Islam (help·info) (Arabic: الإسلام al- islām) "the submission to God" is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the world's second largest religion.
Followers of Islam, known as Muslims (from the Arabic word, muslimeen, meaning "those who submit to God's will"), believe that God (or, in Arabic, Allāh; also in Aramaic Alaha) revealed his direct word for mankind to the prophet Muhammad (c. 570–632 CE).
These revelations are recorded in the Torah (Old Testament), the Injeel (Gospel) [as revealed to Isa (Jesus)], the Zabur (Psalms) and the Qur'an ("Recitation") which Muslims believe to be the final revelation from God to humanity.
Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last or the seal of the prophets and that his preachings for humankind will last until qiyamah ("The Day of Resurrection", also known as "The Day of Judgement"). Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic: أركان الإسلام) is the term given to the five duties incumbent on every Muslim.
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. Muslims all over the world often refer to the mosque by its name in Arabic, masjid (pl. masajid) (Arabic: مسجد — pronounced: /mas.ˈɡʲid/ or /mas.ˈʤid/). The Arabic word masjid means temple or place of worship and comes from the Arabic root sajada (root "s-j-d," meaning to bow or kneel) which means he worshipped in reference to the prostrations performed during Islamic prayers. The word mosque in English is used to represent 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) (Arabic: جامع), which has more community and social amenities.
The primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place where Muslims can come together for prayer. Nevertheless, mosques are known around the world nowadays for their general importance to the Muslim community as well as their demonstration of Islamic architecture. They have evolved 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. Mosques originated on the Arabian Peninsula, but now one can find mosques on all six inhabited continents where Muslim communities exist. For Muslims, they are not only places to worship and pray; they are also places to learn about Islam and meet other Muslims. On many occasions, places of worship of other faiths such as synagogues or churches were converted into mosques.
Masjid al-Haram (المسجد الحرام "The Sacred Mosque", is a large mosque in the city of Mecca, and the largest in Islam, and the largest religious building on Earth. It surrounds the Kaaba, the place which all Muslims turn towards each day in prayer and consider to be the holiest place on Earth. The mosque is also commonly known as the Haram or Haram Sharif.[1]
The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square meters including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 820,000 worshippers during the Hajj period.
References
- ... It is estimated that the world population of Muslims today ranges between 1.2 billion and 1.5 billion people, and that only 18% of them live in Arab countries?
- ... that the Qur'an has been completely memorized by a percentage of Muslims (hafiz) all around the world for nearly 14 centuries
- ... that the Qur'an remained unchanged since its revelation?
- ... that Sunni Muslims are the largest denomination of Islam.
Al-Aqsa Mosque congregation building in the southern part of the Noble Sanctuary
Al-Aqsa Mosque (The Farthest Mosque) (Arabic: المسجد الاقصى, [IPA /'ælmæsʤıd ælæqəsɒː/, Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (help·info)), commonly refers to the southern congregational mosque that is part of the complex of religious buildings in Jerusalem known as Al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) to Arabs and Muslims, although the whole area of the Noble Sanctuary is considered Al-Aqsa Mosque according to Islamic law. It is known as Har ha-Bayit (the Temple Mount) to Jews and Christians. It is located in East Jerusalem, a disputed territory governed as part of Israel since its annexation in 1967 but claimed by the Palestinian Authority as part of a future State of Palestine. The largest and most ancient mosque in Palestine, its congregation building can accommodate about 5,000 people worshipping inside it, while the whole Al-Aqsa Mosque compound area may accommodate hundreds of thousands. The government of Israel has granted a Muslim Council, Waqf, full administration of the site. Since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, non-Muslims are barred from entering the site.
The congregation building of Al-Aqsa Mosque is referred to as Jami al-Masjid al-Aqsa or al-Masjid al-Qibli. The term al-Masjid Al-Aqsa proper is the general and oldest name for the precinct of al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif. The name al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif was coined later by the Mamluks.
The historical significance of Al-Aqsa Mosque is further emphasised by the fact that Muslims used to turn towards Al-Haram al-Sharif when they prayed. As it was the place at which Muhammad performed the first commanded prayer after Isra and Mi'raj, it became the qibla (direction) that Muslims faced during prayer and continued to be so for sixteen or seventeen months. After a revelation recorded in the Qur'an the qibla was then turned towards Mecca.
Ali ibn Abi Talib (Approximately: March 17, 599 AD - February 28, 661 AD) was cousin and son-in-law and one of the Ahl al-Bayt(household) of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. Sunni revered him as fourth and final Rightly Guided caliph, reigning from 656 to 661 and Shi'a glorify him as the first Imam and he and his descendants have been the rightful successors to Muhammad who are the only legitimate religious and political leaders of the Muslim community.
When Muhammad reported that he had received a divine revelation, Ali, then only about ten years old, believed him and professed Islam. He was the first males to enter Islam. Ali stood firmly in support of Muhammad during the years of persecution of Muslims in Mecca. In 622 CE, when Muhammad intended to migrate to Medina, Ali risked his life by sleeping in Muhammad's bed to impersonate him and thwart an assassination plot, so that Muhammad could flee in safety.
Shortly after Ali migrated to Medina, Muhammad told Ali that he had been ordered by God to give his daughter, Fatimah, to Ali in marriage. For the ten years that Muhammad led the community in Medina, Ali was extremely active in his service, leading parties of warriors on raids, and carrying messages and orders. With the exception of Tabuk, Ali took part in all the battles fought for Islam during this time.
After the assassination of the third Caliph, Uthman Ibn Affan, the Companions of Muhammad in Medina selected Ali to be the new Caliph. He encountered defiance and civil war (First Fitna) during his reign. Finally while Ali was praying in the mosque of Kufa, a Khariji assassinated him with a strike of a poison-coated sword. Ali died on the 21st of Ramadan in the city of Kufa in 661 CE.
Muslims appreciate Ali's knowledge, belief, honesty, his unbending devotion to the reign of Islam, his deep loyalty to Muhammad, his equal treatment of all Muslims and his generosity in forgiving his defeated enemies. He consider by the Muslims as the foremost authority in Tafsir (Quranic exegesis) and Islamic jurisprudence and almost all Sufi orders trace their lineage to Muhammad through Ali.
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