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Welcome to this visit to the Golden Hall of Worship.
Let me greet you in Islam’s most reverent fashion by saying A salaam aleykum.
which means, May the peace of Allah be upon you.
Upon entering the hall, you will notice that there are many splendid decorations all around.
But certainly the most visually arresting is the grand central dome.
The height of this dome is 38 meters, Its diameter is 25 meters,
and laid out it would be 1,600 square meters.
So, what is the function of a dome such as this?
In looking through materials about Arab countries,
you will find that many buildings feature such great domes.
What is their use? Culturally, a dome like this symbolizes Islam.
It is characteristic of Islamic architecture.
No matter where you go in the world, if you see such a giant dome on a building,
that building will most certainly Islamic.
In daily life, such domes have practical uses as well.
One of these uses you may have noticed already. Beneath the dome are these massive pillars,
which allow more Muslim believers to gather in prayer.
At the same time, the lack of visual obstacles
allows us to offer a lecture or a gathering such as the one we are having now.
And that is the first of its uses.
The second use of a dome like this is that it provides for a natural form of amplification.
Islam was founded over 1,400 years ago,
And at the time of its establishment, there were many teachings and principles that had to be told to the people.
Such instruction required that an imam stand there, at the front,
before prayers began,and address all the people gathered here.
Imagine, for a moment: over 1,400 years ago there were no microphones and no speakers.
There was no natural supporting amplification equipment.
For a man’s voice to carry from the front to each corner of this large space was absolutely impossible.
Under these circumstances, the early Islamic architects discovered,
by adding such a dome, they could effect a natural amplification.
As I stand and speak to you, you might detect some of this amplification.
So that was the second use of the dome: amplification.
Now the third use: Such a high dome has an effect on airflow, and lowering temperatures.
Remember, Islam was founded in Arabia.
Mention Arab nations and the first thing that comes to mind is, it is HOT there.
Think about it: With temperatures at 40 or 50 degrees celsius throughout the year,
maybe over 2,000 Muslims gathered in such a space to listen to lectures.
We ourselves would find it uncomfortable,
and such conditions might lead to illness and serious health risks.
Under these circumstances, the architects found that a dome serves to raise the ceiling.
The added height creates an open space that contributes to airflow,
and an natural way of controlling the temperature.
This is why you will find that all mosques have such a high, deep, and wide roof.
These are the purposes of the roof.
Now please look at the walls on either side and the structure directly ahead.
You’ll find that in the wall directly ahead, there is a concave recess.
So what is the point of the recess? What is its function?
This is what is called the mihrab, in Arabic. In Chinese this is the aobi or recessed wall.
Its function is primarily to indicate the direction for prayer, for Muslims,
because Islam dictates that Muslims around the world, regardless of location,
must face the kaaba in Mecca when praying.
You may know that the kaaba in Mecca is a square, black structure,
in Mecca City, Saudi Arabia, which is to the west of China.
So all over China, wherever there are Muslims, prayers are directed westwards,
in hopes that their prayers will reach the kaaba in Mecca.
Now this direction is due west.
At the same time, this mihrab serves the needs of Muslims from other areas, or other nations.
They come here and they gather to pray, But they don’t know which way to face,
Because they don’t speak the language and cannot communicate.
Under these circumstances, they just need to find the direction of the mihrab,
to know that that is the direction to address their prayers.
So, speaking of prayers: Muslims must pray five times each day.
These five prayers are not matched to hours, like 3 o’clock, 5 o’clock, or 7 o’clock.
Times for prayer are determined by the movement of the sun.
The time for the first prayer is in the morning, before the sun rises,
when the east has begun to lighten but the sun itself is not yet visible.
At this time, you must hurry to make your first prayers of the day.
And the second prayers are at noon, when the sun is overhead,
or just slightly off. Then you offer your second prayers.
The third prayers are in the afternoon, when the length
of the shadow cast by an item reaches twice its height.
Which is to say, if you insert a rod one meter high in the ground,
when its shadow reaches two meters, you begin the third prayers of the day.
The fourth prayers of the day are at dusk, when the sun sets in the west.
You should hurry then to say your fourth set of prayers.
The fifth set of prayers are at night, After darkness falls
and anytime before the next morning‚
that is when we can offer up our fifth set of prayers.
Do you see? These times for prayer will vary with the seasons:
spring, summer, fall and winter.
They will differ by a few minutes every day.
Which is to say, the specific times for prayer are different each day.
Islam also specifies that space is very important in daily prayers.
Which means that believers gather together in the same space to say their prayers.
But in the distant past, people had no watches or cell-phones.
