The Role of Mosques in Islam

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by Proud_Muslim, Apr 20, 2004.

  1. Proud_Muslim Shield of Islam Registered Senior Member

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    The Role of Mosques in Islam

    In Islam, mosques are not just places for prayers. Mosques are—in modern terminology—community centers. In my view, the role of the mosque in Islam is one of the major things that have to be reformed before the Muslim nation is capable of recovering from its present status.

    How do we Muslims judge what the role of the mosque is from what is not? The answer is clear: by referring to the Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him). A quick survey reveals the following roles for the Prophet’s mosque during his lifetime.

    1. A place for prayers for all

    The mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the main place for the believers to meet for collective prayers five times a day. This is, sadly, the one and only role that the mosque is playing now. However, there is still a major difference, which is that the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was opened for everybody, men and women, old and young, Arab and non-Arab. For evidence, refer to numerous hadiths narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, for example, under the chapters referring to mosques.

    There are currently shortcomings in mosques in this area in the following senses:

    a. Women are generally not allowed in the majority of mosques in the Muslim world and their prayer area, if it exists, is usually less nice, to say the least, than the men’s area. The Prophet’s mosque was different. There was only one area for everybody to pray. Women prayed behind men in their own lines, and the rationale was clear: Islam avoids that men and women have close physical contact while praying to God. Praying around the Ka`bah is an exception to this rule for the obvious reason of space limits. Banning women from mosques happened a couple of decades after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) despite the protest of some Companions who narrated the hadith: “Do not prevent the maids of Allah from visiting the houses of Allah (the mosques).”

    b. We see, especially in the West nowadays, mosques for Arabs and, in the same vicinity, mosques for Indians, mosques for Turks, and yet others for Africans, etc. All of this is non-Islamic. The Prophet’s Companions were from all sorts of backgrounds and all walks of life, and they all prayed together.

    c. We also see some people banning small children from entering the mosque, which is also contrary to the tradition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

    2. A place for socialization

    The praying community used to connect in the mosque. And it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to ask about any Companions (male or female) whom he missed from the mosque for a day or two to help them if they needed help or visit them if they were sick.

    3. A place for da`wah (calling to Islam)

    There are several authentic hadiths that demonstrate that the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the normal place for those who would like to ask about Islam to come and ask. Non-Muslims were not banned or discouraged from the mosque as we, sadly, see today.

    4. A place for celebration

    The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised the Companions to “announce the wedding ceremonies, hold them in mosques, and make them known by beating the drums,” and the mosque is the place for all that. `Eid day was also a celebration day when the “Ethiopians used to play with their spears in the mosque,” as the Prophet’s wife `A’ishah narrated. She also reported that she watched them while standing beside the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the mosque.

    5. A place for meetings and deliberation

    The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to gather his Companions in the mosque to discuss serious matters (like wars, treaties, famines, etc) and come up with decisions about them. The mosque was also the mustering place for the soldiers of the Islamic army, from which they started their march for wars and to which they returned when they came back.

    6. A place for medical care

    Before the Islamic civilization developed hospitals a couple of centuries later, the mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a place for care of the wounded in wars and similar crises.

    7. A place for education

    The illiterate used to learn how to read and write in the mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Muslims developed their whole Islamic civilization based on the education they got in mosques.

    The only activity that was forbidden in the mosque—in addition to the forbidden immoral acts—was buying and selling and related things. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it a point that mosques are not to be used for material gains. Otherwise, there is much evidence that the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was simply a “community place” that was full of all sorts of activities.

    http://www.islamonline.net/askaboutislam/display.asp?hquestionID=7140
     
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  3. path Militant wiseguy Registered Senior Member

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    One Ring To Rule Them All And In The Darkness Bind Them

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    Looky PM made another islamic sticky thread, must be a sticky cause I don't see what is supposed to be discussed.
     
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  5. Proud_Muslim Shield of Islam Registered Senior Member

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    This thread is for intelligent minds only, it is not for haters and Islamophobes.
     
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  7. path Militant wiseguy Registered Senior Member

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    OK I just can't help myself

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    The prophets mosque was different? Wasn't he the one who brought the word of allah and set up the other mosques in his lifetime? So men and women can pray side by side only when worshipping the big rock in Mecca?
    Women are treated differently than men though aren't they for example.

    From here

    Tsk Tsk division in the ummah. Can you tell me what this "all sorts of backgrounds" means where were his companions from? (just curious)

    For men maybe but Umar forbad women from loitering and relaxing in a mosque. Unless they could socialize in an unrelaxed manner

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    from here

    Ah yes the glory of god and your favorite weapon of war. I guess they needed to keep those spears handy what with all the wars of conquest they fought. Poor ladies weren't even allowed to loiter or relax while those damn ethiopins were allowed to play with their spears

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    Wars and treaties? OK so the ethiopians DID need to keep those spears handy.

    What with all those wars and spears flying around someone was bound to get hurt

    Yes and we can see the fruits of that education today in the form of lower literacy rates across the muslim world.

    All sorts of activities! Like a discoteque my little boys(bless their hearts) just love music and dancing.
     
  8. DoctorNO Ultra Electro Agnostic Registered Senior Member

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  9. Proud_Muslim Shield of Islam Registered Senior Member

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    What about the other roles ? could not you find more hate sites to support your nonesense ??

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  10. DoctorNO Ultra Electro Agnostic Registered Senior Member

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    Sorry. I do admit that the mosque was created for those grand purposes.

    The mosque is just so easy to corrupt because muslims are not into the habit of questioning their authorities. Like the rome incident. If not for the undercovered reporter the muslim sheep would go home pondering on the imam's message of hate.
     
  11. James R Just this guy, you know? Staff Member

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    No point seems to have been raised for discussion in the original post.
     
  12. Vienna Registered Senior Member

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    Now isn't that an interesting word - where did it come from? - who made it up?

    I shall create a new word which applies to ALL Muslims and Islam - WESTERNOPHOBES
     
  13. firdroirich A friend of The Friends Registered Senior Member

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    "Fools laud and magnify the mosque,
    While they strive to oppress holy men of heart.
    But the former is mere form, the latter spirit and truth.
    The only true mosque is that in the hearts of saints.
    The mosque that is built in the hearts of the saints
    Is the place of worship of all, for God dwells there.
    So long as the hearts of the saints are not afflicted,
    God never destroys the nation. " - Rumi
     
  14. Bells Staff Member

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    A mosque is a place of worship like a church is a place of worship to Christians and the temple is a place of worship to Jews. When any of such places (church, mosque, temple) becomes filled with messages of hate, it is no longer a house of God but a house of politics and in the long run, a house of evil. It is not the building that is the cause of the evil or hate. It is the few people who soil such places with their messages. You don't blame the whole religion or all mosques, churches or temples for the messages that one particular person has spouted in these houses of worship. In every group that exists in society, one will find one or two who are perverse in their thinking or beliefs. But those few individuals don't speak for the majority.
     
  15. Pakman Registered Senior Member

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    Kudos to Bells. I couldn't have said it any better.

    Also, DocterNO, I'm not too sure, but those links you have provided are either anti-Muslim, anti-Jewish, or both. Two contributors from WorldNet Daily are even on the Hatewatchers.com list.
     

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