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Mosque, Arabic MASJID, place of prayer in IslAm, serving primarily as the centre of community worship in which all men are equal before God. The mosque has historically been used for many public functions—military, political, social, and educational. Schools and libraries were often attached to medieval mosques, most notably to al-Azhar in Cairo. The mosque’s position as a court of justice was also especially high until the introduction of secular law into many Islamic countries in modern times.
The first mosques were modelled on the place of worship of the Prophet Muhammad
—the courtyard of his house at Medina—and were simply plots of ground marked out as sacred. Though the mosque as such underwent architectural changes under the influence of local styles, the building is still essentially an open space, generally roofed over, with a minaret sometimes attached to it. A mosque is entered from the north; within, the mi,zräb, a semicircular niche reserved for the prayer leader (imam), points in the direction of Mecca (qiblah); the minbar, a seat at the top of steps placed at the right of the mifrab, is used by the preacher (khatib) as a pulpit. Occasionally there also is a maqsurah, a box or wooden screen near the mifsrcth, used to shield a worshipping ruler. Mats or carpets cover the floor of the mosque, where the ritual prayer (calct) is performed by rows of barefoot men, who bow and prostrate themselves under the imcm’s guidance.
Professional chanters (qurrã’) may chant the Qur’an (Islamic sacred scriptures) according to rigidly prescribed systems taught in special schools, but no music or singing is allowed. Nor are statues or ritual objects or pictures permitted. Friday services generally take place in the masjid jami’, a mosque theoretically large enough to accommodate an entire community.Outside the mosque stands the minaret (q.v.; ma’dhanah), originally any elevated place but now usually a tower that can take various forms; it is used by the mu’adhdhin (muezzin, “crier”) to proclaim the call to worship (adhUn) five times each day. A place for ablution, containing running water, is usually attached to the mosque but may be separated from it.
Whereas the social, educational, and political functions of the mosque have largely been taken over by other institutions in modern times, it remains a religious centre of considerable influence. In some cases a maktab (elementary school) is attached to a mosque, mainly for the teaching of the Qur’an. On certain occasions the ‘ulamd’ (religious scholars) give public lectures there.
