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Dome at the top of the Mosque at night.
Image caption,
The dome at the top of the mosque.

A mosque is a place where Muslims come together to pray.

Muslims are people who follow the religion of Islam.

Muslims believe there is one true God Allah (the Arabic word for God).

Dome at the top of the Mosque at night.
Image caption,
The dome at the top of the mosque.

Watch: Meet Hafeez as he shows you around his local mosque

Explore some of the features that can be found at a mosque.

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What is in a mosque?

  • A mosque is where Muslims go to pray and study teachings from the .

  • When people enter the mosque, there are special ways that they must prepare for prayer.

Here are some things that you might find in a mosque:

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 4, Ablution area in a mosque, Ablution area The place where people wash certain parts of their body, or do wudu. Muslims do wudu before they pray.
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Hafiz in the prayer hall in the Mosque.
Image caption,
Hafeez is stood in the prayer hall in the mosque.

Ways of worship

  • Muslims are taught to pray five times a day, at home or at the mosque. Mosques are usually open for worship at any time.

  • At the mosque, a special prayer service takes place every Friday.

  • Some prayers are led by the imam, who is a religious leader at the mosque.

  • Here are some examples of how Muslims can worship at the mosque.

    • When entering the mosque, women and girls cover their heads.

    • Everyone washes certain parts of their body in a special way called wudu.

    • People take off their shoes before going into the prayer hall.

    • To pray, Muslims sit on the floor of the prayer hall, unless they need a chair. They face the mihrab, which shows the direction of .

Hafiz in the prayer hall in the Mosque.
Image caption,
Hafeez is stood in the prayer hall in the mosque.
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