Y8 - Muslim Worship

This page:-

The Mosque

Prayer

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Y7 - 9 Assignments and  Information



One of the five pillars of Islam is Salah, the second pillar.  Salah means Prayer and this for a Muslim means active prayer FIVE times each day. This page will explain a great deal about it and how it is performed.

THE MOSQUE

Your first task is to find out about the Mosque which is the Muslim place of worship.

Look at the following pictures on this website and see if you can see a pattern.

http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/islam/mosques.htm

Although all these mosques are in the USA they are typical of the design.  The following site will show you mosques in Hong Kong.

http://210.0.141.99/eng/E-HKmosque.asp


Task -  Select one and print the picture to fix in your book.

Use the following websites to have a guided tour of a mosque. The first is very quick the second very detailed.

http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/project5/islam/003.html
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/mosque/default.htm

Task -  Using these tours draw a plan of a mosque from the outside and from the inside.

Task - Find the meaning of these words and label your drawings

Iman
Mosque
Minaret
Minbar
Mihrab (you might like to know that one website spells it wrongly!)
Qibla
Muezzin
Calligraphy
Wudu (wuzu)

Task - When you have found the meaning of the words  make up a small crossword using the words giving cryptic clues.

 

Prayer  Salah  (The second Pillar)

Prayer for every Muslim means acknowledging the greatness of  ALLAH (God) FIVE times evey day.  The prayers are timed according to the movements of the sun and happen around the following times:-

Sunrise
Midday
Afternoon
Sunset
Evening
 

Each time, Muslims are reminded to pray by the Mu'ezzin calling the Adhan (call to prayer) from the top of the Minaret.

Before each prayer time a Muslim must wash in a certain way this is called WUDU. If not at a mosque a Muslim must find a place to wash as best as they can. Even in a desert a Muslim must state that he or she has the intention (Niyyha) of washing, even if there is no water.

Once washed the Muslim must pray in a clean place ( a mosque or using a prayer mat).

Prayer is a series of importance statements in praise of God and accompanied by a series of actions called a RAKAH.  They involved standing, bowing,  kneeling and prostrating (bowing and putting ones head on the floor),

This website has a series of pictures about the washing and the Positions used in prayer.  some of the information is very detailed but it is helpful

http://www.geocities.com/islamicmessage/principles/Principles.htm#_Toc473432681

Please read this carefully and then have a look at your text books Skills in Religious Studies and the complete the following tasks.

Task One.   You are going with your Muslim friend to the Mosque on Saturday morning.  You are 
there during the normal midday prayer and your friend invites you to watch him or her. Describe what you see and include some pictures if you can. (250 words or more)

Task Two.    Praying five times a day requires discipline and dedication. a)   How would Salah affect  a student at South Island School?    b)   How do you think a Muslim working at a bank would cope, what special arrangements would they have to make each day to pray?

Task Three.  Is there anything you have to do regularly that is either religious or non religious (such as piano practice or sport training) that requires time and effort?   Explain in a paragraph or two what you do and how it affects your life