The trip to the Islamic Cultural Centre and Central Mosque gave Class 5 the opportunity to learn more about the Islamic faith and to study in more detail the specifics of Islamic art and architecture.
Look at the photos below and see how many of the questions you can answer. Post your answers in the comments section below.
Before the trip, Class 5 discussed why it is important to be respectful in a place of worship. They talked about the ways in which they could respect the rights of everyone to follow a religion of their choice. During the visit, their behaviour and inquisitiveness was so impressive that after the trip their guide, Jayde, sent the following email to school:
‘Salam Mr Antcliffe,
It was a real pleasure to host your pupils today. They were a really well behaved bunch, and the school should be really proud of them, mashAllah. If they have any more questions, please feel free to compile a list and I will provide the answers as best I can insha’Allah.
Sincerely with salams,
Jayde’
Well done Class 5 for impressing the people at the Islamic Cultural Centre so much.
I loved this trip! Thank you Mr Antcliffe.
It’s great that you enjoyed the trip. Can you tell everyone what you learnt about a) the Islamic faith, and b) Islamic architecture and art.
I went to the Mosque on Saturday, so I did not go to the trip. I was sad to not go but at least I did not miss out.
I would of been happy to go with my class but I had a fun maths lesson with Mr. Morrell. Hope you have more fun math lessons Mr. Morrell!
Maximilian
I loved the trip and it was the best day of my life. Thank you Mr Antcliffe.
What did you learn about the Islamic faith Jeffrey?
Looks like you learnt a lot about the Islamic faith.
We did have fun – a lot!
Today we went to the central Mosque in Baker Street. We went to look at Geometric art and the Islamic faith. I learnt that early in England there were no mosques for Islams to go to. it was a very big Mosque however on Fridays over 5,000 people come to worship,In the courtyard, down stairs and in the actual prayer hall which holds around 500 people.Imagine how crowded it would be in the Cathedral. And the Cathedral is massive.
We were also there to see Geometric art, the geometric art we saw was colourful and also very beautiful. My eyes were glued to the ceiling. Every time I looked down the bright colours caught my eye. As well as that a wonderful chandelier, which was about 10 feet long. The central mosque was given this as a gift from the King of Saudi Arabia. They even turned it on for us. he gave it to them for there belief of the religion.
It was the best trip ever Mr. Antcliffe, Thank you!
I was really excited about our trip to the Mosque because I have never been to a Mosque before and it was going to be an experience for me. Islamic art has different shapes in different sizes which is very similar to geometric art. I enjoyed seeing the Mosque because I only got to see pictures of the Central Mosque and it was amazing to see it in person.
As we were learning about Zaha Hadid’s architecture, it was good to see other Islamic architecture. We also saw the minarets of the Central Mosque and the crescent moon on the dome. The dome was covered in repeating patterns all around it.
I recommend that you go to the Central Mosque as it would be nice to experience different cultures some of us have not seen before. There are some similarities between Islamic religion and Christianity. I also think that everyone should respect different cultures because most religions are very unique and are not the same as other religions around the world
I totally agree Gabbie, we should all respect different cultures and faiths – it’s part of our beliefs in being a Rights Respecting School.
Thank you for taking us to the mosque! I found it very interesting and fun to learn about what other faiths do. I also liked the art and stained glass windows they had in the main prayer room. I especially liked it when they performed the call to prayer because it was different to other faiths.
When we went into the prayer room I immediately liked the look of it. When Jayde told us that the pointy shapes on carpet were pointing to Mecca, I was very surprised!
I loved the trip to the mosque because it was a great chance to show our understanding of a religious place of worship, and my favourite part of the trip was when we saw the prayer hall as it was very big and beautiful. But I have to say the worst part of the trip was when we had to leave the mosque!
So to conclude I had a lot of fun and I hope we have lots of other trips like it soon thank you Mr Antcliffe.
I’ll ensure that the class goes on as many enriching trips as possible Hawa – I’m glad you enjoyed yourself so much and found it really worthwhile.
I’ll admit that this was my first time going to a Mosque and it was the second most beautiful thing my eyes have ever seen in my life. When we got there we had to put on a headscarf to be respectful to the Islamic faith. Also a very pleasant lady named Jayde gave us a tour of the Mosque and took us to the main Prayer Hall.
When we got there we took our shoes off and went in. I walked slowly and I gazed up at the ceiling and I saw the most wonderful chandelier. Jayde told us “This chandelier was a gift to the Mosque from a king in Islam.” I really enjoyed the day.
The King in question Sienna was the King of Saudi Arabia so the chandelier has come from the country in which the Prophet Muhammad was born and lived and the country which Muslims from all over the world conduct their annual pilgrimage of Hajj to.
I loved the trip to the mosque because it was a great change to see a different culture. My favourite place in the mosque was the Prayer Hall and looking at all of the geometric patterns in there. There was a lot of calligraphy but it all had meaning like the geometric patterns all come together in on the wall. But one of the worst things that happened that day was going – I did not want to leave!
