‘Asr lasts until the sun turns orange. The time for Maghrib lasts [from sunset] until the twilight has faded. The time for ‘Isha’ lasts until midnight. The time for Subh (Fajr) prayer lasts from the beginning of the pre-sunrise twilight so long as the sun has not yet started to rise. When the sun starts to rise then stop praying, for it rises between the two horns of the Shaytan (Satan).”

In a Muslim

community, the

muezzin’s call is

sufficient. But

modern Muslims in

non-Muslim

communities now

typically follow

timetables that are

posted on the

internet, or even

receive text

messages on their

cell-phones.

The bendings (or rakat) take 5-10

minutes, depending on the time of day

(two rakat are required at the early

morning prayer, and four at all other

times except for the late afternoon

prayer at which three are performed.) At

the Friday midday prayers, an imam

typically shares a lesson on Islam as

well.

It is traditional for men and

women to pray separately, in

order to maintain modesty

and remain free from

distraction. In many mosques,

that means women pray

behind the men.

Often, women are

physically

separated from

the men by a

screen or – as in

this case – a veil.

Muslim women at

prayer must

cover their

heads, legs to the

ankles, and arms

to the wrists.

Non-muslims often consider this oppressive, but

Muslim women point out that the result is to their

benefit – women are free to pray without concern that

they are being ogled.

Islam, like Judaism, prohibits art that portrays living

creatures. Thus, Islamic art has focused on two areas –

calligraphy (especially of the Qur’an) and architecture. As

the community’s central experience of unity, the mosque

has been the prime architectural expression.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

Al-Azher Mosque (Cairo)

Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba, Spain

Mosque in Karachi, Pakistan

Blue Mosque (Istanbul)

Grand Mosque of Muscat, Oman

Senegal

Putra Mosque on Putrajaya, Malaysia

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque,

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Al Nabawi Mosque in Medina, Saudi

Arabia