Masjid

Definition

Any place established for the worship of Allah. The whole earth was made a masjid for the Prophet ﷺ and his Ummah.

Etymology & Root

From س-ج-د (s-j-d), 'to prostrate'. Masjid literally means 'place of prostration'. The plural is masājid.

Usage in the Qur'an

'The masjids of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day' (at-Tawbah 9:18). 'And that the masjids belong to Allah, so do not invoke anyone alongside Allah' (al-Jinn 72:18).

Usage in the Sunnah

'The whole earth has been made for me a masjid and a means of purification' (Bukhārī, Muslim). 'The most beloved places to Allah are the masjids; the most hated are the markets' (Muslim).

Scholarly Notes

The three sacred masjids — al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (Makkah), al-Masjid an-Nabawī (Madīnah), and al-Masjid al-Aqṣā (Jerusalem) — are the only ones one travels specifically to visit (Bukhārī, Muslim). Building tombs in or over masjids is forbidden by explicit ḥadīth.

Common Misconceptions

That a masjid must be a fixed, dome-topped building — any clean place where prayer is established functions as a masjid. Also: that women's prayer in masjid is forbidden — the Prophet ﷺ said: 'Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from the masjids of Allah' (Bukhārī, Muslim).

Practical Application

Pray sunan ar-rawātib at home but the obligatory prayers in congregation in the masjid for men. Greet the masjid with two rakʿahs (taḥiyyat al-masjid) before sitting. Maintain it physically and spiritually.

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