Becoming familiar with the common practices of the world’s religion is an important part of enhancing a person’s perception and education. Attending other congregations is an invaluable experience that allows inquisitive people to compare the exact manners of worship and communication. In this regard, services that are held at mosques appear to be the most interesting ones, as they represent the views of a large portion of the world’s population. Islam is an integral part of today’s global community, meaning that its religious practices deserve additional exploration.
First of all, the peculiarity of the experience starts at the entrance to the mosque. Muslim people are encouraged to pray five times per day, facing Mecca. This frequency is surprising, as compared to the Christian tradition. Even though Muslim people are not obliged to attend the mosque for all of the five daily prayers, the midday service saw a great number of visitors. Perhaps, the reason lies in the fact that mosques appear to be more than a place of worship for these people.
They serve as the centers of entire communities where members of the congregation communicate with each other, passing knowledge and experience. From this perspective, I found the image of the Muslim service highly reminiscent of my Christian experience. Both settings serve the same purpose of uniting people on divine premises, building stronger and kinder communities with shared values.
Even though I could not partake in the service through prayers, I respected the rules of the place. For example, I had to take off my shoes at the entrance and did not speak out loud when visiting the mosque. At the same time, I followed the dress-code etiquette, which was typical for the Muslim service. All visitors were dressed modestly and wore clean clothes. As I entered the mosque, I was surprised by the level of security, as guards paid special attention to every person. However, this supervision did not serve to divide the visitors in any sense. On the contrary, it sought to ensure the safety and comfort of every single person inside the mosque.
The enhanced security measures helped me understand the pressure applied to Muslim congregations. They face serious threats both from within and outside their religious communities. I understood the context of the situation and did not object to any security checks, and neither did any of the visitors.
During the prayer, everyone followed the directions of the imam and only engaged in communication when the service was over. Another difference that drew my attention consisted in the ritual washing that was performed by every believer before the service. They attended special bathrooms, which I find highly uncommon in most Christian places of worship. Furthermore, the interior of the mosque did not include any seats, and every person sat on the floor and special rugs. As a visitor, I was allowed to observe quietly from a distance, so I stood throughout the midday service.
Overall, this experience provided me with a more in-depth understanding of how Muslim services are held. Most differences were observed in the level of specific rituals performed before and during the service. However, the overarching atmosphere of the event was highly reminiscent of my Christian experience. In both cases, services united entire congregations, forming strong communities of people united by their faith and values. In my opinion, such observations are highly important to enhance an individual’s understanding of other religions while learning to appreciate their own.