Field Trip

After visiting the mosque on Friday I had learned some things I hadn't know before hand. It was also really nice getting so sit in on a service and see how Muslims worship instead of just watching movies and hearing the prayers in class. As I was sitting in the service I tried to follow the sermon but had a hard time hearing everything. I also enjoyed listening to the sermon and prayers said in Arabic. After the sermon prayers were said. Besides getting to talk to the man after the service (can't remember his name) I loved watching the prayers being said. After the service someone in the class asked why do you down on the ground when praying? The answer was simple, they go onto the floor while praying so that you are only thinking about God. When praying Muslims don't want to think about there work, the people around them, or any problems they may be having. The purpose of prayer is to pray to God and only think about God at that moment. I think this is a wonderful idea and before going to the Mosque didn't know this about prayer. When the man that we spoke to after the service asked us what we thought about how the men sit and front and women behind them I thought to myself that I did not like this. Just like in orthodox Judaism where women and men sit separately, I have never liked the idea of this. I think that it is only proper for families to sit with each other while praying, after all being surrounded by the people you love most I think is a good way to pray. This is how I felt until the man told us how the reason that men and women are mostly divided is also for a reason of being totally focused on prayer. The idea of sitting separately doesn't seem to bother me as much anymore. While I was watching the service I noticed that during prayer it seem that the men were participating more. It could have just been my imagination, but I could see that both men and women were going onto the ground while praying but I could only hear the voices of the men.