for Muslims only: what happens at a Mosque during services.?

Question

I'd like to ask a practicing Muslim a few questions.

#1...Is there any specific order in which worship and prayer is done at a mosque? Example....does the Imam pray leader people in prayers first....or does he speak first?

I guess I'm trying to figure out is there a order to how things are done at a Mosque in a service!!! I realize prayers services at most mosques are 5 times a day, etc.

I'm asking this for a project I'm working on......and could use some help from a Muslim.

i'm just trying to get basic information about what happens during a Muslim relgious service.

WOW..........THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. GREAT INFO!!

Answer 1

There is an order to how things happen in in a prayer.
1. the call for prayer (azan)
2. people come to the mosque to pray
3. when you enter a mosque, you pray 2 rakaa to pay tribute to the place of worship
4. a second azan (iqama) to announce the beginning of the prayer (after about 20 minutes from the 1st prayer)
5. muslims stand in rows behind the imam (rows of men - separate rows for women)
6. the imam begins and recites loudly if the prayer is Dawn, Sunset or Evening and silently if noon or afternoon
7. Imam says 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Greatest) before moving from one position to another and the muslims follow.
8. Imam ends prayers then muslims end their prayers

Hope this helps

Peace

Answer 2

we pray five times a day. you go to the mosque at the time of the prayer or a bit earlier, when they call for the Iqamah ( it's a call that indicates the beginning of the prayer) the Imam steps a head and starts the prayer. all worshipers line up in straight rows behind the imam then they follow the acts of the imam.
the longest prayer takes about 5 - 7 minutes. On Friday we do the same thing but the imam gives a speech in which he enjoins people to do good deeds, then we pray like every other day.
for more info visit. www.whyislam.org
www.islambasics.com
or u can visit the nearest mosque to see for Ur self, just tell the imam u wanna observe them pray for a project or something, he would not mind. for the closest mosque to you visit. www.islamicfinder.(net or org or even com) ( sorry I'm not sure here ).
good luck

Answer 3

Serious question about islam for once, answering...

The prayers are done 5 times a day in the mosque. During the prayer the Imaam leads the prayer where he recites the Qur'an. (eg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB8JJ8e5I0w)
There is usually no talk after the prayers. Although the Imaam can talk about soemthing if he wants to.

On Fridays there is a talk called a Khutbah. After the talk there is a prayer (which takes the place of the second prayer which is done on other days)

On the 2 eid days the prayer is first and then the Khutbah.

No act of worship is accepted unless performed by the Prophet Muhammad. The above acts of worship where all done by the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions

Answer 4

Prayer in a mosque is done facing the Kaaba which is in Saudi.The prayer takes place after a call to prayer is done by a 'Muathin'.

On Fridays only ,the Second prayer of the Five prayers is done with a speech then the prayer leads the prayer. In other days it is normal prayer without speech.

I hope I clarified things alittle.

Answer 5

The Imam leads the five daily prayers without any additional talks.
At Friday an Eid prayer there are ceremony (a talk) before the prayer in Fridays and after the prayer in Eid.

Answer 6

First, the muezzin will commence the "adhan", or the call to prayer. He mentions:



"Allah is great, Allah is great"
"I bear witness that there is no god other than Allah"
"I bear witness that there is no god other than Allah"
"I bear witness that Muhammad is his messenger"
"I bear witness that Muhammad is his messenger"
"Let us perform the "salah"(prayer)"
"Let us perform the "salah"(prayer)"
"Let us enjoin success"
"Let us enjoin success"
"Allah is great, Allah is great"
"There is no god other than Allah"



There will be a second call to prayer.


The imam will take his place. He will stand in front of all the congregation. The congregation and the imam all face Mecca in the same direction.



The imam starts off the prayer by calling "Allah is great". This is also a part of the prayer. This action commences the prayer and the congregation follows suit.


The imam will do all actions first, then the congregation will follow.

During Friday prayers, there is a sermon included before the prayer. This sermon is called the "khutbah".

Answer 7

Yes there are three lines of prayer. The Iman stands at the front and leads everyone in prayer. The men stand behind the Iman and then the underage children are behind the men(children who have not gone through puberty) and then women are behind the underage children. In Islam a girl is an adult as soon as she has her first period and a boy is an adult as soon as he goes through puberty. Muslims take off their shoes before entering a mosque. There are water faucets there so the Muslims can do Wudu(cleaning of themselves) before prayer. The Wudu is you wash your right hand up to the wrist three times, than wash your left hand up to the wrist three times, then cup some water in your hand and put it in your mouth and just swish it around 3 times, then cup some water in your right hand and sniff it into your nose than blow it out using the left hand three times, then you wash the face from the top of the forehead to the chin three times, then(for men) wash the beard running the fingers through the hair one time, than wash the hair on your head one time, than take your two index fingers(making sure they are wet) and clean out your ears one time, and than wash the feet up to the ankels three times and use your pinky finger to wash between the toes. Make sure all your nails(fingers and toes) are neatly clipped. Men need to cover everything from the torso to the knees, and women everything needs to be covered except the face and hands. The call to prayer is an Iman says "ALLAHU AKBAR" (God is great) until everyone arrives at the mosque. Prayers are Fajr(dawn) which is 2 units, Zuhr(noon) which is 4 units, Asr(afternoon) prayer which is 4 units, Maghrib(sunset) prayer which is 3 units, and Isha(Night) prayer which is 4 units. On Fridays all the men have to go to the mosque to pray at noon which takes place of the noon prayer. I belive it is called Jinnah. All the prayers are done in Arabic. Women do not have to intend the prayers in a mosque if they don't want to.

