Religion concepts and applications

¶ … religious place of worship and make observations. I decided to visit a Mosque. A mosque is the religious place of worship for all Muslims. A mosque is basically a place where Muslims meet to worship Allah (God). It is a place where Muslims bow before Allah and prove their obedience to Him. A Muslim has to pry five times a day. Fajr (Prayers before sunrise), Zuhr (During the mid-afternoon, Asr (during the late afternoon), Maghrib (as soon as the sun sets) and Ishaa (Night prayers).

A visited Shah Faisal mosque in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan on my recent tour of the country. Shah Faisal mosque is at the foothold of the beautiful and picturesque Margalla Hills. Shah Faisal mosque has been dedicated to the memory of the late king Faisal of Saudi Arabia who funded the construction of the mosque. My tour guide, Hasan Khan informed me that Shah Faisal Mosque is one of the most beautiful mosques in the world. (a mosque is also known as a Masjid) had to obtain special permission to enter the mosque. I discovered that non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the mosque without permission. They are also not allowed to take pictures.

My tour guide was right. I have never seen such a beautiful site in my life. The sight of the mosque took my breath away. I was awed by the beautiful architecture of the Mosque. The mosque has a beautiful marble front and four minarets. According to Hasan, a minaret is a tall thin tower. This is where a muezzin stands at the top of the tower and calls Muslims to prayer at the five ritual times of the day. Shah Faisal Mosque is a very grand mosque. It also has an Islamic research center, a library, museum, lecture hall, and cafeteria. A mosque is also like a community center where Muslims can gather and discuss their lives. There is also an Islamic centre where Children are taught to read the Holy Quran.

I was amazed to find out that the main prayer hall can accommodate more than 10,000 worshippers. There is also a very big courtyard which can accommodate up to 40,000 worshippers.

Hasan told me to wear appropriate clothing before visiting the mosque. He also informed me that it is mandatory for everyone to be dressed appropriately. That means not wearing any shorts as it would be very disrespectful. Exposing the legs is frowned upon while praying. I could see that the people inside the mosque were dressed very respectfully. If a woman wants to enter the grounds of the mosque, she should cover her head as a mark of respect. Some people were wearing the national dress (the shalwar kameez while some were dressed in shirts and trousers). There weren't so many people inside the mosque. I could see several people sitting around inside the mosque and reading the Holy Quran. There was still time left for the Zuhr prayers. That gave me enough time to explore the mosque.

The mosque is also a very holy area. It is also necessary to remove any footwear before entering the mosque. A mosque is a very holy and sacred area. Hasan said that it is a mark of respect to Allah. During prayers a Muslim has to put his face on the floor some times. Therefore the area must be kept clean. It is supposed to be kept clean. It would desecration of the mosque if a person were to enter inside the mosque with shoes on.

The interior of the mosque is very beautiful. The courtyard consists of marble flooring. I noticed that there are no pictures inside the mosque. Islam prohibits taking pictures. I found out that it is forbidden to draw any images of God or the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). The general idea is to decorate the wall with beautiful tiles inscribed with Islamic text. After inquiring about the text, I found out that the text are verses from the Holy Quran.

The prayer halls in all mosques have to face Makkah, the holy city of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The holy city of Makkah is a very important holy place. This is where the Ka'Bah is situated. The Ka' Bah was the first place built by Adam for the worship of Allah. However all Muslims do not worship the Ka' Bah or Makkah. Islam prohibits worshipping idols. When Muslims pray in front of Makkah, they are basically praying towards the place which was the birthplace of Islam. God is the only one whom all Muslims have to pray to.

There is a wall inside the mosque called the Qiblah. This is where the wall faces the city of Makkah. All mosques have the Qiblah. It lets people know that they are standing in the right direction to pray to God. I also found out that the minaret is a symbol of olden times. They were made so that people could hear the call of prayers called the azaan. There is a crescent moon on the dome which indicates the direction of Makkah.

The Qiblah wall was very beautifully decorated with glazed tiles. There was a huge golden crescent on the dome of the mosque. There were beautiful reflection pools which added to the beauty of the mosque. The grand chandelier was spellbinding. It wasn't switched on at the time. Hasan informed me that it weighs more than 7 tons and used around 1000 electrical bulbs.

It was surprising to see that there aren't any seats in the mosque. This is very distinct from churches where there are places to sit. All Muslims sit on the floor and pray while using a prayer mat. I was pleased to find out that everybody is treated as an equal in a mosque. Everybody prays together in religious harmony. May the person be rich or poor, old or young, etc. There is no restriction on which mosque a Muslim is allowed to pray in. however it depends on the sect of the Muslim. It depends if he is a follower of the sunni sect or shia sect. A Muslim can go and pray in a mosque any time during the day. However it is important for all Muslims to attend the Friday prayers. These prayers are held during the mid afternoon. There are no priests in the mosque. The prayers are lead by the imam. There is a religious sermon after the prayers. It is a very straight forward sermon where the worshippers are given a religious sermon and reminded of their duties in Islam.

There were a number of cupboards in the prayer hall. These cupboards have copies of the Holy Quran, (the Holy Book for Muslims). I saw a number of people reciting the Holy Quran. They were treating the Holy Quran with a lot of respect. It is important for Muslims to treat the Holy Book with a lot of respect. They are supposed to read the Holy Book while sitting on the floor. The Holy Book is not allowed to be kept on the floor. That is one reason why it is read while being kept on a stand. People were slowly gathering in the prayer hall. This was because there was some time left for the zuhr prayers. Some of the people had prayer beads in their hands. They were busy reciting some kalmias.

A walked further down the hall. I came towards the washing area. Hasan informed me that this is the place where all Muslims perform their wudu or ablutions. A wudu is known as a wash which spiritually cleanses the body of all sins. It prepares them to be pure before praying to God. It is important that all Muslims be pure before attending the call of prayer. I could see several men washing themselves in front of taps. These taps were connected to a tank and were on floor length. There were stones in front of each wash area. I could see that all these men had rolled up their sleeves and were washing themselves in a uniform manner. They washed their hands and arms three times. Then they washed their face, mouth, nose, eyes, and ears three times. Then they wash their feet in order to complete the process. It is an important task to always wash the right side first as it symbolizes purity. They were getting ready for the zuhr prayers.

A did not see any women around. Then I discovered that the area for men and women is segregated. There are a few mosques which have a separate area for women. They have their own washing area and prayer hall. Men aren't allowed in there. My guide told me that women are allowed to pray at the mosque in their own segregated area. However a lot of women choose not to as they have to tend to matters at home so they prefer praying there. However women in Arab countries go for prayers at the mosque. This was not the case in Pakistan.

Then I heard the call of prayer. The imam was calling everyone for prayers by reciting the Iqama (which is basically a shorter form of the azaan). An azaan is a call for prayers. People started gathering around in the prayer hall. As a mark of respect I walked towards the courtyard so I could get a better view and not interfere in the prayers. The imam asked all the worshippers to switch off their cellular phones. I guess it's considered rude for the prayers to be interrupted by the ringing of the phone. I could see all the men lining up in formation. They all stood in a straight line and made sure that there was no gap in between. I could see that there was a lot of unity amongst everyone as they made sure that all the gaps were filled up. A lot of these worshippers had covered their heads with a skull cap. I later found out that it is a mark of respect to cover the head while praying to Allah.

A noticed several things while observing the prayers. The worshippers followed the Imam in every way. They put their hands in the prostate position while praying. I found out that this form of prayer is called the rakat. This is a form of prayer which involves a Muslim to stand, bow, sit and hold his hands in the prostrate position.