Think of a place that is very special to you.

1. Think of a place that is very special to you. Working in pairs, Discuss how you show respect for that place? Do you scream and shout there? Do you keep silent? Do you run around? Do you sit down? Are you calm in that place or are you fidgety? You have a minute for this task…..

2. Key words Minaret – The tower(s) on the mosque building Imam – the person who leads the prayers in a mosque The Mosque Mihrab – The part of the wall which shows the direction of Makkah. Muezzin – The person who does the call to prayer Minbar – the seat that the Imam sits on when giving a sermon. It might have a lot of steps or very few.

3. What is a Mosque? A Mosque is a building that is used for worship by Muslims. The design of mosques can be very different from country to country. All Mosques will have the same main things in it which are: A prayer hall A pulpit ( minbar) An alcove (mihraab)

4. Other things can also be in a mosque such as: A place to perform wudu. A library A room used for other functions such as weddings, funerals etc.

5. A mosque is a very special place to all Muslims. When Muslims enter a mosque they take off their shoes and enter in a quiet manner. The also need to make sure that they have performed Wudu if they wish to pray or read the Qur’an. Shoes are left outside the prayer area on a rack. There are no seats to sit on and no pictures or statues to decorate the building. Everyone is expected to kneel on the floor, which is generally covered with carpets.

7. The first mosque built during the life of the Prophet Muhammad was the Quba Mosque which is on the outskirts of the city of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. It was originally mud built. But today it is a beautiful building built with modern technology.

8. Watch the following clip from youtube – showing the inside of a mosque – Inside Quba Mosque http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBYVh-4iIrs&feature=related

9. Can any of you guess at least one place where the most important mosques for Muslims are? Hint: There are 3 major mosques The three mosques that are really important in Islam are the Mosques in Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem.

13. External features of a mosque External features of a mosque are usually only two. They are the dome and the minaret. Not all mosques will have a dome and not all will have a minaret. Sometimes it may not have either!

14. In Muslim countries mosques are specially built. In Britain – Muslims sometimes buy churches that are not used anymore, or halls, or schools or old buildings that they can change easily into a mosque.

15. Internal features of a mosque To one side is the minbar (pulpit), from which sermons are given. It may be very decorated and big, or just a little platform at the top of a few stairs. The prayer hall is the largest room in mosque. It is usually decorated with Arabic writing and bold colours

16. The Mihrab Inside every mosque there is a mihrab (an alcove set in the wall). This marks the direction of Makkah. The Imam stands in front of the mihrab when leading prayers.

17. The Dome This gives the feeling of open space. It also permits the voice of the Imam (man leading the prayer) to be heard clearly by the worshippers. The minaret is the place where the Muezzin (the person who calls out the call to prayer) stands when he is calling out. Although these days it in not common in every mosque as modern technology has allowed microphones and speakers.

18. The wudu area is sometimes outside the mosque building and sometimes inside the mosque building. It is normal for modern mosques to have separate facilities for women.

19. Write down the 6 features of a mosque you have learned so far. The pictures are there to help jog your memory.

20. How is a mosque important to Muslims in their daily lives? Muslims try to go to mosque to pray their 5 daily prayers. if they can’t go to the mosque they will pray in their homes. Muslims use the mosque as a school too - evening classes are held where young children, teenagers and even adults go to learn Arabic language and to learn how to read the Qur’an.

21. Some Muslims get married in a mosque. There is also a place in a mosque or an outside room where they wash the body of a dead person to prepare them to be buried in their graves. The Mosque is used for local meetings. As you can see – the mosque is Very important to Muslims and their lives!

22. If you had to visit a mosque, then what feature would you be looking out for? What is the one thing that you would like to see or see take place. Why? Write down your answer with explanation.

23. What have you learnt today? Discuss with the person next to you 5 things you have learnt today. you have a minute each for this activity. Then feedback to the class. You must not say something that someone else has already said!! GO!!!!!!

24. Create an information leaflet or booklet about a mosque. It will be used by non-Muslim school pupils taking part in a school visit to a mosque. It should mention the main features of the mosque as well as a note about how to dress and behave inside the mosque. The finished leaflet or booklet should have pictures as well as words. Minaret Prayer Hall Dome Shoe Racks Quibla Wall – direction of Makkah Wuzu Rooms Minbar Mihrab Qur’an Muezzin