I’m glad to hear that you found the trip so rewarding and that you learnt lots about geometric artwork. Also, I agree with you Destiny – the calligraphy is stunning.
Thank you.
I agree with Destiny.
Last Wednesday my class and I went on a school trip to the London Islamic Central Mosque next to Regents Park. We set off in the morning at a reasonable time of 10:30am then we caught the tube and traveled to Regents Park. It was very busy on the train as it was the rush hour and most of us found it a bit intense as we were surrounded by so many people.
Once we got there we were introduced to Jayde who was our guide. The first thing we had to do was to take off our shoes. Muslim’s do this in order to be closer to ‘Allah’s holy ground.’ Prayers happen every day. Men pray in the main central area and women pray upstairs on the balconies under the enormous gold dome that is visible from the outside. The mosque interior is very beautiful.
I really enjoyed this trip and it was interesting to find out about another religion.
Thank you for the trip it was a grate experience.
Dear God,
Thank you for all the opportunitys that
our teachers give us and I also thank
MR Antcliffe
Last Wednesday I went on a trip, and I loved it. The Mosque had a crescent moon on top of a large long tower. Inside of the Mosque it had lots of patterns. I enjoyed the trip.
What did you learn about Islam on the trip Willyn?
During our visit to the mosque our guide Jayde gave us an overview of Islam. She explained about the Five Pillars of Islam, manners of Islam, the six Articles of Faith and about the Islamic Arts. Islamic Arts and geometric arts are very similar.
The six articles of Faith are
1.One God;
2.The angels of God;
3.The books of God, especially the Qur’an;
4.The prophets of God, especially Muhammad;
5. The Day of Judgment (or the afterlife); and
6. The supremacy of God’s will.
There was a huge golden dome decorated with mosaics which represents the universe. The minaret acts as a loud speaker during the call to prayers. People sit or kneel on the carpet. The carpet has lines which helps worshipers form neat rows. These individual mats all point in the direction of Mecca. It was interesting to learn about another religion and also be able to visit their place of worship.
Wow that was a fabulous day. Before we got there, I liked looking at the geometric art which was in the plants in Regent’s Park. The lady, Jayde, was really nice with us and the tour she led was very interesting. I liked the part when we saw the big chandelier in the Prayer Hall. It was a fun day, also the part when it told us all the information about Islam. It was a really fun day thank you Mr Antcliffe and Jayde – it was a fabulous day
I’m glad you enjoyed in George, what did you learn about Islam on the trip?
I loved the trip, it was extremely fun. I learnt a lot about the mosque and the Islamic faith. Thank you Mr Antcliffe and Mr and Miss Scott.
What was the main thing that you learnt about the Islamic faith Duncan?
I absolutely loved the trip. I learnt a lot about the Islamic faith like the Five Pillars of Islam.
1. Shahada: Faith
2. Salat: Prayer
3. Zakat: Charity
4. Sawm: Fasting
5. Hajj: Pilgrimage
These are the things that Islamic people need to do to worship Allah (God). Men pray in the main central area of the mosque and woman pray on the balconies visible to be able to spot the golden dome.
I remember when we Jayde our tour guide for the day. She was really nice and sweet. She taught us lots about the mosque like Winston Churchill built it for the Islamic people because he realised that there was so many, Islamic people there that they had no place to worship so he built the mosque so Islamic people can worship there.
Early one morning after assembly in the month of September, Class 5 and Class 6 visited the Islamic Cultural Centre/Mosque in Baker Street near Regents Park. We had an amazing time checking out the architecture and the interior design within the building. We learned about the Islamic faith and their beliefs and it was a great way of learning about different cultures.
As I learnt more about the Islamic faith, we were told the Islamic people believe that Mary was a saint/messenger and was well known for being a kind person and a great mother to her son Jesus. We also learnt that everyone around Mary (during her existence) was happy that she lived as she made each individual person feel special, healed and warmed their hearts just by her presence alone.
The woman who showed us around the Mosque (Jayde) joyfully explained that the Islamic people believe in Mohammed and Allah (God) and many other messengers.
I really enjoyed the trip to the Mosque. I learned the three articles of Islam. I enjoyed looking at the giant chandelier as it lit up. I learned that Jesus was born before Muhammed. Mary is viewed as a nice caring person in Islam.
Here are the Five Pillars of Islam.
1.Shahada -Faith
2.Salat – Prayer
3.Zakat – Charity
4.Sawm – Fasting
5.Hajj – Pilmigrage
On our trip I learnt about the Islamic Faith. I really learnt a lot about mosques and the main parts of them. I was thinking to myself, ‘is the dome of the mosque made out of real gold?’.
Thank you for a great day Mr. Antcliffe and Timi, for planning it so well! I am really grateful.