A mosque is symbolically very important to Muslims, and is a humble way for man to recreate pure divine presence on earth.  But mosques are not built according to what is believed to be divine patterns, even if they are not divinely guided, nor after very clear rules, except on some view points.  It shall have a clear indication of the direction of the Makkah, qibla.  Serving as a place of prayer and devotion, a masjid (mosque) is referred to as the " House of Allah".  It is recognized as a distinctive symbol of Islam and has served as an institution in which the focal point of religious and social activities are combined beautifully and with conscious relevance to please Allah.  On the days of Eid, the masjid is a place of festivity.  On the days of janazah, it is a place in which we are reminded that we shall all return to Allah and not to that which  awaits us.  On the day of Judgement, when it is said there will be no shade anywhere, Allah will keep that person under the shade of His heaven (Throne) whose heart is devoted to the masjid.

       Prophet Mohammed (may peace be upon him) said that one should travel only for visiting three masjid, Masjid Al-Haram, Masjid Al-Aqsa (Jerusalem) and the Prophet's own masjid in Madinah.  In addition, the Prophet said that one prayer in his own masjid "was better than one thousand prayers in any other masjid except Masjid Al-Haram."  Clearly, the masjid has been designated as a place of primary importance for the Muslim for the worship of Allah.

       The word "mosque" literally means a place of prostration.  In Arabic, and in the Quran, the proper word is masjid, derived from the word 'sadj' which means the place where one prostrates oneself.  Masjid is a place of assembly, where all Muslims are called five times a day to pray during the time of salat.  However, the whole world has been made a masjid for the believer, therefore a Muslim is free to perform salat wherever he or she likes.  In fact, Prophet Mohammed stated that the best place of prayer for a sister is in her house, though she should not be restricted from going to the masjid.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

       The first mosque was built in Makkah, the area that surrounded the Ka'ba, the most holy shrine.  But the model of early mosques came from the courtyard of Prophet Mohammed's house in Madinah, which was constructed in 622 AD.  This was organized with a qibla, facing in the direction of Jerusalem.  To the left of this qibla, houses for Mohammed's wives were erected.  There were three entrances to this courtyard.  An area of the courtyard was roofed, and here prayer was performed.  After 1.5 years, the qibla was changed, so that it faced Makkah.

       The mosque in Madinah had social, political, and judicial functions, as well as housing Mohammed's family.  The religious functions were mixed with other functions.  Rules on prayers seem to have not been shaped at the first period, since the prescriptions of the Quran, came gradually in the early periods of  Islam.  Apart from the mosques of Makkah and Madinah, one finds some few indications that there were other mosques in the time of Mohammed.

       Mosques soon grew into becoming more complex, and uniform, in their shape.  A minbar, the pulpit, from where the Friday prayer is held, was placed next to the mihrab.  Within few years after the death of Mohammed, mosques became such important symbols, that when Muslim conquerors established themselves somewhere, a mosque was put up first, and then the military camp was built around it.  This was inspired by the Madinah example, but in some principal cities, Muslims constructed their mosque in the place that was the center of other religions.

       In the beginning of Islam, tribes and sects in Islam, often marked their independence or their purity, by putting up mosques of their own, or by defining a certain part of the mosque as their part.  These patterns have changed up through history.  Muslims of all creeds are in theory free to enter all mosques, but in reality some mosques are considered inappropriate, and a traveling Muslim will try to find a mosque, which is used by people belonging to his own creed, Sunnis, Shi'is, and Kharijis are the main division points.  But most major mosques, the so-called jami-mosque are seen upon as neutral, and are used by all divisions of Islam.

       Many mosques of the first centuries were originally churches.  In many regions, Christianity lost its position, and churches were turned into mosques over time.  Most mosques today are closed to non-Muslims, but this was a regulation that was developed through the first century of Islam.  There was an increase in the emphasis on the sanctity of the mosque, more and more elements of the mosque was regarded as sacred, and all mosques were commonly regarded as bayt-allah, 'House of God'.

MINARET

       The minaret is a traditional part of a mosque.  It is used by the Muezzin to call people to pray by chanting.  The earliest mosques were built without minarets, and the action of adhan, call to pray, could be performed in many other locations.  Minarets are often adorned, high, and striving to be as slim and elegant as possible.  Modern minarets are often given even more room for artistic achievements than in earlier times.  The ground floor of minarets are always fitted into a square, with the minaret being everything from square to round and many are octagonal.  The top of the minaret supports the crescent moon and star, commonly used as a symbol for Islam. 

