page_title: Mosque
section_title: Prayer leader
hierarchical_section_title: Mosque / Rules and behaviour in mosques / Prayer leader
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Spanien, Cordoba, MezquitaEnglish: Spain, Cordoba, Mosque-Cathedral
context_page_description: A mosque is a place where Peoples worship. The word mosque comes from the Arabic word masjid. A larger, 'collective', mosque is called a masjid jāmi. Larger mosques offer more services to their community.
  For many Muslim people, a mosque is more than a place of worship. Muslims worship, study and discuss Islam, and do many other things in a mosque and its compounds. In the United Kingdom, many mosques are used as community centres. They are also used to teach about Islam. Religious festivals and gatherings are held in mosques. Weddings are one example. Mosques have rules to control what people do inside. One of these is that it is disrespectful to disturb another person who is worshipping.
  Many mosques are known for their Islamic architecture. The earliest mosques, opened in 7th century were open-air spaces. They are the Quba Mosque and Masjid al-Nabawi. Later Mosques were buildings that were specially designed. Nowadays, mosques are in every continent, except Antarctica.
context_section_description: It is generally seen as good to have someone who leads the prayers, though this is not strictly necessary. The person who usually leads the prayers is called imam. He must be a free and honest man. He should also be an authority when it comes to answering questions on religion. In mosques that were built or that are kept up by the government, the imam is selected by the ruler. In private mosques, the community selects the imam, through majority voting.
  Only men may lead prayers for men.  Women are allowed to lead prayers for congregations where there are only women.
caption: Interior of the Mezquita, a hypostyle former mosque with columns arranged in grid pattern, in Córdoba, Spain.
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