PROVO, Utah -- Muslims do not see a "clear-cut boundary between the sacred and the secular, religion and the profane, temporal and the spiritual, church and state," said Hamid Mavani, a Claremont Graduate University assistant professor of Islamic studies. "Because Islam is not just a religion, but a total inclusive and comprehensive way of life that inspires and provides guidance and direction through all aspects of the devotee's life in order to aid him in obtaining close proximity to God and evolving into what we call a complete or a perfect human being."

Mavani spoke at the "Sacred Space Symposium," sponsored by the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding at BYU, on Wednesday, June 3. The symposium was held in parallel with the open house of the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple in South Jordan, Utah. Its goal was to have scholars from various faiths, including Mormons, share their insights on sacred space.

The all-encompassing religious ideals of Islam, where all things are spiritual, expand the idea of worship into daily life, Mavani explained. The mosque becomes not just a place of worship, but a "pivot" for all activities from political to social to economic.

All these things are amalgamated in the Islamic views on sacred space.

"This is evident in a statement attributed to the Prophet Muhammad in which he tells his followers that the entirety of the earth is potentially a mosque (or a masjid in Arabic) and is sacred -- depending on the purpose for which it was established and the manner in which it is to be utilized," Mavani said. "It is the purity of intention that assigns a value to the act and to the space."

Space becomes sacred in relation to our sincerity and intentions toward it.

If the world is a mosque, Muslims will be at ease in performing their prayers wherever they find themselves. "Including upon the streets, or the park and so on," Mavani said. Although he said tongue-in-cheek that he wouldn't advise anybody to pray at the airport.

So if anywhere in the world may become sacred, what is different about a physical mosque?

Gathering together is considered far better, but not because of a closer connection to God. Being in a congregation in a mosque is better because "you get a sense of the state of the community, if there is any pain or suffering in the community you are being informed by these collective communal prayers," Mavani said.

Gathering in a space also helps remove "barriers of hierarchy, of social status, of 'somehow I'm superior of you,'" he said. "Just like in the (LDS) temple. Nobody has a right to have a separate space. Everybody participates in service, volunteerism in the Mormon tradition. Likewise in the (Muslim) prayer services, no one can dare say 'Because I am a CEO, I should occupy the first row.'"

In the mosque gatherings, the people are close. They literally touch each other they are so close. There is no space between in this sacred space.

"This demonstrates, that although at one level the entire earth is referred to as the mosque, there is a special rank and merit accorded to the sacred space in a formal mosque," Mavani said.

A mosque is dedicated for only prayers and meditation and not mundane conversations. An Islamic center functions as a multipurpose community center and for prayer gatherings.

"The mosque or masjid, is a sacred space that should inculcate sound moral and ethical values, humility, kindness, compassion and keep one distantly away from the spiritual disease of arrogance and haughtiness," Mavani said.

He said people must always be on guard and not trivialize or misuse their sacred spaces.

"Sacred spaces are powerful spaces. They do not operate in a vacuum, but are very much informed by the dynamics of power -- divine, social and personal," Mavani said in conclusion. "Sacredness is not something which is bound by land or bound by space, but rather it has to do with your objective(s)."

E-mail: mdegroote@desnews.com