Whats Inside A Masjid

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Whats Inside A Masjid?

The masjid of Allah shall be visited and
maintained by such as believe in Allah and the
Last Day, establish regular prayers, and practice
regular charity, and fear none (at all) except
Allah. It is they who are expected to be on true
guidance."917-18
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The Call To Prayer

• God is great. There is not God but God. These
  are the last words of the adhan, which calls all
  Muslims to prayer 5 times a day.
• A man known as a muezzin used to call the adhan
  from the minaret. Nowadays, you will hear the
  adhan broadcast over loudspeakers.

Minaret of the Koutoubia Masjid Marrakech,
Morocco
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The Muezzin
The Adhan
The Call to Prayer by Jean-Léon Gérôme -1879
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Types of Minarets
Ottoman Minaret
Minaret of the Great Masjid of Qairawan
Minaret of the Taj Mahal
Spiral Minaret Al Mutawakil Masjid
Minaret of the Great Masjid in Seville
YemeniMinaret
Source www.islamicarchitecture.org
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Front Entrance and Shoe Racks

• Assalam Alaikum. The first thing we have to
  do when entering a masjid is taking off our shoes
  and place them on a shoe rack. We want to keep
  the building clean so that we can do our prayers
  without worrying that the floor might be dirty.

Front Entrance and shoe rack at the Yateem Masjid
in Bahrain.
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London Central Masjid -Main Prayer Hall
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The Minbar and the Mihrab

• The minbar is the raised set of steps from
  which the Imam gives the sermon at the Friday
  jumaa prayer. Sometimes the Imam stands at the
  podium next to the steps to give the sermon.
• A mihrab is a niche in the wall that
  indicates the qibla, i.e. the direction of the
  Kabah that Muslims should face when praying.
• .

Minbar and mihrab.Masjid of Sultan Barquq
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Prayer Clocks

• In the masjid, there are six clock faces.
  These are not real clocks that work. The first
  five clock faces show the five times of prayer
  each day. The sixth clock face shows the time of
  the Friday service. 

1. Prayers before dawn - fajr 2. Prayers just
after midday asr3. Mid afternoon prayers -
zuhr4. Prayers after sun set - maghrib5.
Prayers after dark - isha6. The Friday service
jumaa
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There are no pictures or statues in a mosque.
Mosques are decorated with patterns and words
from the Qur'an.
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Carpets

• There are no chairs or benches in a masjid, only
  carpets. A masjid is often covered "from wall to
  wall" with several layers of carpets.
• To deed a carpet to a masjid is an act of piety
  and many Muslims do so.

Yemeni masjid in Cardiff.The carpet is in the
shape of individual prayer mats.
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Ablution Facilities

• Masjids have special areas for men and women
  to perform wudhu in privacy. In traditional
  masjids, this function is often elaborated into a
  freestanding building in the center of a
  courtyard.

Ablution room at the Hassan II Masjid,
Casablanca, Morocco
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Inside the Masjid(picture taken from David
Macaulays book Mosque)
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Inside the Masjid(picture taken from David
Macaulays book Mosque)
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Sharing What God Gives

• Every masjid has a place where Muslims can
  donate money to give to the poor or needy and
  also to help pay the expenses of the masjid.
  Zakat, which is Arabic for charity.

Zakat box in Richmond, BC, Canada by Sumayya
Kassamali
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The Library

• Bookshelves are found in most masjids. They
  contain works of Islamic philosophy, theology and
  law, as well as collections of the traditions and
  sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Copies of the
  Quran, Islam's revealed text, are always
  available to worshippers.

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Preserving Tradition

• Many masjids have schools where children are
  taught to respect the holy books and prophets. In
  the classrooms, children learn about the
  traditions and laws of Islam. They learn to read
  Arabic and say their prayers. They also learn
  about the holidays we celebrate in the Islamic
  year.