Masajid and Congregational Prayer

Prayer in collection is considered to have more social as well as spiritual benefit than praying by individual. The congregation is led by a man called an imam, who is in most cases chosen as the person with the best understanding of the Quran, preferably a person who has memorized the entire Quran (a hafiz). The remaining people stand behind the imam in straight parallel rows, all facing the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. In the first row behind the imam, if possible, would be another hafiz to correct the imam if the mistake is made during the performance of the salat.
Congregation prayer in Masajid, or masjid, is especially encouraged for men and is optional for women. Muslim men are motivated to offer as many of the five daily prayers in the Masajid as is possible, as the reward for doing so is at least 25 times higher than offering the prayer individually at home.

Friday Prayers inside Masajid

Friday is the holy-day of the week for Muslims and it is a prerequisite for men to offer the early afternoon prayer, referred to as Jumma, in congregation. During Friday lunch break, Muslims are required taking a break from their work, or other temporal activities they are interested in, and head to the Masajids or prayer halls to perform the noon prayer.
This special prayer comprises of a sermon followed by 2 units of congregationalist prayer.
The sermons can be on an assortment of topics but tend to pay attention to spiritual reminders to help motivate the community to do-good deeds and strengthen their relationship with God. After the Friday supplication, people are free to get back to their workplaces.

Masajid and Community

And also being a place of prayer, Masajids have also become a center of attention in the community. People meet and greet each other, receive news about the community (e.g. those who are sick), and children come to understand.

The Masajid is therefore the central location for development and growth of the community.