© Boardworks Ltd 2008 1 of 34 KS3 Religious Studies The Mosque 1 of 34 © Boardworks Ltd 2008 Icons key: Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page Accompanying.

© Boardworks Ltd 20081 of 34

KS3 Religious StudiesThe Mosque

1 of 34 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Icons key:

Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page

Accompanying worksheet

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KS3 Religious StudiesThe Mosque

For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation


Learning objectives

What are the key features of a mosque?

What is the significance of the particular features of a mosque?

What do mosques, and what happens inside them, reveal about Islamic beliefs?

How should people behave when they visit a mosque?

How is the mosque important to Muslims, and to the community?

2 of 34 © Boardworks Ltd 2008


What is a mosque?

The Islamic Center of America: a newly built mosque in Dearborn, Michigan, USA


What is a mosque?


The first mosques


What is the main purpose of a mosque?

I pray at home and at work, but at the mosque we pray together.

Muslims believe that offering salah (prayer) with other people has much

more value than praying alone.

While salah can be performed anywhere, it is considered most pleasing to God when performed with the other members of the Muslim community in the mosque. The Sunna states that salah in the mosque is 27 times more valuable than when offered in the home.


The dome

The minaret

The shape of a mosque

Mosques are usually square-shaped with a large dome. Theminaret is the tower in the cornerused for the call to prayer.

What similarities and differences can you see between mosques and other religious buildings?


Some mosques are purpose-built, while others are converted houses or existing buildings.

Mosques in Britain

This mosque used to be a working men’s club.


Special mosques


What happens in the mosque?


Inside the mosque


The word imam means ‘someone who stands in front’. The imam leads the prayers and preaches the Friday sermon, in

which he explains a passage from the Qur’an or a story about the prophet Muhammed.

There are no ordained priests in Islam.

Why do you think this is?

What is an imam?

An imam is not a priest.

He is an educated person.

He knows a lot about Islam.

Each mosque has an imam.


The muezzin calls Muslims to prayer from the minaret. He recites the adhan, or call to prayer, at set times.

What is a muezzin?

Come to prayer,Come to security,

God is the greatest,There is no God but Allah.


Arriving at the mosque

When we enter the mosque we go in with our right foot first, while pronouncing blessings

upon Muhammed and his family. Once inside the mosque we have

to speak softly so as not to disturb the people praying.

Prayer is a duty for all of us.


Arriving at the mosque

Before we pray we go to a special washroom and we take off our

shoes. All the time we are trying to show our respect for God. We also

like to wear loose clothes. Mum says this shows modesty, and it

makes it easier to pray too.


Muslims wash in a special sequence called wudu. They believe this makes them physically and spiritually clean before Allah. Men and women wash separately.

Can you work out how this washroom is used?

Wudu

Wash hands.

Rinse mouth and nostrils.

Wash arms up to elbows.

Wipe forehead, ears and neck.

Wash legs up to ankles.


The prayer room

The mosque contains a prayer room where we pray in rows. I sit with Dad in one area, and Aisha sits with Mum in a

separate area. Being separated helps us to concentrate better on our prayers.

Images are forbidden in worship, so our mosque is

simply decorated so that we don’t get distracted. But some mosques are decorated with beautiful Arabic script from

the Qur’an.


Inside the prayer room


Wherever they may be, Muslims face towards the holy city of Mecca when they pray.

A special compass is used to find the qiblah.

Finding the direction of Mecca

Mecca

What compass direction is Mecca from Britain?


Salah for the five prayer times is made up of different numbers of rak’at. A rak’ah is a special sequence of movements and verses from the Qur’an, and involves standing, bowing and kneeling with your forehead touching the floor, while reciting the appropriate verse for each position.

Salah and rak’ah

Early morning rak’ah × 2

Early afternoon rak’ah × 4

Late afternoon rak’ah × 4

After sunset rak’ah × 3

Night rak’ah × 4

Salah is ritual prayer practised five times a day as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Every adult Muslim should perform salah, either at home or in a mosque.

