The rules and etiquette of the mosque
How to behave in the mosque, what is forbidden or disliked there, trade and charity inside it, and the funeral and marriage rulings that touch it.
Good manners in the mosque
- Go in with your right foot first, and come out with your left foot first. Send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ (durood) both times.
- Don't claim one spot in the mosque as 'your' spot.
- Never step over people who are sitting down.
- Don't talk about everyday, worldly things inside the mosque.
- Don't recite poetry inside the mosque.
- Don't eat, drink, or sleep inside the mosque.
- If your shoes are muddy or dirty, don't wipe them on the mosque's walls or pillars.
- Don't let young children or people who are mentally unwell wander into the mosque.
- Don't go looking for lost items inside the mosque.
- Don't throw grass, rubbish or waste around the mosque in a disrespectful way.
- Don't snap your fingers inside the mosque.
Someone who needs a full bath (ghusl) after major impurity, or a woman during her monthly cycle, must not enter the mosque.
These ten things are seriously disliked (close to forbidden) inside the mosque:
Seriously disliked in the mosque
- Closing the mosque's door (so people can't get in).
- Using the toilet, or having sexual relations, on the mosque's roof.
- Making wudu or using a miswak inside the mosque itself.
- Spitting or cleaning your nose on the mosque's walls.
- Coming into the mosque with something dirty (impure) on your body.
- Bringing shoes into the mosque that have filth on them.
- Pulling a sword out of its sheath inside the mosque.
- Fighting, arguing, or making unnecessary noise inside the mosque.
- Joking around, laughing loudly, or messing about inside the mosque.
- Coming into the mosque after eating garlic, onions, or anything with a strong smell, or after smoking.
Asking people for money inside the mosque is forbidden.
Giving charity to someone who is stepping over people's necks to reach you is not something you should do.
Entering the mosque after drinking something intoxicating is forbidden, even if the person isn't visibly drunk. Such a person can be asked to leave.
Buying, selling, or doing your job inside the mosque is not something you should do.
A few more mosque rules
- Don't use the mosque as a shortcut to walk through.
- It's not a good idea to write Qur'an verses or whole surahs on the mosque's walls.
- It's best not to decorate the mosque's walls, especially the wall facing the qiblah. A little decoration on the ceiling is fine, but too much is not good.
- It is better to give that decorating money to poor people instead.
- Teaching religious lessons in the mosque is fine.
- You are allowed to remove birds' nests (even with eggs or chicks) from the mosque.
- Keep the mosque free of dust, cobwebs and dirt.
- Keep the mosque smelling nice.
بِعَوْنِهٖ وَ كَرَمِهٖ وَ بِهِ التَّوْفِيقُ اَللّٰهُمَّ افْتَحْ لَنَا أَبْوَابَ الْعِنَايَاتِ وَ الْكَرَامَاتِ وَ وَفِّقْنَا لِلطَّاعَاتِ وَ الْعِبَادَاتِ وَ احْفَظْنَا مِنَ الآفَاتِ وَ الْبَلِيَّاتِ وَ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي الرِّزْقِ وَ الْحَسَنَاتِ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى خَيْرٍ خَلْقِهٖ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلٰٓى اٰلِهٖ وَ أَصْحَابِهٖ أَجْمَعِينَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Biʿawnihī wa karamihī wa bihi't-tawfīq. Allāhumma'ftaḥ lanā abwāba'l-ʿināyāti wa'l-karāmāt, wa waffiqnā li'ṭ-ṭāʿāti wa'l-ʿibādāt, wa'ḥfaẓnā mina'l-āfāti wa'l-baliyyāt, wa bārik lanā fi'r-rizqi wa'l-ḥasanāt, innaka ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr. Wa ṣallā'llāhu taʿālā ʿalā khayri khalqihī sayyidinā Muḥammadin wa ʿalā ālihī wa aṣḥābihī ajmaʿīn, bi-raḥmatika yā arḥama'r-rāḥimīn.
