Islam Introduction

2. Islam • Introduction • The Mosque is the sacred space where the people of the Muslim faith tradition gather to pray together. • It is important to note that just like all the other faith traditions, people can pray anywhere. The Mosque is their sacred space where they pray to God, whom they call Allah. • As in the Orthodox Jewish tradition, the men and women pray separately. In a rare number of Mosques the men and women pray in the same space. The women will pray in a partially separated room or, as in this Mosque, they are upstairs on a balcony with a decorated screen through which they can peek, but behind which they cannot be seen. • Both the men and the women pray for about five minutes, five times per day. During prayer, they prostrate themselves – kneeling and putting their face to the ground, then they stand, bow, and kneel. Each movement is to praise Allah, and to give themselves totally to Allah. • These words are written in their holy book, The Koran (Qur’an). • The five pillars of the Muslim faith tradition state: • Shahada – to repeat the declaration of faith • Salat– to pray five times each day • Zakat– to give to the poor • Sawm– to fast during the month of Ramadan • Hajj– to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah)

3. Inside the Mosque qibla, mihrab, minbar, carpet & clock Muslims believe in one God, Allah. They pray to Allah five times per day. It is not necessary to go to a Mosque to pray. It is only necessary to face in the right direction – toward the holy city of Mecca. In the Mosque, the qibla is the special wall that everyone faces because it is in the direction of Mecca. The mihrab is an alcove in or on the qibla wall to indicate that this is the direction towards Mecca. The minbar is the small stage or seat where the leader, the imam or the mullah, sits to give the sermon on Friday prayers. In this Mosque the carpet has a design that aids in situating one’s direction toward Mecca. The clock lists the five specific times for prayer for that day.

4. Clock This is a clock from a different Mosque. It also indicates the hours of prayer for that day. Someone calls out that it is time to pray, and while they are doing so they put their hands behind their ears to call others to listen. In some places the calls take place from Minarets, which look like small rooms on the top of a tall column.

5. Balcony Railing The men and women pray in separate places. Often the women are in another room or behind a wall. In this Mosque, the women are upstairs on a balcony behind this beautifully and ornately carved railing. Muslims do not put pictures of any kind in the Mosques, but they may use intricate designs to decorate their sacred space. Note the decoration on the rug indicating the direction to face in prayer. All Muslims do wudu– the washing up before they go to pray. If possible they wash their hands and feet. If not possible, they do it symbolically. Everyone takes off their shoes before entering the Mosque. Hindus and Sikhs do the same. It is reverence for their holy space.

6. Studying the Koran (Qur’an) • This picture was taken from the women’s balcony, looking down into the men’s section of the Mosque. In it you can see a group of men studying the Muslim Holy Scriptures, the Koran (Qur’an). • Muslims believe that the angel Gabriel came to their founder, Mohammed while he was sitting in a cave fasting, and gave him the specific words of the Koran. Later Mohammed dictated these words to scribes who wrote them down in Arabic. • Muslims fast from dawn to dusk for 30 days during Ramadan. The feast at the end of Ramadan is called Eid. • The Five Pillars of Islam are: • Faith: “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah” • Prayer: Pray five times per day • Almsgiving: Help the poor • Fasting: During Ramadan (and do not eat pork or drink liquor) • Pilgrimage: If able, go to Mecca once during one’s lifetime.