Note Pad VII.i(by sam)masjid /masājid

Note Pad VII.i(by sam)masjid /masājid

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Note Pad VII.i(by sam)

masjid / masājid — place of worship

The word masjid comes from the s-j-d root. 

To summarise:

• There is no Qur’anic basis to the notion that the s-j-d root 

denotes physical prostration; rather, it means submission or subjection (see Notepad IV)

• The Arabic noun pattern mafʿid / mafāʿid (the noun pattern 

which masjid follows) denotes place and / or occasion of the 

root concept

On the basis of the above, we can reasonably surmise that masjid 

means a place and / or occasion characterised by submission or 

subjection (to something — in this case God); or, in other words, 

a time or place of worship or service.

The Traditionalist has it (at least some of the time because 

certain Qur’anic contexts force him to abandon his preference) 

that masjid denotes mosque. If by mosque we mean a place where 

a man is in subjection to and worships God, then that meaning 

is acceptable. But that is not the sense the Traditionalist wishes 

us to derive. 

He means, firstly, a place in which a man physically prostrates 

and, secondly, where a man prostrates according to the non-

Qur’anic concept of ṣalāt as practiced within the religion he calls 

Islam. However, this reading of the word masjid is precluded by 

the context in the Qur’an in certain places, a point which the 

Traditionalist is forced to concede in his translations. 

For example:

[And said], “If you do good, you do good for yourselves; 

and if you do evil, [you do it] to them [i.e., yourselves].” 

Then when the final [i.e., second] promise came, [We sent 

your enemies] to sadden your faces and to enter the masjid

[i.e., the temple in Jerusalem], as they entered it the first 

time, and to destroy what they had taken over with [total] 

destruction.1

(17:7)

(১৭:৭

إِنْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ أَحْسَنْتُمْ لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ الْآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوءُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْبِيرًا

যদি তোমালোকে সৎকৰ্ম কৰা, তেন্তে সেয়া তোমালোকৰ নিজৰে উপকাৰ হ’ব আৰু যদি বেয়া কৰ্ম কৰা তেন্তে সেয়া তোমালোকৰে অপকাৰ হ’ব। তাৰ পিছত পৰৱৰ্তী নিৰ্ধাৰিত সময় উপস্থিত হোৱাত (মই মোৰ বান্দাসকলক প্ৰেৰণ কৰিলো) তোমালোকৰ মুখমণ্ডল কালিমাচ্ছন্ন কৰাৰ বাবে, প্ৰথমবাৰ সিহঁতে যেনেকৈ মছজিদত প্ৰৱেশ কৰিছিল আকৌ তেনেকৈ তাত প্ৰৱেশ কৰাৰ বাবে আৰু যি সিহঁতৰ কৰ্তৃত্বত আছিল সেয়া সম্পূৰ্ণৰূপে ধ্বংস কৰাৰ বাবে।)

All interpolations in the verse belong to the Traditionalist. He 

knows that there was no Islamic place of worship in Jerusalem at 

the time in question and is forced to replace his default meaning 

for masjid by means of another. 

The Traditionalist’s aim at all times is the same: to impress upon 

the mind of the reader that a direct and natural correlation 

exists between the Qur’an and his religion.

The value I claim for masjid is time or place of worship (but not 

1 Qur’anic verses in italics are from The Qur’an – Arabic Text with 

Corresponding English Meanings by Saheeh International.

specifically of an ‘Islamic’ nature). But does it fit? And if so, what 

ramifications does it have for our understanding of the text?

Here is the Traditionalist’s translation of 2:113-116.

The Jews say, “The Christians have nothing [true] to stand 

on,” and the Christians say, “The Jews have nothing to stand 

on,” although they [both] recite the Scripture. Thus do those 

who know not [i.e., the polytheists] speak the same as their 

words. But Allāh will judge between them on the Day of 

Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ. 

(2:113)

And who are more unjust than those who prevent the name 

of Allāh from being mentioned [i.e., praised] in His mosques

and strive toward their destruction. It is not for them to 

enter them except in fear. For them in this world is disgrace, 

and they will have in the Hereafter a great punishment. 

(2:114)

And to Allāh belongs the east and the west. So wherever you 

[might] turn, there is the Face of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is all-

Encompassing and Knowing. 

(2:115)

They say, “Allāh has taken a son.” Exalted is He! Rather, to 

Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. All 

are devoutly obedient to Him 

(2:116)

Because the Traditionalist requires masjid to reference his 

religion, his reading of 2:114 pulls the topic in an awkward 

direction. However, the natural reading of this passage 

(including the word translated mosques) treats only of the Jews 

and Christians — including 2:114 — and has nothing to say 

about the so-called Islamic religion.

Here is another example:

O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, 

and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not 

those who commit excess. 

(7:31)

The Traditionalist has switched here to masjid again. (His 

entire presentation depends upon the reader never doing due 

diligence on his claims.) But no matter, the obvious question 

one would ask the Traditionalist at this juncture is: how can the 

Qur’anic value for masjid be what he claims for it (i.e. the mosque 

of the Islamic religion) when the verse is directed toward all 

humanity? It doesn’t make sense. It would need to address the 

mu’minūn or the muslimūn for his value to make sense.

