The Mosque

Mosque in Turkey	Muhammed Ali mosque in Cario	C13th mosque on Crete, Greece	Birmingham main mosque
Mosques come in all shapes and sizes

The Mosque is a place were Muslims pray and worship Allah (God). In addition, the Mosque is a gathering and focal point for the community. In traditional Muslims society life center around the mosque, and there is usually a mosque in walking distance. Congregational prayers, educational classes, meetings where the affairs of the community are discussed, marriages, and burials all take place within the mosque.

Whilst any member of the congregation may lead the prayer, a mosque often has a resident Imam who is also available for teaching, advice and assisting with the resolution of problems. The mosque will have separate facilities for men and women.

The mosque will usually be carpeted, and people will remove their shoes before entering. It does not have any allocated seating emphasising the equality of all worshipers before Allah. Due to the prohibition of life images the mosque does not contain any pictures or statues but will be richly decorated with arabesques and Quranic inscriptions.

Every mosques will have ample copies of the Qur'an for attendants to recite from. In some mosques one may find a large library of reference books relevant to Islam. Where the mosque can be kept open continually, people are welcome to come at any time of the day or night to meditate and find pleasure in the peaceful surroundings.

Minaret

The most noticeable thing about a Mosque is the Minaret the tall tower from which the Muzzezin calls the people to prayer with the following words (in Arabic):

God is great, God is most great, God is most great, God is most great, I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, I bear witness that Muhammed is the messenger of Allah, I bear witness that Muhammed is the messenger of Allah, Come to Prayer, Come to Prayer, Come to your good, Come to your good. God is most great, God is most great. There is no God but Allah.

In some modern Mosques the Muzzezin will be replaced by a timer and tape recorder. The call to prayer happens 5 times a day according to a strict calender and at strict times.

Mihrab

This is a niche in the wall which signifies the direction of prayer (the Qibla) towards the Ka'ba in Makkah to which all Muslims turn during worship no matter where in the world they are. In the UK the Qibla is approximately in a direction of ESE (East-South-East).

Mimbar

This is usually elaborately carved out of wood or stone; it is a flight of stairs where the Imam stands to give his sermon to the congregation during Friday prayers.