KS3 Religious Studies The Mosque

KS3 Religious Studies

The Mosque
Icons key:
For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation Teachers notes included in the Notes Page Accompanying worksheet
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Flash activity. These activities are not editable. Extension activities

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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?

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

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What is a mosque?

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The first mosques

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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.
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The shape of a mosque

Mosques are usually square-shaped with a large dome. The minaret is the tower in the corner used for the call to prayer. The minaret The dome

What similarities and differences can you see between mosques and other religious buildings?
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Mosques in Britain
Some mosques are purpose-built, while others are converted houses or existing buildings.

This mosque used to be a working mens club.

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Special mosques

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What happens in the mosque?

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Inside the mosque

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What is an imam?
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 Quran or a story about the prophet Muhammed. An imam is not a priest. He is an educated person. He knows a lot about Islam.

Each mosque has an imam. There are no ordained priests in Islam. Why do you think this is?
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What is a muezzin?
The muezzin calls Muslims to prayer from the minaret. He recites the adhan, or call to prayer, at set times. Come to prayer, Come to security, God is the greatest, There is no God but Allah.

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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.

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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.

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

Rinse mouth and nostrils.

Wash arms up to elbows. Wipe forehead, ears and neck.

Wash legs up to ankles.

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Can you work out how this washroom is used?

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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 dont get distracted. But some mosques are decorated with beautiful Arabic script from the Quran.

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Inside the prayer room

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Finding the direction of Mecca

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

Mecca

A special compass is used to find the qiblah.

What compass direction is Mecca from Britain?

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Salah and rakah

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. Salah for the five prayer times is made up of different numbers of rakat. A rakah is a special sequence of movements and verses from the Quran, and involves standing, bowing and kneeling with your forehead touching the floor, while reciting the appropriate verse for each position. Early morning rakah 2 Early afternoon rakah 4 Late afternoon rakah 4 After sunset rakah 3 Night rakah 4

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

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The local mosque and Friday prayer

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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 worshippers attention on holy things.

Can you see any other designs on the mats that may be there for reasons other than decoration?
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Aids to prayer
Do you know what these things are used for?

The compass is used to find the qiblah the direction of Mecca so that we can pray facing the right way. The green things 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.
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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 ninety-nine small beads are used to say the ninety-nine names for Allah during prayer. Repeating Allahs 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.
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Arabic, the sacred language of Islam

The Quran is written in Arabic, which is also the language of the prayers. There are copies of the Quran kept in the mosque, and words from the Quran are used for decoration. Calligraphy on the Taj Mahal

Calligraphy on the ceiling of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul

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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 Quran 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 lifelong friends there.

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Wordsearch

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Planning to visit a mosque

If you visit a mosque, think about When to go Midday on Friday will be busy. Where to stand Remember that men and women go to separate areas in the mosque. Be polite and give way to worshippers at all times.

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

Who to speak to Speak to the imam if you can.

What questions to ask Write down the questions youd like to ask, and remember to ask before taking any photos.
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Why are mosques important to Muslims?

If you build a mosque for Allahs sake, He will build for you a house in paradise. A persons prayer mat is his mosque.

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

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.

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

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Mosques and the Muslim community

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
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Over to you

Answer the following questions in full paragraphs, explaining your answers. What makes the mosque special for Muslims, and how is this similar to or different from how other religions view their places of worship? What is your response to the beliefs and ideas Muslims hold about their places of worship? Should places of worship be the focus of the community? 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?

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