Muslims are required to pray five times a day. They are encouraged to pray in the mosques instead of at home so that community bonds can be strengthened. Depending on lifestyle and work schedules, many Muslims now prefer to pray at home or in the workplace; however, Friday is the special day of prayer when most Muslims would make the effort to go to the mosque. In the homes, prayer mats may be spread in any room. It is also not uncommon to see Muslims keep a prayer mat in their cars and simply stop anywhere at the time of prayer and spread it out on the ground, offering their prayers toward the direction of Ka’aba, the center and starting point, of Islam in Mecca. Inside the mosque, Muslims pray on rugs and prostrate themselves before God. Hence, special consideration is paid to cleanliness of the place of worship. It is considered disrespectful to step on the prayer mats with shoes on. In western cultures, where non-Muslim guests are invited for interfaith gatherings, a complete wall-to-wall rug is spread on top of the prayer mats so that guests do not have to take off their shoes. Muslim women are granted a special concession if they wish to pray at home due to their family responsibilities. While reciting the prayer, full meditative concentration is required. Talking or paying attention to surroundings is not allowed unless something urgent must be attended to. Older people or those who are in ill health do not have to perform all the motions of the prayer but may do so while sitting, or even lying in bed.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 07:51:15 +0000