A mosque, or masjid, is a place of worship and religious instruction, often also serving as a community centre. The first mosque was the Prophet Muhammad's home in Medina, now in Saudi Arabia. Many mosques have a dome and a minaret, but every mosque will have a wall with a mihrab, a niche indicating the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca, to which all prayers must be directed.
There will also be a place to wash and a place to bow and pray. Men and women use separate prayer halls.
2. Shahadah
Answer: Profession of faith
Shahadah is the first Pillar of Islam. It is an oath, declaring belief that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God's messenger. It is whispered into the ear of a newborn baby and into the ear of someone who is dying. Recitation of the Shahadah forms part of the five daily prayers. A sincere recitation of the oath is all that is required for conversion to Islam.
3. Quran
Answer: Holy Book
The Quran, Qur'an or Koran is the central religious text of Islam. It is believed by Muslims to have been revealed by God, via the archangel Gabriel, to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years. A person who has memorised the whole of the Quran is known as a Hafiz.
4. Mecca
Answer: Holy City
The holiest city of Islam, Mecca in Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad. The Great Mosque of Mecca is home to the Ka'bah, believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael. The Ka'bah is the holiest site in Islam and the direction of all Muslim prayers. Pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the Pillars of Islam and non-Muslims are forbidden to enter the city.
5. Salat
Answer: Prayer
Salat, the second Pillar of Islam, is the obligation to perform Muslim prayers at five set times during the day. Muslims can pray anywhere but must face the direction of the Ka'bah in Mecca. The words of the prayer are accompanied by a series of set movements.
6. Hajj
Answer: Pilgrimage
Hajj, the fifth Pillar of Islam, consists of pilgrimage to Mecca. This takes place over a five or six-day period in the Islamic month of Dhu'l Hijja and must be carried out at least once by every adult with the physical ability and financial resources to do so. To show that everyone is equal, pilgrims exchange their clothes for two white cloths. Rituals include circling the Ka'bah seven times in an anticlockwise direction, praying at Mount Arafat and throwing pebbles at three stone pillars representing the Devil. People who have completed the Hajj are known as Hajji.
7. Ramadan
Answer: Month
The ninth, and holiest, month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the period in which the Prophet Muhammad was first visited by the archangel Gabriel and began receiving the Quran. Observed as a month of prayer and fasting, Ramadan begins and ends with the appearance of a crescent moon. The holiday of Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan.
8. Ummah
Answer: Community
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community". It is used by Muslims to describe all followers of Islam wherever in the world they live.
9. Sawm
Answer: Fast
The fourth Pillar of Islam, Sawm is religious fasting, particularly as carried out during Ramadan. Muslims are required to abstain from eating, drinking, sexual activity and evil thoughts or deeds each day between dawn (fajr) and sunset (maghrib).
10. Zakat
Answer: Alms-giving
Zakat is the third Pillar of Islam. Muslims who can afford to are required to give a proportion of their wealth, usually 2.5%, every year of their lives to support the poor and deserving. This is regarded as both a religious obligation and a means of self-purification.
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