Mosque

A mosque (/mɒsk/; from Arabic: مَسْجِد, romanized: masjid, pronounced [mǝsdʒid]; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of worship for Muslims.^[1]^[2] Any act of worship that follows the Islamic rules of prayer can be said to create a mosque, whether or not it takes place in a special building.^[2] Informal and open-air places of worship are called musalla, while mosques used for communal prayer on Friday are known as jāmiʿ.^[1] Mosque buildings typically contain an ornamental niche (mihrab) set into the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca (qiblah),^[1] ablution facilities and minarets from which calls to prayer are issued.^[1]^[2] The pulpit (minbar), from which the Friday (jumu'ah) sermon (khutba) is delivered, was in earlier times characteristic of the central city mosque, but has since become common in smaller mosques.^[3]^[1] Mosques typically have segregated spaces for men and women.^[1] This basic pattern of organization has assumed different forms depending on the region, period and denomination.^[2]

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

Mosques commonly serve as locations for prayer, Ramadan vigils, funeral services, marriage and business agreements, alms collection and distribution, as well as homeless shelters.^[1]^[3] Historically, mosques have served as a community center, a court of law, and a religious school. In modern times, they have also preserved their role as places of religious instruction and debate.^[1]^[3] Special importance is accorded to the Great Mosque of Mecca (centre of the hajj), the Prophet's Mosque in Medina (burial place of Muhammad) and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem (believed to be the site of Muhammad's ascent to heaven).^[1]

With the spread of Islam, mosques multiplied across the Islamic world. Sometimes churches and temples were converted into mosques, which influenced Islamic architectural styles.^[3] While most pre-modern mosques were funded by charitable endowments,^[1] increasing government regulation of large mosques has been countered by a rise of privately funded mosques, many of which serve as bases for different Islamic revivalist currents and social activism.^[3] Mosques have played a number of political roles. The rates of mosque attendance vary widely depending on the region.

EtymologyEdit

The word 'mosque' entered the English language from the French word mosquée, probably derived from Italian moschea (a variant of Italian moscheta), from either Middle Armenian մզկիթ (mzkit‘), Medieval Greek: μασγίδιον (masgídion), or Spanish mezquita, from مسجد (meaning "site of prostration (in prayer)" and hence a place of worship), either from Nabataean masg^ĕdhā́ or from Arabic Arabic: سَجَدَ, romanized: sajada (meaning "to bow down in prayer"), probably ultimately from Nabataean Arabic masg^ĕdhā́ or Aramaic s^ĕghēdh.^[4]

HistoryEdit

OriginsEdit

According to islamic scholars and history, Islam was established in Arabia during the lifetime of Muhammad in the 7th century CE,^[5] and so did architectural components such as the mosque. In this case, either the Mosque of the Companions in the Eritrean city of Massawa,^[6] or the Quba Mosque in the Hejazi city of Medina (the first structure built by Muhammad upon his emigration from Mecca in 622 CE),^[7] would be the first mosque that was built in the history of Islam.^[8]

Other scholars reference Islamic tradition^[9]^[10]^[11] and passages of the Quran,^[12]^[13]^[14] according to which Islam as a religion precedes Muhammad, and includes previous prophets such as Abraham.^[15] In Islamic tradition, Abraham is credited with having built the Ka'bah ('Cube') in Mecca, and consequently its sanctuary, Al-Masjid Al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque), which is seen by Muslims as the first mosque^[8] that existed.^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19] A Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari states that the sanctuary of the Kaaba was the first mosque on Earth, with the second mosque being Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem,^[20] which is also associated with Abraham.^[17] Since as early as 638 AD, the Sacred Mosque of Mecca has been expanded on several occasions to accommodate the increasing number of Muslims who either live in the area or make the annual pilgrimage known as Hajj to the city.^[21]

Either way, after the Quba Mosque, Muhammad went on to establish another mosque in Medina, which is now known as Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (The Prophet's Mosque). Built on the site of his home, Muhammad participated in the construction of the mosque himself and helped pioneer the concept of the mosque as the focal point of the Islamic city.^[22] The Prophet's mosque introduced some of the features still common in today's mosques, including the niche at the front of the prayer space known as the mihrab and the tiered pulpit called the minbar.^[23] The mosque was also constructed with a large courtyard, a motif common among mosques built since then.^[22]

2010 Aerial view of the largest mosque in the world, The Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām) of Mecca in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia, with the Kaaba in the center

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