MIHRAB

       The niche in the wall is known as the Mihrab, indicating the qibla, the direction in which a Muslim shall perform his salat.  It is the position of the person leading the congregation in prayer, and is by far considered the most holy place in the mosque.  A mosque will normally have only one mihrab.   It is, by both Muslim and Western scholars, considered as an element taken from churches, an element added to the mosque of architectural reasons.  The mihrab was probably introduced in the 3rd century of Islam, in the 9th century AD.  Mihrabs can be of wood, but is normally made out of masonry, and adorned with pillars.  Very often, mihrabs are highly ornamented. 

       Domes are a great feature of all Islamic architecture, developed both from Sassanian and Early Christian architectural sources.  The earliest surviving mosque is the Dome of the Rock (late 7th century) at Jerusalem, one of the great religious structures of the world; it marks the spot where, according to tradition, Mohammed ascended to heaven.  This mosque has a dome set on a high drum and a centralized or annular (ring like) plan with two ambulatories or corridors.  This design was derived from Roman architecture, possibly in emulation of the 4th-century Church of the Holy Sepulcher, also in Jerusalem.  The Dome of the Rock, therefore, does not conform to the basic mosque plan.  Its dome is gilded, and all its other surfaces are covered inside and out by colorful tile mosaic.

POINTED ARCH

       Another feature of mosque is the pointed arch.  It is probably of Syrian origin, adapted by the Umayyads.  It was also characteristic of Abbasid mosques, and from Iraq it was carried to Egypt in the 9th and 10th centuries.  In Egyptian mosques that was later built under the Mamlukes (from the 13th century), the pointed arches had a Gothic profile, showing the influence of European architectural motifs transported by the Crusaders.

MINBAR AND MAQQSURA  

       The first known use of a minbar, or pulpit, was in the mosque of Madinah; originally used as a seat.  It soon became a true pulpit for preaching.  Another structural detail typical of some but not all mosques is the maqqsura, a screen or enclosure placed around the mihrab to protect the leaders of the community during services.  This structure was developed after three early caliphs were murdered.

       The design of the mosques developed from very simple to complex structures, in short time.  In the first mosques, erected in Hijaz, orientation was more important than of form.  The development of the mosque as it is known now, lasted for a period of 80 years.  The shape of mosques came in many cases from a mixture of the architecture of conquered territories, and of the original patterns.  The addition of minarets, the towers from where the callings are made, were absent in the early mosques.  It was inspired by religious buildings of other religions, where one believes that it was the churches of Syria, that were most important.  The implementation of minarets, were both for embellishment of the mosques, and for the functionality of the mosques, as calling for prayer, adhan, from ground level, did not carry more than a few blocks.  But for some time after the introduction of the minaret, the adhan was still performed with the Muezzin walking the streets, while inviting for prayer.  The first minaret came probably in 703, almost 100 years after the Madinah mosque.  But there are written material suggesting that minarets were erected as early as 665 AD.  

       The addition of adornments to the mosques was strongly discussed, and many Muslims opposed this process, and thought of it as a way of jeopardizing what was Muslim, and they disliked letting Christian elements in.  This reaction was not farfetched, as many architects of early mosques, were in fact Christians.  

       Over time, many rooms were added to the mosque, rooms used by people of different social classes, people performing their professions in the mosque: travelers, sick, and old.  Devout and ascetics lived often in the mosque, and even in the minaret.  

       Other elements inside a mosque are:  

• Dakka, a platform, from where the Muezzin calls for prayer, after he has done this from the minaret.  

• Kursi, a desk and a seat, for the Quran and for the reader.  

• Reliquaries, where bodies, parts of bodies, or belongings of religious personalities are kept.

• Carpets covering the floor of mosques. 

•  Lights, both candles and lamps, used for illumination, but not ritually.  

• Water in the courtyard, both for ablutions, and for drinking.

       Rulers have often built the mosques, and the administrations of the mosques have been financed by Waqfs, endowments bringing in revenues.  These waqfs were normally agricultural land, often administered by the donator, or members of his family.  There could be more than one waqf to each mosque, and mosques with economical problems, did often seek for new donators.  While mosques officially have been under the rulers much because of the economical independence (through waqfs), as well as the mosque's strength among people.  The main donator and his family were in many cases legally considered the owner of the mosque.  In other cases it was the qadi, the judge of Shariah, who acted as the main administrator.  The development of the modern mosques were made in response to population growth, but the process of adding on was analogous to a feature characteristic of all Islamic art: the infinite repetition of patterns.