World

Mosque in a box?

A Paris imam and part-time inventor creates a portable mosque to help faithful concentrate better on their prayers.

Reuters September 16, 2010

Mosque in a box?

PARIS: A Paris imam and part-time inventor has created a portable mosque to help the faithful concentrate better on their prayers wherever they are.

Named the Mirhbox, the 2 meter high structure when deployed takes the form of a mirhab, a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Qibla.

"I realized that when I'm in the mosque, I concentrated better at my prayers more than when I am at home. So I thought of recreating the mirhab which creates a better environment for meditation in isolation," Aubervilliers Imam Hassen Bounamcha told Le Parisien newspaper.

Made from rigid cardboard, polystyrene, plywood or plastic, reinforced with two layers of aluminum, the modular structure in three parts also comes with a Turkish rug.

Priced from 450 euros for a top-range model that includes a built-in loudspeaker, to 69 euros for a children's model, Bounamcha said he hoped to sell at least a thousand within a year and has already sold the patent in several countries.

COMMENTS (14)

salaudeen wasiu kolade | 14 years ago | Reply assalam alaekunm waramotullahi wabarakat,we need to be sincere to our self in all what we are doing in this life because islam is not teach us to observ or worship in the house or to just willing to do what come to our mind individualy with out follow the suna of rosulullahi and the quran.make subuanahu wataalla for give us our shot coming.

Muhammad Atif Bashir | 14 years ago | Reply ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM, I think this is not a good idea or I think this is a trick to get the muslims out of masjids and stick to their homes, there r so many mulas like him who think they r doing right by misleading other muslims. May ALLAH show him the right path, for ALLAH'S Sake plz stop this all. So many muslims r already misguided due to ppl like you.

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Abdul Latif | 14 years ago | Reply Ali – AsSalamu alaykum waRahmatullahi wabaraktuh I thank you for your reply. Unfortunately you misread or misunderstood what I said... Your physical, I repeat, physical surroundings should not have any effect etc. Spiritual surroundings are not the same as physical surroundings. Nor was I referring to distractions from other sources (may Allah subhanallah protect us all from them). I thought I was choosing my words very carefully but... Having said that, I believe that there are very special places but you must understand why are they are special? What makes them special? Is it their physical attributes? We can build a copy of the Ka'ba inshAllah but it is not the Ka'ba. Nor would it have the same spirituality or significance. Shouldn't a person be trying to offer their prayer in the 'Court of Allah subhanallah ta'ala'? Is it not right that a persons 'focus' should be exclusively to that end and not dependent on any physical ambience? The danger is that a person becomes dependent on a cardboard cut out mihrab or whatever. Think about it. A person can't concentrate in his prayers unless he is in front of a piece of cardboard... What is this? May Allah subhanallah protect us all from this. Did Sayidina Muhammad salAllahu alayhi waSalam have a mihrab at home? How many of the Sahaba radi allahu annahu had mihrabs at home? Don't you think that if it was thought necessary or a good thing it would be a Fard or Sunnah or Mustahab and we all would have one? Perhaps I am ignorant? Please enlighten me if you or anyone else knows better? Remember inside a Masjid is but one place, however special, inshAllah, where we can inshAllah pray but it not a condition for our pray or its acceptance. I did emphasised that a Masjid is a special place spiritually...for reasons which I will not address here... However, the point I was trying to make was that an Iman should know at least some of those reasons. To state, 'I realized that when I’m in the mosque, I concentrated better at my prayers more than when I am at home.',,,and use that as the reason for worshipping before a cardboard cut out mihrab gives the impression of poor understanding, belief and iman. To encourage others to do the same is wrong. Doesn't worship depend on the correct belief and iman not on physical surroundings or have I been misled? Wouldn't it be better to ask Allah subhanallah ta'ala to grant us a better understanding of Islam and through that inshAllah improve our worship as opposed to surrounding ourselves with objects we don't need and which could become a danger (may Allah subhanallah ta'ala forbid) to our iman? I am a very very weak servant of my Lord Allah subhanallah ta'ala and like others I find it very hard to worship as I would like. My intention is to worship with every fibre of my body, with every breath, every word, every silence, every movement and every stillness but...I freely admit I not on that level...I struggle...and my worship is poor... If it is any help for anyone...just after I make my niyat but before saying Allahuakbar I say within myself (inshAllah from my heart) I love you my Lord...then I try to hold onto that when I say Allahuakbar and for a long as I can through my Salah...sometimes it helps...and I hope that it pleases my Lord. I, like you, have to travel to a Masjid. Forgive me if I have caused you an offence. Thank you for your patience. Sorry for the long reply...I talk to much... May Allah bless you and your family.

Ali Raza | 14 years ago | Reply Walaikum Salam Abdul Masallah I appreciate your opinion but I disagree with your statement when you say that "when you pray your surrounding have no effect on you". There are two points that I wanna make here, 1) I am not of the opinion that this is a substitute for masjid, but for people who dont have masjid close to place this may help them to concentrate more and picture them self as offering prayer in masjid e.g. where I live masjid is about 50min drive away so having said that its not a substitute but it may help me to focus more. 2) I am sure you must have felt the difference when you offer your prayer in masjid or at home, its hard to put it in words but i hope you have felt the ambiance of the masjid and its nothing like it offering prayer at home. Allah Hafiz

Abdul Latif | 14 years ago | Reply Ali - AsSalamu alaykum waRahmatullahi wabaraktuh Leaving aside the money issue... Allah knows best... When a person performs Salah their physical suroundings should not have any impact on their Salah, any other form of worship or the rememberence of Allah subhanallah...you raise your hands when you begin Salah as an indication inshAllah that you have 'put dunya behind you'... an Imam should know this and also be aware of why a masjid is spiritually inshAllah a very special place... a cardboard cutout is no substitute... to encourage such belief or behavour is also wrong... May Allah subhanallah forgive me if I have caused any offence. May Allah subhanallah ta'ala bless you all and grant us all honour in this world and the next. Abdul Latif

Ali Raza | 14 years ago | Reply Masallah this is a very nice idea. And Hassaan stop being so cynical...there is much more to life than what you think.

Shabnam Khurshid | 14 years ago | Reply How thoughtful? Much love Shabbuz Khurshid

Abdul Latif | 14 years ago | Reply May Allah subhanallah forgive and guide this man...

Hassaan Islam | 14 years ago | Reply Making money in the name of religion???

Natasha | 14 years ago | Reply French Secularism under threat!

Isfand | 14 years ago | Reply 2 meter high structure................,a portable mosque?!! : D Wow now even with the children's model at just 69 euros !! lol

Robin Khundkar | 14 years ago | Reply Wow like this was needed. Satisfying demand!!!

Danish Taj | 14 years ago | Reply In the last line, it should be read as *Patent, not *Pattern

Ghausia | 14 years ago | Reply Okay, that is pretty cool. Back when I used to pray, even if I locked my door I had continuous disturbances, people and children knocking at the door, got very irritating. One giant step for Muslimkind lol.

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