The Spirit of a Masjid Is Its People

There are some lessons from the building of the masjid. Number one: the masjid is the first thing the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did.

Allah (swt) has given the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the Companions authority in the land; the first thing they did was to establish ṣalāh, and by establishing the masjid, they were establishing the centre of ṣalāh.

What, then, is the role of the masjid?

These are houses which Allah has ordered to be raised, and that His name be mentioned therein, men exalting Him within them in the morning and the evening, whom neither commerce nor sale distracts them from performance of prayer and giving zakāh, men who fear a day in which the hearts and eyes will turn about, that Allah may reward them the best of what they did and increase them from His bounty — Allah gives provision to whom He wills without account. The masjid is just a building. But the real essence of the masjid is the people within it — that is the spirit of the masjid. They worship Allah (swt); they do make a living, they do work, they do business, but when they are in the masjid, they are remembering Allah (swt). This world is not on their mind. So the masjid is a place of prayer and the remembrance of Allah — that is the first and most important role of the masjid. It is a place of dhikr and a place of ṣalāh.

Number two, the masjid is a centre of learning — Dār al-Arqam in Makkah and Masjid al-Nabawī in Madīnah. That is where the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would give his khuṭbah, that is where he would give his talks, that is where the Companions would come together in circles and study, studying the Book of Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says in a hadith that if people come together in the house of Allah, studying the Book of Allah (swt) and reciting it, Allah (swt) will give them four things: sakīnah, tranquillity; raḥmah, mercy; and thirdly, angels would surround them; and fourthly, Allah (swt) will mention their names in a gathering better than theirs.

Number three, the masjid is a place for Muslims to meet, so it plays a social role. Muslims meet five times a day in prayer, which strengthens the bonds of brotherhood; they also meet on jumuʿah. The words jumuʿah and jamāʿah mean congregation, people coming together — it is a gathering.

Number four, the masjid was a dwelling for the traveller and the poor — a matter bound up with Ahl al-Ṣuffah and the special place built for them in the masjid, discussed further below.

Number five, the masjid was a place from which the armies would be sent out — that is where the liwāʾ, the banners or standards of war, would be set and handed out.

And finally, the masjid is a place for daʿwah. When the Christians from Najrān in Yemen came to visit the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), where did they stay? They did not stay in lodgings; they were not refused, they were not banned from entering the masjid, and they lived in the masjid. They lived in the masjid so that they could see the Muslims pray, and could hold their discussions and conversations with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). So the masjid plays an important role in daʿwah.