Page 141 - รวมเล่มศาสนาในประเทศไทย ภาคภาษาอังกฤษ

The Mosque and Religious Objects

The religious monastery in Islam is called the “Masjid,”
and is used as the place for worshipping Allah. It is both for the
daily religious practices of the Muslims and a place to organize
other religious activities. The’Masjid’ is also called by many other
names, such as kudil, surau, Imambara and Bala.

Masjid acts as a community center for conducting a
variety of activities for religious practice, assembly or meetings,
study programs, administrative work, legal matters and ritual
ceremonies, etc. There are various main features of mosques:
Mihrab, is the prayer hall where the Imam, issues the call to prayer;
it is usually in the form of a semicircular niche in the wall at the
frontal part of a masjid. Minbar, or a pulpit, sits on a platform where
2 the Imam, or the Khatib, delivers the sermon (known as the khutbah)
before the prayer. There is the maqsurah, a wooden or metal-designed
screen used for shielding the space in front of the Mihrab. A special
platform exists for the Mubaligh or the reciter of the Qur’an to
repeat the message from the Imam, in the case of an overcrowded
congregation. In addition, there is a terrace and/or a general
all-purpose open hall, a place for ritual bath before the prayer,
Muezzin tower where a muezzin announces the call to prayer, and
arched entrance.
The Kaaba is a cube-shaped building, situated in the
middle of the Al-Masjid al-Haram in the city of Mecca in Saudi
Arabia. It is the center of the religious practice of the Muslims around
the world. It is the landmark for the direction Muslims must face
when performing a prayer. Also, it is the place where the Muslims
pilgrims make Tawaf or a circumambulation around, on their Hajj
and Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). At the eastern corner of Kaabah,
2
lies the ‘Black Stone or al-Aswad,’ which is the marker used as the
beginning and the ending point of the Tawaf.

3
1 The Hajj at Al-Alharam Masjid, Mecca City, Saudi Arabia
2 The decoration above the Mihrab, with a calligraphy in the name
of Allah and Nabi Muhammad 2 refers to the pilgrimage to the residence of Nabi Muhammad, which is
3 The Mihrab and Minbar inside the Kudil Chofah in considered to be the minor pilgrimage and optional, not strictly required, as is the Hajj.
Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
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