The mosque is like a second home

Three main religions exist in the world: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. For each of them there is a special temple where the believers go and pray. For Christians it is the church, for Jews – the synagogue and for Muslims – the mosque.

The mosque is a place where Muslims perform their five times prayer; they make dua (supplication) to Allah and ask for forgiveness (tawbah). There are mosques in every city in Bulgaria. In some there is one and in others they are more. All mosques are different and have diverse architecture.

But what in fact is the mosque for us, the Muslims? The mosque is like a second home. Here, going away from our problems, we find tranquility and peace.

Mosques were built from the ancient times. They were not of an expensive material, nor were designed by people who graduated architecture. Nevertheless they were sufficient for the believers because what was more important then was after performing the prayer to meet the people, to exchange a few words, to ask the other how he is and whether he needs something. Regardless of the situation in which a person was, first of all was respect.

And now it is year 2017. A world with advanced technologies, tall buildings and the so called “modern thinking”. A world in which everyone prefers firstly to please his ego. The mosques have perfect architecture, there are special places for doing ablution, large gardens with planted flowers and benches, in a word – wonderful mosques.

But where are the Muslims? Unfortunately the Muslim community is separated into parts. Today it is not important the question “What do you need?”, but the question “Who are you and what will I get if I help you?”.

I suppose that whoever we ask the question “How do you imagine the mosque in your life?” everyone would write or draw one wonderful outside and inside mosque. Actually there is nothing wrong with this but I think that the mosque in my life should look like this: I would like a large and spacious mosque, in order to gather all believers who come for the Friday prayer and no one to pray outside, I would like a temple with a beautiful architecture in order to make tourists who enter it when seeing it to want to learn about Islam and to see the true identity of the Muslims, and to ask what the word “jihad” actually means. I would like the mosque in my life to have a big garden so that all believers after prayer to meet and ask each other how they are.

What I imagine is a mosque in which I spend the entire month of Ramadan. I would also prefer if it is near my home and five times a day to have the opportunity to listen the call for prayer, which every time makes me get goose bumps. This is the mosque which I am dreaming of.

In conclusion I would like to invite every one of us to take stock of himself firstly as a person, and then as an individual. Let us not forget the one mosque is a mosque when it is full of us – the Muslims, when we are united and together. Let us suppose that the mosque in the life of each of us is in our hearts and the key for it is in us. Let us unlock it for new visitors.

Essay of Meriem Ibrahimova ranked at first place – second age group (from 14 to 18 years old)

Drawing of Fatma Yuksel ranked at first place – second age group (from 14 to 18 years old).