The Importance of Mosques in 
Connection with E.M. Forster's A Passage to India

    Although I am not a religious person, I find that I am better able to admire and understand religions when I enter their places of worship. The beauty of the physical representations of faith seems always to clarify the true purpose of a religion. The construction of such monuments is the result of a conglomeration of architectural expertise and pure spirituality, or the eagerness to exhibit due praise to unseen gods. Mosques, and other religious buildings, are physical manifestations of their particular faiths; they aid the understanding of those outside that faith. I believe that places of worship are often the best explanations of religions. 
    The mosque is an essential spiritual and social facet of the Islamic religion that conveys the ideal simplicity and purity of Islam. Whether it is an individual igdah, a modest masjid or a lavish jama'a, a mosque is a physical representation of the Muslim reverence for Allah (Ettinghausen 20). Because the mosque is the center for worship, it is essential to the completion of the second pillar of Islam: prayer (salat) (Rood 4). To most Muslims, the mosque represents the purification of the soul, the refinement of morals, and the strengthening of the ties of mutual cooperation among the Muslims through worship (as-Sibai 1). 
    The first mosque was built by Ibrahim and his son Isma'il in Mecca, the capital city of a province in Saudi Arabia. This city, particularly its Ka'ba, a sacred religious building at the center of the mosque that Muslims believe was the first building ever 

constructed on Earth, has since been considered the center of Islam. When the Prophet Mohammed received revelations from Allah, he built a mosque in Madina that also served as living quarters for his family in addition to serving other social, political, and judicial functions. This second-mentioned mosque has served as an architectural model for most succeeding mosques. Approximately one hundred years after the construction of the Madina mosque, the minaret was introduced in Tunisia. Henceforth, the towers were used by the muezzin to call people to prayer (Rood 1).       Although mosques are generally very individual, they are all required to contain a niche, the mihrab, to mark the direction of Mecca. The mihrab must have a roofed area in front of it, and the wall in which the mihrab is placed must be free of doors (Kjeilen 1).  The niche is necessary in order to align the body correctly during prayer.   A prototypical mosque will

Mihrab marking the direction of Mecca

also contain several other standard religious items: a dakka, a platform from where the muezzin calls for prayer after he has called from the minaret; a kursi, a desk and a seat for the Koran and for the reader; reliquaries, where the bodies, parts of bodies, or belongings of religious personalities are kept; carpets to  cover the floors; candles and lamps used for illumination; incense, especially during times of festivals; and water in the courtyard, both for ablutions and for drinking(3).
    When the muezzin call the devout to prayer, they begin with the fundamental Islamic prayer, "there is no god but God." Islam is based upon the adherence to five pillars of faith:  the Shahada, the creed stating that "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his messenger;" the Salat, the prayer which is to be performed five times a day; the Zakat, almsgiving; the Sawm, a fast during the month

of Ramadân; and the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, although not obligatory for those are unable to make the trip (Rogers 2).      The most central issue in Islam is the responsibility towards the community. The Koran and the Sunna contains many rules dictating the way in which a devout Muslim should lead his life; they explain what is permitted and what is prohibited.  The core of Islam is the family, the extended family, and from this, society is understood as concentric circles. Allah himself  exhibits care and concern for his creations, as exhibited by one of his beautiful names, The Cherisher (3).

Typical mosque in Taj Mahal

     Islam is founded upon tenacious monotheism, and is thus offended by any worship of a visible object. This worship would propose that something less than God had replaced God (Zepp 33). Because Islam is fundamentally iconoclastic, Mosques, unlike the religious centers of most faiths, are typically free of ornamentation, pictures, and statues. Muslims fear that allowing the Christian tradition of adornment into the mosques would jeopardize the purity of Islam. The only decoration permitted in a mosque is the inscription of the ninety-nine names of Allah in Arabic characters (Kjeilen 2). In E.M. Forster's A Passage to India, Aziz, the young Muslim doctor, is comforted by the simplicity of the mosque and observes that "the front [of the mosque] had the appearance of marble, and the ninety-nine names of God on the frieze stood out black, as the frieze stood out white against the sky" and enjoys "the contest between this dualism and the contention of shadows" (Forster 19). 
    Muslims also stress the importance of cleanliness within the mosque and demand that shoes be removed, and even that feet be washed, before entering the mosque. This rule of Islam is introduced in the meeting between Aziz and the elderly Englishwoman Mrs. Moore. Aziz finds sanctuary in the mosque of his hometown, Chandrapore and, startled by the entrance of an Englishwoman, Aziz aggressively warns her not to soil his sacred mosque with her shoes. Oppressed by the omnipresence of the occupying British Raj, Aziz feels that the mosque is still unsullied by the Anglo-Indian influence. He is comforted by the simplicity of the mosque and observes that

Aziz acknowledges that the mosque embodies his faith and thinks, "Here was Islam, his own country, more than a Faith, more than a battle-cry, more, much more... Islam, an attitude towards life both exquisite and durable, where his body and his thoughts found their home" (19). Because he feels at peace in the mosque, he is able to converse congenially with Mrs. Moore.        Although Aziz is suspicious of the English, he is impressed by her proclamation that "God is here," acknowledging the spiritual presence of the mosque, despite the religious denomination.  Their ability to develop a significant friendship

Ninety-nine of Allah adorn the wall of an Indian mosque

indicates the powerful unifying presence of the mosque. Although the mosque is an archetypal representation of Islamic faith, Forster uses it to represent a unification between dissimilar faiths through a shared spirituality. Aziz's intimate connection to his mosque illustrates its significant role in the Islam religion. Even Mrs. Moore, neither a Muslim nor a particularly devout Christian, appreciates the mosque and recognizes the inherent presence of God. Mrs. Moore is completely unfazed by the difference in religious beliefs and is able to find unity in their shared belief in the presence of God. Her comprehension of the mosque proves the effectiveness of the physical portrayal of faith in the conveyance of the beliefs and principles of a particular religion.

                                                                                               Bibliography

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Ettinghausen, Richard and Oleg Grabar. The Art and Architecture of Islam 650-1250. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books Ltd, 1987.

Forster, E.M. A Passage to India. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1924.

Ganguly, Adwaita P. India: Mystic, Complex, and Real- An Interpretation of  E.M. Forster's A Passage to India. Delhi: Motila Banarsidass, 1990.

Kjeilen, Tore. "Mosque." Encyclopedia of the Orient. 21 Aug. 2001. LexicOrient. <http://lexicorient.com/cgi-bin/eo-direct.pl?mosque.htm>. 

Rogers, Jay. "Islam: Beliefs and Practices." Feb. 1991. Media House International. 10 Sept. 2001. 
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Rood, Rick. "What is Islam?" Probe Ministries, 1994. 10 Sept. 2001.  <http://www.probe.org/docs/islam.html>.

Zepp, Ira G. A Muslim Primer. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2000.