masjid (Turkish: mescit) |
mosque; derived from the word 'sadj,' the place where one prostrates oneself |
masjid-i jami |
large communal mosque |
masjid-i jumah |
on Friday, Muslims are expected to gather in community prayer at noon; this is usually done in a large, centrally located mosque called a "Friday Mosque" |
maydan |
large, open space or plaza in the center of a city, used for ceremonial purposes |
mihrab |
a niche in the qibla wall of the main prayer hall that shows the direction of Mecca |
minaret |
“tower” from which the muezzin calls to prayer |
minbar |
steps to the right of the mihrab; the Imam stands on the second highest step to deliver the Khutbah (address) on the day of the Jumah (Friday) |
muqarnas |
ornamental stalactites adorning the cupolas or corbels of a building |
namaz (salaat) |
prayer; one of the five pillars of Islam |
qadi |
Islamic judge; his responsibility is limited to matters of religion |
qibla |
wall of the mosque oriented perpendicularly to the direction of Mecca |
riwag |
arcade around a central courtyard (sahn), providing shade from the sun |
sahn |
open, interior courtyard of the mosque |
sharia |
Islamic law, based upon the Quran and tradition |
shadirwan |
pool or fountain for ritual ablutions before prayer |
shahadah |
the Muslim declaration of faith:"There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God" |
sunna |
paradigm of the behavior of the perfect Muslim, based on the example set by Mohammed; it includes aspects of ethics and morality, purity, prayer and worship, as well as matters of social and familial relations; it is derived from the hadith, the stories and sayings about Mohammed |
sura |
a chapter of the Quran |
ulama |
community of learned men; islamic theologists and legal experts, trained in the interpretation of the Sharia and Quran |
umma |
the entire community of all Muslims |
waqf |
religious endowment; a charitable trust in the name of Allah |
zakat |
almsgiving, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, an obligatory "poor tax" given directly to the poor or to a distribution official and used for hospitals, schools, helping indigent debtors and freeing slaves, as well as helping the poor |
ziyada |
outer courtyard surrounding a mosque, separating it from its urban surroundings |