The Mosque, Friday Prayer and Community Life

The mosque (masjid, 'place of prostration') is the center of Muslim communal worship. Its key features reflect the needs of prayer: a mihrab, a niche showing the qibla, the direction of Mecca; a minbar, a pulpit from which the Friday sermon (khutba) is given; a large open prayer hall, often carpeted, where worshippers stand in rows shoulder to shoulder; and facilities for ablutions, ritual washing before prayer. Many mosques have a minaret, from which the call to prayer is made.

Islam has no ordained priesthood; an imam is a prayer leader chosen for knowledge and character. The Friday noon prayer (jumu'ah) is the main weekly congregational prayer. Because Islam traditionally avoids images of God and prophets in worship, mosque decoration uses calligraphy, geometric patterns and plant motifs. Mosques also serve as schools, community centers and places of charity, and their styles vary from the Great Mosque of Djenné's mud brick to Ottoman domes.