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What makes the mosque unique?
A mosque can be identified by its distinctive features: the towering minarets from which the calls to prayer are sounded, the large courtyards often adorned with fountains, and an ornately decorated mihrab, the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca.
What do you face in a mosque?
The qibla is the direction Muslims face when praying toward the Ka’ba in Mecca. The qibla wall is the wall in a mosque that faces Mecca. It is designed so the call to prayer, issued from mosques five times a day, can be heard loud and clear throughout a town or city.
Which is an important feature of mosque decoration?
Another important feature of mosque decoration are hanging lamps, also visible in the photograph of the Sultan Hasan mosque. Light is an essential feature for mosques, since the first and last daily prayers occur before the sun rises and after the sun sets. Before electricity, mosques were illuminated with oil lamps.
How do you worship in a mosque?
Prayer in the mosque All mosques have a qiblah wall, which is the wall of the mosque that is closest to Makkah. Worshippers face this wall when they pray so that they are praying towards the holy city of Islam. At the mosque, men and women pray in separate rooms performing the series of movements in a sequence.
What can I expect when I visit a mosque?
If you contact the mosque ahead of time, you may be greeted and hosted by the Imam, or another senior community member. If you visit during a time of prayer, especially Friday prayer, you may see various community members including children. Men and women usually pray in separate areas, either in separate rooms or divided by a curtain or screen.
Do all Muslims go to the mosque to pray?
It is not required for all Muslims to attend all prayers in the mosque, so you may or may not find a group of people gathered at a given time. If you contact the mosque ahead of time, you may be greeted and hosted by the Imam, or another senior community member.
How do you greet someone in a Muslim mosque?
As people enter the mosque, you may hear them greeting each other in Arabic: “Assalamu alaikum” (peace be upon you). If you choose to reply, the return greeting is, “Wa alaikum assalaam” (and upon you be peace). At the times of the daily prayers, you will hear the call of the adhan.
Are there chairs in the prayer room of a mosque?
For elderly or disabled community members, there may be a few chairs available. There are no sacred objects in the prayer room, other than copies of the Quran which may be along the walls on bookshelves. As people enter the mosque, you may hear them greeting each other in Arabic: “Assalamu alaikum” (peace be upon you).