The Purathupalli Mosque in Kiltan, Lakshadweep
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French (mosquée), from Portuguese (mesquita), from Spanish (mezquita), and from Berber (tamezgida), ultimately originating in Arabic: masjid مسجد — Arabic pronunciation: [ˈmæsdʒɪd].[1] The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration.
The word "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated
for Islamic worship, although there is a distinction in Arabic between
the smaller masjid dedicated for the daily five prayers and the larger masjid jāmi (مسجد جامع) where the daily five prayers and the Friday congregation sermons are held with a high volume of attendance.[citation needed]There are strict and detailed requirements in Sunni fiqh for a place of worship to be considered a masjid, with places that do not meet these requirements regarded as musallas[2] There are stringent restrictions on the uses of the area formally demarcated as the masjid (which is often a small portion of the larger complex), and, in the Sharia, once an area is formally designated as a masjid, it remains so until the Last Day.[2]
The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for salat (prayer) (Arabic: صلاة, ṣalāt) as well as a center for information, education, and dispute settlement. The Imam leads the prayer.
They have developed significantly from the open-air spaces that were the Quba Mosque and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in the 7th century. Many mosques have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls. Mosques originated on the Arabian Peninsula, but are now found in all inhabited continents.
Large mosques sometimes play a political role as well. In Islamic countries like Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq (after 2003), political subjects are preached by imams at Friday congregations on a regular basis.[3] In other Islamic countries, imams are usually banned from mentioning political issues.