Slideshow prepared for REL 100 World Religions at Mesa Community College.

1. The Virtual Mosque
attending the mosque for the daily prayers
“Keep up prayer at the two ends of the day and in
the first hours of the night” (Sura 11:114).

2. The mosque is the assembly place for Muslim worshippers. The
action carried out here is not, however, simply a Muslim form of
the worship that Christians and Jews practice in their churches or
synagogues. Muslim prayer (known as salat) is distinctive.

3. In Islamic countries, mosques usually function only for daily
prayer, and are funded by private donors, including kings and
other public figures. In the West, however, mosques are much
more multi-use, used as education centers, venues for weddings
and special celebrations, and much more.
Hasan II Mosque of
Casablanca, Morocco was built
during the years 1986-1993 by
Morocco’s king at a cost of over
a half-billion dollars. It boasts
the world’s tallest minaret and
holds over 100,000
worshippers.

4. The worship of the gathered community is essentially the same as
the worship that a Muslim carries out as an individual five times a
day, every day of his life.
The shrine of Reza Ali in
Mashhad, Iran is the
world’s largest mosque by
capacity. It is the burial
site of Haroun al-Rashid
and Imam Ali al-Ridha
(who was murdered by Al-
Ma’mun in 818 C.E.)

5. A believer can do the five daily
prayers at home, work, even on
the sidewalk. Some choose to
do some of their prayers at the
mosque in the presence of the
community. On Friday,
however, Muslim men are
obligated to do the midday
prayers in the mosque.

6. Whether standing alone in a quiet
spot at home or in the office, or
standing with others in the
mosque, believers the world over
face the Kaaba in Mecca as they
pray. At the Kaaba, and only
here, they form a circle.

7. Every mosque has a niche, or “qibla”, in one wall
that directs believers toward the Kaaba.
PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO
THIS DETAIL!

8. For the first few years
after Muhammad
began receiving the
revelations, the
Muslim community
actually faced
Jerusalem together.

9. Located on the site where
the Jewish temple once
stood, al Haram al Sharif is
considered the third holiest
site of Islam.
Built in 692, it was
celebrated by the Jews of
Jerusalem for having
restored beauty to the
Temple Mount.
The Western Wall of the
Jewish Temple still stands
(in the foreground).

10. The bendings – the
actual physical
posture of absolute
submission long
used for Middle
Eastern kings –
create a life-rhythm
that shapes the life
of the Muslim before
God.
Muslims are
commanded to
gather on Fridays to
practice this same
act, and
within the community of believers they are reminding themselves
and one another that the ultimate goal of Islam is the unity of all
before God.
Mosque in China

11. Cairo, Egypt
Delhi, India
Prayer times vary from day to
day, with the changing length of
the day through the year. Since
prayer is an act of Muslim unity,
Muslims depend on a muezzin to
call out the community to prayer.
He does so from the minaret
beside the mosque.

12. Before beginning the prayers, a Muslim removes his or her
shoes, and performs a ritual washing (called “wudu” or
“ablutions”) of the hands, feet and face. This serves to set
the prayers apart from the rest of daily life.

13. Persia
Turkey
To further set
the moment
apart from the
rest of daily
life, prayer
mats are often
used, but not
required.

14. In the name of God, the Beneficent,
the Merciful...
The Bismallah
While moving from the
standing position, to
his or her knees, and
finally to complete
obeisance, the Muslim
recites the Al-Fatihah
(the opening sura of
the Qur’an) ...

15. … followed by other verses from the
Qu’ran.

16. The daily prayers are determined by the position of the sun,
and are scheduled throughout the day from just before
sunrise until after sunset. The way the times are set is
described in a hadith (tradition about Muhammad’s life):
“The time for Zuhr is from when
the sun has passed its zenith
and a man’s shadow is equal in
length to his height, until the
time for ‘Asr comes. The time
for ‘Asr lasts until the sun turns
orange. The time for Maghrib
lasts [from sunset] until the
twilight has faded. The time for
‘Isha’ lasts until midnight. The
time for Subh (Fajr) prayer lasts
from the beginning of the pre-
sunrise twilight so long as the
sun has not yet started to rise.
When the sun starts to rise then
stop praying, for it rises
between the two horns of the
Shaytan (Satan).”

17. In a Muslim
community, the
muezzin’s call is
sufficient. But
modern Muslims in
non-Muslim
communities now
typically follow
timetables that are
posted on the
internet, or even
receive text
messages on their
cell-phones.

18. The bendings (or rakat) take 5-10 minutes,
depending on the time of day (two rakat are
required at the early morning prayer, and
four at all other times except for the late
afternoon prayer at which three are
performed.) At the Friday midday prayers,
an imam typically shares a lesson on Islam
as well.

19. It is traditional for men and
women to pray separately, in
order to maintain modesty and
remain free from distraction. In
many mosques, that means
women pray behind the men.

20. Often, women are
physically
separated from the
men by a screen or
– as in this case –
a veil.
Muslim women at
prayer must cover
their heads, legs to
the ankles, and
arms to the wrists.

21. Non-muslims often consider this oppressive, but Muslim
women point out that the result is to their benefit – women
are free to pray without concern that they are being ogled.

22. Islam, like Judaism, prohibits art that portrays living
creatures. Thus, Islamic art has focused on two areas –
calligraphy (especially of the Qur’an) and architecture. As
the community’s central experience of unity, the mosque
has been the prime architectural expression.
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

23. Al-Azher Mosque (Cairo)

24. Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba, Spain
Mosque in Karachi, Pakistan

25. Blue Mosque (Istanbul)
Grand Mosque of Muscat, Oman

26. Senegal
Putra Mosque on Putrajaya, Malaysia
Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, Bandar
Seri Begawan, Brunei
Al Nabawi Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia