Mosque Maryam
Encyclopedia
Mosque Maryam is a large mosque
in Chicago
, Illinois
, United States
and the headquarters of the Nation of Islam
. It is located at 7351 South Stony Island Avenue
in the South Shore
area. Louis Farrakhan
's headquarters are located on the premises. Originally a Greek Orthodox church
, it was purchased in 1972 by Elijah Muhammad
. The mosque was repurchased by Louis Farrakhan
in 1988. It was named after Mary
, the mother of Jesus
("Maryam" is Arabic for Mary). Like other Nation of Islam mosques, the main room contains seats for the worshipers (males on one side and females on the other) with the prayer hall, also known as the musalla in another room for prostration.
The distinctive architectural design of Mosque Maryam further identified the spiritual significance of this house. There are in the dome, placed in four directions, the words written in Arabic, "There is no God but Allah." In the center of the dome is written, "Allah is the Greatest." Surrounding the dome, in Arabic text is the 24th Surah (chapter), verses 35-40 of the Holy Qur'an entitled, "Al-Nur (The Light)".
Mosque Maryam serves as the headquarters and National Center for the Nation of Islam. Adjacent to the mosque is Muhammad University of Islam, an educational institute for boys and girls from pre-school through 12th grade.
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the headquarters of the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
. It is located at 7351 South Stony Island Avenue
Stony Island Avenue
Stony Island Avenue is a major thoroughfare on South Side of the city of Chicago, designated 1600 East in Chicago's street numbering system. It runs from 56th Street south to the Calumet River. Stony Island Avenue continues sporadically south of the Calumet in the southern suburbs, running...
in the South Shore
South Shore, Chicago
South Shore is one of 77 well-defined community areas of the City of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. A predominately black neighborhood located along Chicago's southern lakefront, it is a relatively stable and gentrifying neighborhood...
area. Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
's headquarters are located on the premises. Originally a Greek Orthodox church
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
, it was purchased in 1972 by Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad
Elijah Muhammad was an African American religious leader, and led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975...
. The mosque was repurchased by Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
in 1988. It was named after Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, the mother of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
("Maryam" is Arabic for Mary). Like other Nation of Islam mosques, the main room contains seats for the worshipers (males on one side and females on the other) with the prayer hall, also known as the musalla in another room for prostration.
The distinctive architectural design of Mosque Maryam further identified the spiritual significance of this house. There are in the dome, placed in four directions, the words written in Arabic, "There is no God but Allah." In the center of the dome is written, "Allah is the Greatest." Surrounding the dome, in Arabic text is the 24th Surah (chapter), verses 35-40 of the Holy Qur'an entitled, "Al-Nur (The Light)".
Mosque Maryam serves as the headquarters and National Center for the Nation of Islam. Adjacent to the mosque is Muhammad University of Islam, an educational institute for boys and girls from pre-school through 12th grade.