How is the mosque like?

[Sikotic™]

Is it like a church where some people talk to you and share testamony?

Does the mosque have a spiritual leader i.e. Priest, Pastor, etc.

The question popped up in my head so I'm just curious lol

[Hack Wilson - real]

ask infinite

[7even]

ask infinite

stop bumping meaningless, nearly 10-year-old threads without saying anything in this section. last warning before I snitch. 

[Hack Wilson - real]

i apologize, i just though i would liven up this area since this section appears to be dying

[TraceOneInfinite]

i apologize, i just though i would liven up this area since this section appears to be dying

I think it's good.  Because the forum was a far more constructive place back in the day.  So why not bump old topics.

...To answer the question, the mosque is centered around the 5 daily prayers.  So you check the prayer times for each mosque.  Like this time of year morning prayer is 6:30 (sunrise) then mid-day prayer is always 1:30, then afternoon prayer is 3:35, then evening prayer is 5:35 (sunset) then night prayer is 7:30.  So for each of those prayers Muslims are recommended to stop whatever they are doing and remember Allah, and join with fellow believers for prayer.  Congregational prayer is performed in rows, shoulder to shoulder, and involves standing, bowing, prostrating with corresponding words for each position.  This all serves to strengthen ones belief in Allah and to unite the hearts of the believers. 

That is the primary function of the mosque, to facilitate the 5 daily prayers.  Muslims are commanded to pray 5 times a day but you don't have to go to the masjid, it is just recommended and deemed more valuable in the eyes of Allah.

Other functions performed by the mosque is the Friday Jummah.  During Friday Jummah there is a sermon like what Christians have on Sundays at Church.  Muslims close their shops and work at around 1pm, and leave for the masjid.  The speaker gives his speach from 1:00 to 1:30, never much more than 30 minutes, and then there is a congregational prayer at the end, after which Muslims are instructed to go back out into the world and seek it's bounty (back to work, etc.).

Before and after the prayers there may be numerous extra-curricular functions.  People may just visit with each other, constantly shaking hands and greeting.  Muslims shake hands when they meet and when they depart and maybe even between.  There may be some Qu'ran reading, or reading of stories of the Prophet and his companions.  Believers may stick around and make thikr, which is where you meditate on repeating phrases that glorify Allah 100 times.   Muslims may even join in small groups and go out and visit other Muslims around the area.  Sometimes they may even stay overnight at the masjid, wake up for prayer in the middle of the night when the world has become quite, and focus on Allah is more intense.

Some mosque's even have schools from pre-school to K-12.  My son actually goes to Islamic school and he's been there since daycare.  So many things that go on at the mosque but basically the #1 purpose of the mosque is to facilitate the 5 daily prayers.  At the very least a Muslim will come by and join for one of the prayers at a mosque, and then leave immediately after, if nothing else.

 

[MUHFUKKA]

when i was in turkey a few months ago i went to some really old famous mosques. they were huge and really took you back when you were inside and saw how huge and open they were. besides the architecture it was just a bunch of people facing the wall with their heads on the ground