Answer 8

imam is the leader during prayer and there's only one imam at a time in a mosque.others have to follow imam.it means imam will start first with the things needed te say during prayer.when takbir,others will follow according to sequence of prayer.after takbir,read al-fatihah,some surah n rukuk(bend 90 degrees),sujud n others.makmum(other ppl)must not do it b4 imam as imam is the leader.when imam rukuk,then only others rukuk etc.gud luck

Answer 9

All depends on what service you are speaking of. Is it the weekly Friday prayer? If so, the lecture(KHUTBAH) comes first and then the prayer.

During the other daily prayer, there is no lecture(Khutbah)

Answer 10

& I would like to add to all other useful answers this info:

Salat (also salah and other spellings) (Arabic: صلاة, Qur'anic Arabic: صلوة, Persian: نماز namāz), meaning to pray, or to bless, generally refers to prayers that Muslims offer to God (Arabic:Allah) and most commonly refers to the five daily ritual
prayers in Islam. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam in Sunni Islam, and one of the ten Branches of Religion in Shi'a Islam. As such, it is compulsory (fard) upon every Muslim. It is quite commonly known with the Persian word namāz (نماز) in Iran and Central and South Asian languages such as Urdu, Hindi and Turkic languages.

Performing salat is the most compulsory act in Islam, after the declaration of faith (shahadah).

The salat must be performed in the Arabic language to the best of each worshipper's ability (although the du'a afterwards need not be in Arabic), and are to be recited by heart, although beginners may use written aids. The place where the salat is performed is referred to as the musalla مصلى.

All salat should be conducted within their waqt (prescribed time) and with the appropriate number of raka'ah. While they may be prayed at any point within the waqt, it is considered best to pray them exactly at the beginning of their periods, when the call to prayer (adhan) announces the time of prayer. When too far from a mosque to hear a call to prayer, the time may be inferred from the position of the sun in the sky.

The five daily prayers
Muslims are commanded to perform salat fives times a day. These prayers are obligatory on every Muslim above the age of puberty, with the exception being those who are mentally ill, too physically ill for it to be possible, menstruating, or experiencing post-partum bleeding. Those who are ill or otherwise physically unable to offer their prayers in the traditional form are permitted to offer their prayers while sitting or laying, as they are able.

Jumu'ah ( Friday Prayer)
Salat al-Jumu'ah is a congregational prayer performed on Friday and which replaces the Dhuhr prayer. As such , it is sometimes referred to as the 'Friday prayer' in some countries. It consists of a sermon (khutba) given by the khatib after which 2 rakahs are performed.

---------
Mosques

Main article: Mosque

The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today
The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today

A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name, masjid. The word "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship, although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller, privately owned mosque and the larger, "collective" mosque (masjid jami), which has more community and social amenities. The primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place of prayer. Nevertheless, mosques are also for their importance to the Muslim community as meeting place and a place of study.[56] They have developed significantly from the open-air spaces that were the Quba Mosque and Masjid al-Nabawi in the seventh century. Today, most mosques have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, demonstrating Islamic architecture.

According to Islamic beliefs, the first mosque in the world was the Kaaba, which was built by Abraham on an order from God. When Muhammad lived in Mecca, he viewed Kaaba as his first and principal mosque and performed prayers there together with his followers. Even when the pagan Arabs performed their rituals inside the Kaaba, Muhammad held the Kaaba in very high esteem.[56] When Muhammad conquered Mecca in 630, he converted the Kaaba into a mosque, which has since become known as the Masjid al-Haram, or Sacred Mosque. The Masjid al-Haram was significantly expanded and improved in the early centuries of Islam in order to accommodate the increasing number of Muslims who either lived in the area or made the annual Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca, before it acquired its present shape in 1577 in the reign of the Ottoman sultan Selim II.[57]

The first thing Muhammad did upon arriving with his followers near Medina after the emigration from Mecca in 622 was build the Quba Mosque in a village outside Medina.[58] Today, for the majority of Muslims Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, the Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina and Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem are considered the three holiest sites in Islam.[59]

- other information you can find here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam#Mosques