The fact is that place of worship fits every context where masjid 

occurs in the text, and is demonstrated by usage to be a generic 

term with no affiliation with any religion. Certainly, the Muslim’s 

religious buildings are places of worship, but they do not 

exhaust the possibilities of the word masjid in the same way that 

while soccer stadiums are sports arenas they do not exhaust the 

possibilities of what a sports arena is. There exist many sports 

arenas in which soccer is not played.

In summary, the Qur’anic usage of the term thwarts any claim that masjid and mosque are exclusively synonymous since there 

are instances where the fit is openly suspect and ones where the Traditionalist is forced to abandon his preferred value in order 

to complete the verse with a straight face. 

On that basis, we can say that the Qur’anic value for masjid has some overlap with the Traditionalist’s default claim for it, but is 

in no way synonymous with it.

References

2:114, 2:187, 7:29, 7:31, 9:17, 9:18, 9:107, 9:108, 17:7, 18:21, 

22:40, 72:18.

(২:১১৪

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ مَنَعَ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ وَسَعَىٰ فِي خَرَابِهَا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ مَا كَانَ لَهُمْ أَنْ يَدْخُلُوهَا إِلَّا خَائِفِينَ ۚ لَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا خِزْيٌ وَلَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

আৰু সেইজনতকৈ অধিক যালিম আৰু কোন হ’ব পাৰে, যিয়ে আল্লাহৰ মছজিদসমূহত তেওঁৰ নাম স্মৰণ কৰিবলৈ বাধা দিয়ে আৰু এইবোৰৰ অনিষ্ট সাধন কৰিবলৈ চেষ্টা কৰে? অথচ সিহঁতৰ উচিত আছিল ভীত-সন্ত্ৰস্ত হৈ তাত প্ৰৱেশ কৰা। সিহঁতৰ বাবে পৃথিৱীত আছে লাঞ্ছনা আৰু আখিৰাতত সিহঁতৰ বাবে আছে মহাশাস্তি।

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২:১৮৭

أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَائِكُمْ ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ ۗ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنْكُمْ ۖ فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنْتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

ছিয়ামৰ ৰাতিত তোমালোকৰ বাবে স্ত্ৰী-সম্ভোগ বৈধ কৰা হৈছে। সিহঁত তোমালোকৰ পোছাকস্বৰূপ আৰু তোমালোকেও সিহঁতৰ পোছাকস্বৰূপ। আল্লাহে জানে যে, তোমালোকে নিজৰ লগতেই খিয়ানত কৰিছিলা। এতেকে তেওঁ তোমালোকৰ তাওবা কবুল কৰিছে আৰু তোমালোকক মাৰ্জনা কৰিছে। এতেকে তোমালোকে এতিয়া সিহঁতৰ লগত মিলিত হোৱা আৰু আল্লাহে তোমালোকৰ বাবে যি বিধিবদ্ধ কৰিছে সেইটো কামনা কৰা; আৰু তোমালোকে পানাহাৰ কৰা যেতিয়ালৈকে ৰাতিৰ ক'লা ৰেখাৰ পৰা ঊষাৰ বগা ৰেখা স্পষ্টৰূপে তোমালোকৰ ওচৰত প্ৰকাশ নহয়। তাৰ পিছত ৰাতিৰ আগমন পৰ্যন্ত ছিয়াম পালন কৰা; আৰু তোমালোকে মছজিদত এ’তিকাফ অৱস্থাত সিহঁতৰ লগত সংগত নহ’বা। এইবোৰ আল্লাহৰ সীমাৰেখা। সেয়ে এইবোৰৰ নিকটৱৰ্তী নহ’বা। এনেকৈ আল্লাহে তেওঁৰ আয়াতসমূহ মানুহৰ বাবে সুস্পষ্টভাৱে বৰ্ণনা কৰে, যাতে সিহঁতে তাক্বৱাৰ অধিকাৰী হ’ব পাৰে।

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৭:২৯

قُلْ أَمَرَ رَبِّي بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَأَقِيمُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ ۚ كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ

কোৱা, ‘মোৰ প্ৰতিপালকে ন্যায় বিচাৰৰ নিৰ্দেশ দিছে’। আৰু তোমালোকে প্ৰত্যেক ছাজদাৰ সময়ত বা ইবাদতত তোমালোকৰ লক্ষ্য কেৱল আল্লাহকেই নিৰ্ধাৰণ কৰা আৰু তেওঁৰেই আনুগত্যত বিশুদ্ধচিত্ত হৈ একনিষ্ঠভাৱে তেওঁকেই আহ্বান কৰা। তেওঁ তোমালোকক যেনেকৈ প্ৰথমবাৰ সৃষ্টি কৰিছে তোমালোকে সেইদৰেই উভতি আহিবা।

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৭:৩১

۞ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ

হে আদম সন্তান! প্ৰত্যেক ছালাতৰ সময়ত তোমালোকে সুন্দৰ পোছাক পৰিধান কৰা। খোৱা আৰু পান কৰা কিন্তু অপচয় নকৰিবা। নিশ্চয় তেওঁ অপচয়কাৰীসকলক পছন্দ নকৰে।

(find notes on 7:31: 

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arranged syedraf