Most famous mosques in Islamic civilization

Thursday, 09 December 2010

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Written by Dr. Ragheb Elsergany

Students from everywhere frequented mosques, where all means were provided so that they continue their study and devote themselves for it. They were paid and houses were built for them[1]. These mosques looked like global universities at the present time. These mosques include:

The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, which was built by Al-Walid ibn Abdul-Malik. Different sessions were held at the mosque, as Malikis (followers of Maliki school) had a corner therein, as well as the Shafi'is(followers of Shafi’ school). Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi also had a session at the mosque where he taught hadith. The lessons given at the mosque were not confined to religious science, but they also included language, literature, arithmetic and astronomy.

Amr ibn Al-As Mosque located in Al-Fustat, Egypt. It witnessed more than forty learning sessions frequented by students for study and research. These sessions included that of Imam Al-Shafi'i. In the middle of the fourth Hijri century, the number of sessions held at the mosque reached one hundred and ten, some of which were designed for women. Then, the system of Ijazah (bestowing international certificates) appeared. This system allowed a student to relate his master's views. [2]

Al-Azhar Mosque, its construction of was completed in 361 AH and became a beacon for students from Islamic countries. Caliphs allocated endowments for Al-Azhar and appointed teachers of various scientific specializations in it. As a result of the great fame of Al-Azhar Mosque and the great facilities provided for its students, students from everywhere frequented the mosque. The number of students who frequented the mosque in 818 AH/1415 AD – according to Al-Maqrizi[3] – reached seven hundred and fifty, including foreigners[4], Egyptian villagers and Moroccans. Each group of them had a special place named after them.

The mosque continued to be a shining scientific center, conveying its message throughout history. Scholars graduated from it and writings were composed therein. It was truly a school for science and its people. [5]

Al-Zaytunah Mosque in Tunisia, it was built in the era of Umayyad Caliphs. The first founder of Al-Zaytunah Mosque was Prince Ubaydullah ibn Al-Habhab, who was appointed ruler of North Africa by Hisham ibn Abdul-Malik. The mosque witnessed many expansions in 250 AH/864 AD, as Ziyadatullah ibn Al-Aghlab (in the era of Aghlabid dynasty) widened the mosque. The mosque had a high status with regard to the teaching of different types of science, which were taught by senior scholars, such as Abd-al-Rahman ibn Ziyad Al-Ma'afiri[6], who was a senior scholar of hadith, Abu Sa'id Sahnun Al-Tanukhi, Imam Al-Maziri[7], and others[8].

Students from everywhere frequented this mosque to seek knowledge, where books of Qur'an interpretation, hadith, jurisprudence and language were studied. Al-Hasha'ishi[9] describes the situation of education in Al-Zaytunah Mosque saying that all types of science were taught there, and it was said that near every pillar in the mosque was a teacher. The mosque's library included more than two hundred thousand books. [10]

Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque. It was built in Fez, Morocco, in the era of Idrisids in 245 AH/859 AD. In 322 AH/934 AD, Prince Ahmad ibn Abu Bakr Al-Zanati widened the mosque. In the early sixth Hijri century, the mosque was widened again until it gained an excellent reputation. The mosque had a high scientific stature, as students from everywhere frequented it to seek knowledge. The mosque had a special budget as a result of the granted endowments in addition to the funds donated by princes and others. As a result of the great fame of the mosque, students from other countries, including Europe, frequented it for it was like a scientific institute. Bishop Gerber[11], who later became Pope Sylvester II of Rome in 999-1003, studied in Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque after he studied at the University of Cordoba. [12]

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