Muhammed said that prayer is like a stream you dip into five times a day. What do you think he meant?


Recap: What happens in a mosque?


The local mosque and Friday prayer


Aids to prayer

Do you know what these are? They are prayer mats used during the five daily times of prayer. Prayer mats often have pictures of the Kaaba or other Islamic holy sites on them to help focus the worshipper’s attention on holy things.

Can you see any other designs on the mats that may be there for reasons other than decoration?


Do you know what these things are used for?

Aids to prayer

The compass is used to find the qiblah – the direction of Mecca – so

that we can pray facing the right way. The green thing’s a prayer cap – my Dad wears one when he prays,

as a sign of modesty and humility. And the prayer beads are used to

help us recite all the names of Allah.


The ninety-nine small beads are used to say the ninety-nine names for Allah during prayer. Repeating Allah’s name in this way (titles such as ‘the Wise’, ‘the Compassionate’, ‘the Merciful’, ‘the Good’ or ‘the Eternal’) draws Muslims closer to him. Sometimes they recite the same few favoured names over and over.

Aids to prayer – prayer beads

Prayer beads are made up of three sets of thirty-three beads and one large one to make a hundred. They are usually made of wood or plastic, although sometimes they can be made of olive pits, ivory, amber or pearls. Some strings of prayer beads have an Arabic letter printed on each bead.


The Qur’an is written in Arabic, which is also the language of the prayers. There are copies of the Qur’an kept in the mosque, and words from the Qur’an are used for decoration.

Arabic, the sacred language of Islam

Calligraphy on the ceiling of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Calligraphy on the Taj Mahal


The madrassa

When I was a boy growing up in Pakistan and then Turkey, my father encouraged me to attend a madrassa, or mosque school, every evening. It was here that I learned

large sections of the Qur’an in Arabic. The madrassa taught me the difference

between right and wrong, and I encourage my own son, Yusuf, to attend, as it assists

him in his studies. The mosque is more than a place of worship, it helps shape who we are as Muslims and we have made life-

long friends there.


Wordsearch


If you visit a mosque, think about…

Planning to visit a mosque

When to goMidday on Friday will be busy.

What questions to askWrite down the questions you’d like to ask, and remember to ask before taking any photos.

What to wearWear clothes that cover you to the ankles and wrists. Remove your shoes and cover your head when you enter.

Who to speak toSpeak to the imam if you can.

Where to standRemember that men and women go to separate areas in the mosque. Be polite and give way to worshippers at all times.


What do these sayings tell you about the importance of mosques for Muslims? Are they saying the same thing, or something different?

Why are mosques important to Muslims?

“If you build a mosque for Allah’s sake, He will build for you a house in paradise.”

“A person’s prayer mat is his mosque.”


Our family always tries to pray together. A mosque is a house of prayer, but it is also much more

than this. Our mosque holds evening classes that teach us

more about our faith, and I enjoy helping out with the events and dinners that our mosque hosts.

Mosques and the Muslim community


One of the happiest moments of my life was when I stepped

into the mosque for our wedding! We were living in

America at the time. In all the places we’ve stayed, we’ve

always found good friends and lots of support at the mosque.



Design a leaflet advertising the facilities at the local mosque:


a youth club

a place to hold funerals

a library with a reading room

a community centre with a kitchen

a madrassa (school to learn Arabic)

a place to celebrate births and marriages.

On the way to Friday prayer


Over to you…

Should places of worship be the focus of the community?

Answer the following questions in full paragraphs, explaining your answers.

What is your response to the beliefs and ideas Muslims hold about their places of worship?

Are there places where you feel a particular sense of respect, or places of local or community significance in your life? Why are they significant to you?

What makes the mosque special for Muslims, and how is this similar to or different from how other religions view their places of worship?

© Boardworks Ltd 2008 1 of 34 KS3 Religious Studies The Mosque 1 of 34 © Boardworks Ltd 2008 Icons key: Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page Accompanying.

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mosque mosques

built mosque

mosque important

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started presentation

salah prayer

special mosques