What does masjid literally mean?
place of prostration
The word evolved from the Arabic term masjid, which means “place of prostration.” During prayer, Muslims briefly kneel and touch their foreheads to the ground as a sign of submission (literally, Islam) to the will of God. The Origin of the Mosque.
What is the alcove in a mosque called?
Mihrab (Arabic: محراب, miḥrāb, pl. محاريب maḥārīb) is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying.
What is a prayer hall used for?
The mosque is a place to gather for prayers, to study and to celebrate festivals such as Ramadan. It can also be used to house schools and community centres. The Arabic word for mosque, “masjid”, means “place of prostration”.
What is the prayer hall called?
mosque
A mosque (/mɒsk/; from Arabic: مَسْجِد, romanized: masjid, pronounced [mǝsdʒid]; literally “place of ritual prostration”), also called masjid, is a place of worship for Muslims.
What does jihad mean in Arabic?
struggle
jihad, (Arabic: “struggle” or “effort”) also spelled jehad, in Islam, a meritorious struggle or effort.
What does Kaaba mean in Islam?
Definition of Kaaba : a small stone building in the court of the Great Mosque at Mecca that contains a sacred black stone and is the goal of Islamic pilgrimage and the point toward which Muslims turn in praying.
What is a niche in Islam?
The prayer niche (or mihrab in Arabic) is the focal point in the interior of a mosque, located in the qibla wall that faces Mecca, the holy city of Islam. Verses from the holy Qur’an, written in a form of Arabic script called thuluth, surround the mihrab.
What is a sahn in a mosque?
A sahn, is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque. Most traditional mosques have a large central sahn, which is surrounded by a riwaq or arcade on all sides. In traditional Islamic design, residences and neighborhoods can have private sahn courtyards.
Why is there a prayer hall in a mosque?
This is simply a large hall that the men use for worship. It is a very important part of the mosque. There are no seats as Muslims worship and pray on the floor. Women will often worship on a balcony at the back of the prayer hall.
What does the dome in a mosque represent?
Most mosques also feature one or more domes, called qubba in Arabic. While not a ritual requirement like the mihrab, a dome does possess significance within the mosque—as a symbolic representation of the vault of heaven.