Key features of a Mosque (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

The minaret and dome

• Mosques contain certain similar features

• The most visible features that mark them out as a place for Muslim prayer and worship are the dome and minaret

• The dome on the top of a mosque symbolises:

  • Allah’s universe and reminds Muslims that Allah created everything 

  • That Allah is eternal and represents the vault of heaven 

• The dome also has two practical purposes:

  • It is placed over the prayer hall to naturally amplify voices

  • It allows air to circulate, which is particularly helpful in countries with hot climates

• The minaret is a tall tower from which the call to prayer is broadcast 

  • The call to prayer (known as adhan) begins “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “Allah is the most great”, and is the sign for Muslims to undertake Salah, or prayer

  • The minaret symbolises the central importance of prayer in a Muslim’s life

    • Traditionally, the muezzin (person who calls people to prayer) would have climbed the minaret to perform the call to prayer, but now, a recording may be broadcast

_{Kalan Minaret and dome of Mir-i-Arab madrasa, Bukhara, Uzbekistan, is licensed under CC0 1.0}

What is the qiblah?

• Qiblah means “direction” or “facing”

  • The qiblah for Muslims is the wall in the mosque that faces the Ka’aba in the holy city of Makkah

• Muslims must face Makkah for prayer, and the qiblah in the mosque helps them to do so

  • The qiblah is marked with a niche, which is known as the mihrab

• If a Muslim is not in a mosque for their prayer, they may use a compass to help them find the direction of Makkah

  • Some prayer mats have built-in compasses for this purpose

What are the mihrab, minbar and musalla?

• The mihrab is the niche or alcove in the qiblah wall indicating the direction of Makkah, allowing Muslims to know which direction to face in their prayer

• The minbar in the mosque is the platform from which the imam (priest) will preach a sermon during Friday worship

  • The minbar usually contains three steps

  • The imam does not go to the top step as a sign of respect and submission to Allah’s greatness

• The musalla is the main prayer hall in the mosque

  • This is a large hall that is of central importance in the mosque

  • It does not have seats, as Muslims stand or pray on the floor as a sign of equality before Allah

  • Men use the musalla for prayer or worship

    • Women often worship on a separate balcony at the back of the prayer hall

The reasons for separate prayer areas for men and women

• In the mosque, there are separate prayer areas for men and women

• Women either have their own prayer hall, are separated by a curtain or partition or more commonly, worship on a separate balcony at the back of the prayer hall

• This is because nothing should distract a person from Allah during worship

  • The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) emphasised the importance of avoiding distractions during prayer, and Muslims follow this example

• It also allows for dignity and modesty, because prayer involves physical movements such as prostration

  • These movements might be uncomfortable for women if they have to perform them in the presence of men

Architecture and calligraphy in mosques

• Muslims do not have images or statues of Allah in a mosque or anywhere else

  • This is because they believe that they should worship only Allah and avoid idolatry 

  • Having no statues of Allah ensures that no one worships representations of Allah

• The Qur’an forbids this, saying:

• There are no representations of human or animal figures in the mosque, either

• Decorative patterns are used to decorate the mosque instead of statues and images

  • These include geometrical designs, mosaic patterns, symbols and calligraphy (beautiful handwriting)

• The patterns are often beautifully ornate to represent the beauty of Allah’s design, creation and the promise of Paradise

• This is known as Islamic art and can also be found on items such as prayer mats and ornaments

_{Internal decoration of the Yildiz Hamidiye Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, public domain}