RELIGIOUS OBJECTS
Compared to other religions, Islamic religion is perhaps not as concerned about religious objects, but Muslims do consider some objects sacred such as the Quran, the prophet's belongings, the minaret, the minbar, the ka'aba and black stone, among others.
The Quran
The Quran is Islam's holy book. Muslims believe it to be God’s literal word. They follow specific rules in reading and handling the Quran. They are expected to handle the Quran with utmost honor through rules such as, the Quran should be placed on a pedestal or on a shelf, where nothing is put on top of it; the Quran should also not fall down or be dropped, also a person must perform certain ablutions (ritual washing or cleaning) before touching the Quran.
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The Minaret
The word minaret is an Arabic word which means ‘lighthouse’ or 'beacon.' As the name suggests, the minaret is used as a form of a beacon as they were to be seen as 'landmarks of Islam', to be seen from a distance and to bring Islamic character in a particular area. It is an element of their religious architecture; richly decorated with carving, it's top being, a bulbous dome, a metal covered cone or an open pavilion. The minaret is the slim tower which was used traditionally by a muezzin/ crier to call the muslim faithful to prayer. This was done five times a day from the highest roof in the vicinity of the mosque; from a projecting balcony, as every minaret had one or more balconies.
Mosques have a varying number of minarets; from one up to six, constructed in a broad variety of ways, usually covered with a pointed roof.
Calling the faithful to prayer is nowadays done using a loudspeaker in the prayer hall thus in these modern times, the minaret mainly serves as a decorative feature.
The Minbar (Mimbar)
The minbar is one of the Islamic religious objects which is located on the right side of the mihrab (a semi-circular indentation that shows the direction that is facing Mecca, which the Muslims face while praying) which has steps/a short staircase that leads to the top platform and is commonly made of wood, brick or stone, covered with a cloth called, the qatifah. It is the pulpit from where the khutbah (the Friday sermon) is delivered. It is an honorable seat which is elevated and represents religious and political authority in Islam. The minbar is similar though not identical to the pulpit in Christianity with regard to its function and its place in Islam.
The Prophet's belongings
Artifacts and objects that are believed to have survived from the prophet Muhammad's household are treated as sacred objects and have been carefully preserved. They are housed in Turkey, in the Topkapi Museum.
The Ka'aba and Black Stone
The Ka'aba is a cubical sacred shrine in Islam, toward which all Muslim’s pray, which is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Muslims believe that this structure was constructed by Abraham (prophet) and they call it 'the House of God.'
The Ka’aba contains a black meteorite stone, which the Muslims believe was given to Abraham by Angel Gabriel. During the Muslim’s pilgrimage to Mecca, they circle the Ka'aba as those who can approach the sacred black stone, kiss it because of its sacred qualities.
RELIGIOUS PLACES
THE MOSQUE
The mosque is the most common religious place for Islam. It is their place of worship. Muslims consider every mosque a holy place although there is wide variation among mosques which depends on the resources, culture and heritage of the Islamic community in a certain area. They pray five times a day and though they can pray anywhere (either indoors or outdoors), the most dedicated Muslims ensure that they carry out their prayers in the mosque. Muslims goes to the mosque for special prayers and for teachings every Friday, from their local Islamic leader; an Imam. Classes on the Quran are also carried out in the mosque, for the new converts and children.
Mosques include certain objects and places such as the mihrab, minbar, prayer rugs (to provide cushioning on the floor and to ensure cleanliness), shoe shelf (before entering a mosque, Muslims remove their shoes to preserve cleanliness of the area of prayer thus in many mosques a shoe shelf is placed at the entrance to neatly organize the visitors’ shoes), minaret, an ablution area, among others.
MECCA
Mecca is considered to be ‘The Heart of Islam’, as it is Muhammad's (who is considered by Muslims as Allah’s greatest prophet) birthplace (AD 570), The city of Mecca is geographically found in Saudi Arabia, where the cave of Hira is located, which they believed to be where Muhammad received his revelation from Allah, which was written and collected by his followers thus forming their holy book, the Quran.
Muhammad was first rejected and persecuted by people as his monotheist beliefs threatened their polytheist belief system and culture, thus he fled Mecca. He later went back to Mecca with many followers and thus conquered it for Islam.
Muslims (approximately two million) travel to Mecca every year for worship in the last month of the Islamic calendar, at the Great/Sacred mosque; the Al-Haram Mosque which is the largest mosque in the world. This pilgrimage is called the hajj. Muslims believe that completing this great pilgrimage brings them closer to getting to paradise after one dies. They also believe that through the hajj they experience forgiveness of sin.
MEDINA
Medina; in the Islam religion, is considered to be the second holiest Muslim city. where ‘the prophet's mosque’ is located (Al-Masjid an-Nawabi). Medina is the place to which Muhammad fled to when he was being persecuted at Mecca because of his beliefs. It is believed that he built a mosque there, next to his home. Muslims believe that the prophet’s teachings were received well in Medina thus he formed a huge army of followed with whom he returned with to Mecca, thus conquering it.
Medina is also where Muhammad’s burial place is found, identified by a green dome. This area is a priority destination for Muslims who are pilgrimaging as they believe that supplication prayers that are offered in the carpeted area next to Muhammad’s burial site (called the Rawdah (the Garden)) are never rejected.
References
- Esposit, J. L. (2003). Minaret. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam
- The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Minaret. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/minaret
- Huda (2019). Islamic Architecture: Parts of a mosque. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/parts-of-a-mosque-2004464
- Religion Facts. Minaret. Retrieved from www.religionfacts.com/minaret
- The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Minbar. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/minbar
- Religion Facts. Minbar. Retrieved from www.religionfacts.com/minbar
- Esposit J. L. Minbar. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam (2003)
- Lake .A. (2018). What are some of the sacred objects in Islam. Retrieved from https://classroom,synonym.com/what-are-some-os-the-sacred-objects-in-islam-12086633.html
- Adair R. (2018). Holy ground: The Importance of Mosques, Mecca, and Medina for Muslims. Retrieved from https://www.imb.org/2018/08/17/mosques-muslim/
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