So how could people be called together efficiently, in the shortest time,
to the same spot, for prayers?
This task fell to the faithful of the mosque.
At prayers, the mosque sent a muezzin to climb to the top of a tall minaret.
Minarets are tall, slender structures of the shape of pagodas,
situated to the left and right of the mosque. These are minarets.
They allow Muslims to recite a verse, also called the summons to prayer,
which serve as a call to the faithful.
Now, I will recite a summons to prayers (azaan),
to demonstrate the kind of effect it might have, to cause Muslims,
no matter what they are doing, whether at work, or conducting business, or tilling the fields,
to put down their work and come to the mosque for prayers.
Now I will chant such a verse for you.
[Sunni azaan] Allahu akbar Allahu akbar (2x)
Ash-hadu al-l ilaha illa llah Ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasulullah
Hayya 'ala s-salah Hayya 'ala 'l-falah
Allahu akbar Allahu akbar La ilaha illallah
Just now I recited a verse in Arabic, Which is called the call to worship.
Let me translate its meaning for you.
How great is Allah (rep). I bear witness that there is no god except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
Come quickly to worship (rep). Come quickly to succeed (rep.
How great is Allah, how great is Allah.
Muslims, no matter what they are doing, will hear the azaan as a summons.
Come quickly to worship (rep); come quickly to succeed (rep). And everyone wants to succeed.
If you want to succeed, first come do your duty by Allah,
say your prayers everyday, and this will be a basis for your success.
So Muslims everywhere put down their work and listen in silence when they hear the azaan.
After they are done listening, everyone will come together to the mosque, for prayers.
Now please take a look: Above the mihrab is a holy verse,
in Arabic, written in yellow on a background of blue.
In Chinese, we call it Qingzhen yan (the Shahadah)
In Arabic, it is La ilaha illil-Lahu Muhammadan rasulu l-Lahi.
In Chinese, this means, The myriad things are not God,
there is only the true God, and Muhammad is his prophet.
This sentence is at the core of Islam.
Every Muslim must recite it throughout life, and steadfastly keep it in mind.
As Muslim parents, we have the task and responsibility to teach our children
when they are very young, when they first learn to speak,
to recite, La ilaha illil-Lahu Muhammadan rasulu l-Lahi.
Something you learn as a child, you will not forget your whole life.
As the child grows up, you should teach it to understand, The myriad things are not God,
there is only the true God, and Muhammad is his prophet.
Which is to say, everything in our world today, in our past,
in our present and future, none of these things are worthy
of veneration by Muslims, but only the True God Allah is.
Muhammed was personally selected by Allah over 1,400 years ago to be his Prophet.
He and his finest disciples, his students, have taken Islam generation after generation
to every corner of the globe, so that people everywhere know of it.
So we believe that
the Shahadah is something every Muslim must recite, and abide by.
Now look, down there is another Arabic verse. We call it the tasmiyya.
The Arabic reading of the verse is Bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim.
In Chinese this means, I receive this moment in the true name of God.
This is one many verses of praise of Allah, which, simply put, means,
In the name of the most revered God, I am beginning this action.
The Holy Quran has 114 chapters. Of these, 113 begin with the verse
Bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim. Every time a Muslim begins an activity,
it must be a proper activity, whether big or small, s/he must first recite this verse.
Since we are carrying out an activity in the name of Allah, then Allah will protect us,
and bless us, and guarantee our smooth and successful completion of it.
Now, please take a look: on either side there are round designs with Arabic writing.
The one on the left is read, Kumbuli wotoni: Love the nation.
The other is A-salaam: Peace. Let me explain the meaning of A-salaam.
Anyone who has studied Arabic knows, there is a simple way of learning Arabic:
we call it the extension technique. If you know one word, you can decipher
the meaning of two more, without looking in a dictionary.
We call this the extension technique. Based on the word A-salaam, we can extend
to two more: one is Islam, and the other is Muslim.
Why is this so? Yisilan (Islam) and Musilin (Muslim) are not words that
existed originally in Chinese vocabulary. These are words transliterated from Arabic.
Yisilan is read Is-laam in Arabic,
and Musilin in Arabic is Muslim.
And we have transliterated these terms into Yisilan and Musilin in Chinese.
So, you all must believe that all Muslims who believe in Islam dearly love peace.
Because the origin, and the root, of both terms is PEACE.
The third and the fourth are aleyinjihad: Unity‚ and aleyinzijam: Harmony.
Patriotism, peace, unity, and harmony: these are not only traditional virtues beloved by
the Chinese people, they were also required by Islam, beginning 1,400 years ago,
of all of its followers.