A
mosque is a place of worship for followers
of the Islamic faith. Masid or Masjid
(pl. masajid) is one of two Arabic terms
for a mosque. This term is used widely
throughout the Islamic world, and the
word masjid is widely preferred by many
Muslims. Mosques were known to the English-speaking
world before being called "mosques"
but in the 15th, 16th and 17th century
there were many variations of the word
such as: "moseak", "muskey",
"moschy", "mos'keh",
until it was was decided to use "mosquee",
imitating the Middle French. This however
had originally come from Italian and Old
Spanish from the Arabic word for "temple",
"masjid". This come from the
Arabic root sajad which means to prostrate;
Islamic prayers require prostration. In
the early 1700s, the modern spelling was
used more and so became the standard spelling
for this word. The other Arabic term is
assembly; it is used for Friday-mosques,
which must have a pulpit—most mosques
do not.
A
mosque is a place of worship for followers
of the Islamic faith. Masid or Masjid
(pl. masajid) is one of two Arabic terms
for a mosque. This term is used widely
throughout the Islamic world, and the
word masjid is widely preferred by many
Muslims. Mosques were known to the English-speaking
world before being called "mosques"
but in the 15th, 16th and 17th century
there were many variations of the word
such as: "moseak", "muskey",
"moschy", "mos'keh",
until it was was decided to use "mosquee",
imitating the Middle French. This however
had originally come from Italian and Old
Spanish from the Arabic word for "temple",
"masjid". This come from the
Arabic root sajad which means to prostrate;
Islamic prayers require prostration. In
the early 1700s, the modern spelling was
used more and so became the standard spelling
for this word. The other Arabic term is
assembly; it is used for Friday-mosques,
which must have a pulpit—most mosques
do not.
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