English Across the Curriculum

Mosques

Religious Functions of a Mosque

A mosque is basically a house of prayer but during history it has acquired many other religious functions. Adult Muslims must pray five times a day. While normal prayers can be said anywhere, Muslim men should pray in mosques on Fridays.

During the holy month of Ramadan other events take place in mosques. Some mosques offer dinners after sunset or breakfast before sunrise. During the last days of Ramadan some mosques hold all night prayers. Since Muslims are required to give money to charity they often donate it at mosques.

Mosque only for women in Byblos, Lebanon

Wadih El-Banna, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons