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Masjid
The Mosque
The ‘Masjid’ or The ‘Mosque,’ is the base and foundation stone for the Muslim population.
It is the place where believers congregate, get to know each other and become a solid community. In each local Mosque, all of the people are known by each other and if one person did not attend the Mosque for prayer, the community around
him would be enquiring after him.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged the building of mosques and reminded people that it was a rewardable act. It was reported on the authority of Uthman ibn ‘Affan that the Messenger of Allah said:
“He who builds a Mosque for the sake of Allah, seeking the pleasure of Allah, will be rewarded by Allah with a dwelling in Heaven.”
When Prophet Muhammad migrated to Al-Madina, the first action he undertook was to build a mosque, now known as The Prophet’s Mosque or ‘Al –Masjidun- Nabwi.’ This Mosque quickly became the center of all the Muslim’s activities.
Deputations coming from other countries were received there and were allowed to use the building as a place to stay. The Prophet’s Mosque also served as a center for education and training.
In the time of Prophet Muhammad, less importance was placed on the beautifying of the mosque, with more importance placed on the role within the community. Nowadays, we find that mosques are beautified with calligraphy, Arabesque and geometrical shapes and they tend to be restricted to prayer and recitation of the Qur’an. In Prophet Muhammad’s time, it had a number
of uses; as a head quarters for the state, a hospital, a shelter for the poor and needy, an information point, a place of relaxation and siesta, as well as being a place of prayer and contemplation.
Muslims are recommended to journey to three Mosques:
The three Holy sites of Islam that a Muslim is recommended to journey to are the Sacred Mosque in Makkah, The Prophet’s Mosque in Al- Madina and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The virtues of these mosques are stated in the following sayings of Prophet Muhammad:
“Set out deliberately on a journey only to three mosques: this Mosque of mine [in Al- Madinah], the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah], and al-Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem].”
(Reported by Bukhari and Muslim)
“A prayer in the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah] is worth 100,000 prayers more than in any other mosque, a prayer in my Mosque [in Madinah] is worth 1,000, and a prayer in Jerusalem [al-Aqsa Mosque] is worth 500.”
(Reported by Bukhari)
The Sacred Mosque in Makkah
“The first House [of worship]
appointed for mankind was that at Bakka [Makkah]; full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings.”
(Qur`an 3, 96)
The Holy Mosque in Makkah is built around the Ka`ba, the first house consecrated to the worship of the One True God.
The Ka`ba is the simple cube stone building which is completely empty, raised by Prophet Abraham and his son Prophet Ismail on the original foundations laid down by Prophet Adam.
At the eastern corner of the Ka`ba there is a black stone known as ‘Al-Hajar Al–Aswad’ which is the only remnant of the original building built by Prophet Abraham and his son, Ismail.
The Ka`ba is the direction to which Muslims turn in prayer. Neither the Ka`ba nor the Black Stone are objects of worship but serve as focal points that unify Muslims in worship.
“The blood of a believer is more dear to Allah than the Ka`ba and the whole of the surroundings.”
(Sahih)
The Prophet’s Mosque in Al-Madina
One of the first mosques built in Islam was the one built in Al-Madinah in the year 622CE.
It was a very simple structure made from adobe bricks and stone. Adjacent to the Mosque was the modest house of Prophet Muhammad, in which he was later buried along with two of his companions; Abu Bakr As-Saddiq and Omar Ibn Al-Khattab.
Successive expansions throughout history have made the Prophet’s Mosque the magnificent architectural masterpiece it is today.
Adjacent to the Mosque is the beautiful green dome, under which lies the grave of Prophet Mohammad.
Amongst many of the amazing features of this mosque, you will find the longest engraved Arabic calligraphy masterpiece, the length of which is 2 km, 80 ton sliding domes and courtyards that have umbrellas equal to the roof of the Mosque in height, which can be opened and closed according to the weather conditions.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque in the city of Jerusalem, is the third holiest site in Islam. It is dear to the hearts of Muslims as it was the first Mosque that they turned to in prayer before the Ka`ba. It’s history connects itself to Prophet Abraham, who built it 40 years after building the Ka`ba.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the entire noble sanctuary, which includes not only Omar’s Mosque but also the Dome of the Rock and other landmarks inside the stone fence totaling more than 200 places. The area of this is over 144,000 square metres and therefore encompasses over one sixth of Jerusalem’s old city. Prayer anywhere within the enclosed sanctuary will be weighed 500 times more than prayer in a regular mosque.
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