Fatima.Mernessi_The-Forgotten-Queens-of-Islam-EN

76 Sovereignty in Islam
The call of the muezzin was used to gather the people for prayer and
also to announce an event that had happened, such as the conquest
of a new territory or some other matter that concerned them. The
call of the muezzin for prayer was used to bring the people together
even when it was not the hour of prayer. 14
The khutba on feast days was also an occasion for announcing
planned expeditions, strategic plans for the immediate future, as it
were:
When Muhammad had concluded the salat on the days of festival by
the taslim, 15 he remained on his feet and turned to the sitting audience;
when he wanted to send a mission or when he desired some
other arrangement, he gave his orders on it; he used also to say: give
alms, give alms . . . then he went away. 16
It is true that at the beginning the community consisted of under a
hundred households: There were 45 Muhajirun [the Meccans who
came to Medina with the Prophet] and 45 Ansar [his original
supporters in Medina].' 17
The idea that the mosque is a privileged place, the collective
space where the leader debates with all the members of the community
before making decisions, is the key idea of that Islam which
today is presented to us as the bastion of despotism. Everything
passed through the mosque, which became the school for teaching
new converts how to do the prayer ritual, the principles of Islam,
how to behave toward others in places of worship and elsewhere.
Was it fitting to come armed or not? Could one do buying and
selling there (the Prophet and his Meccan supporters were originally
merchants)? Could one keep prisoners of war in the mosque courtyard
(to keep better watch on them) or not? 18 These simple, everyday,
even banal questions show us that the mosque was something
other than a mere place of worship. It was a place where showing
ignorance was permitted, where asking questions was encouraged,
both activities that today are strongly prohibited. But, above all, it
was a place where dialogue between the leader and the people could
take place. The apparently simple decision to install a minbar
(pulpit) in the mosque was treated by the Prophet as a matter that
concerned all Muslims:
The Prophet used to say the Friday prayers standing, leaning against
a palm trunk. One day he announced that standing made him tired.
Tamim al-Dari answered: 'Why not build a pulpit like I have seen