With His help and His generosity, and success is from Him. O Allah, open for us the doors of Your care and Your gifts, help us to obey You and to worship You, protect us from harm, and bless us in what we have and in our good deeds; You have power over everything. And may Allah send blessings on the best of His creation, our master Muhammad, and on his family and all his companions, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
Etiquette (adab) to be observed in the mosque
- Enter with the right foot and leave with the left, reciting the salawat (durood) upon the Prophet ﷺ on both occasions.
- Do not reserve a particular place for yourself in the mosque.
- Do not step over people's necks.
- Avoid talking about worldly matters inside the mosque.
- Refrain from reciting poetry inside the mosque.
- Avoid eating, drinking, or sleeping inside the mosque.
- If dirt or mud is on your shoes, do not wipe it off on the mosque's walls or pillars.
- Do not allow children or the mentally disturbed to wander into the mosque unsupervised.
- Do not search for lost items inside the mosque.
- Do not throw grass, rubbish, or any waste inside the mosque in a disrespectful manner.
- Do not snap your fingers inside the mosque.
It is prohibited for a person in a state of major ritual impurity (janabah), or a menstruating woman (haidh), to enter the mosque.
The following ten actions are makruh tahrimi (impermissible, a species of disliked bordering on forbidden) inside the mosque:
Makruh tahrimi actions in the mosque
- Closing the mosque's door.
- Defecating, urinating, or engaging in sexual relations on the mosque's roof.
- Performing wudu, or using a miswak, inside the mosque.
- Spitting or cleaning one's nose on the mosque's walls.
- Entering the mosque with a body contaminated by impurity (najasah).
- Bringing shoes into the mosque with filth on them.
- Drawing a sword from its sheath inside the mosque.
- Engaging in fights, disputes, or unnecessary noise inside the mosque.
- Joking, loud laughter, or idle activity inside the mosque.
- Entering after consuming garlic, onions, or anything foul-smelling, or after smoking.
It is forbidden to ask for alms inside the mosque.
It is not permissible [makruh] to give alms to someone who is stepping over others' necks in the mosque to solicit it.
It is forbidden to enter the mosque after consuming an intoxicant, even where the person is not visibly intoxicated; such a person may be expelled from the mosque.
It is not permissible [makruh] to buy, sell, or carry out one's trade or profession inside the mosque.
It is not recommended to offer the funeral prayer (salat al-janazah) inside the mosque. Where there is no other suitable place, or a valid excuse such as rain, it is permissible to offer it there.
Holding a marriage (nikah) ceremony in the mosque is recommended.
Further mosque rules
- It is not permissible [makruh] to use the mosque as a thoroughfare or shortcut.
- Writing Qur'anic verses or full surahs on the mosque's walls is not ideal.
- Decorations or designs on the mosque's walls are undesirable, especially on the mihrab and the qiblah-facing wall. A small amount of decoration on the ceiling is not problematic, but excessive decoration is undesirable.
- Spending money on mosque decoration, even on the ceiling, is less preferable than giving that money in charity to the poor.
- Religious education may be conducted in the mosque.
- It is permissible to remove birds' or animals' nests, including eggs or chicks, from the mosque.
- The mosque should be kept free of dust, cobwebs, and dirt.
- The mosque should always be kept fragrant.
بِعَوْنِهٖ وَ كَرَمِهٖ وَ بِهِ التَّوْفِيقُ اَللّٰهُمَّ افْتَحْ لَنَا أَبْوَابَ الْعِنَايَاتِ وَ الْكَرَامَاتِ وَ وَفِّقْنَا لِلطَّاعَاتِ وَ الْعِبَادَاتِ وَ احْفَظْنَا مِنَ الآفَاتِ وَ الْبَلِيَّاتِ وَ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي الرِّزْقِ وَ الْحَسَنَاتِ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى خَيْرٍ خَلْقِهٖ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلٰٓى اٰلِهٖ وَ أَصْحَابِهٖ أَجْمَعِينَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Biʿawnihī wa karamihī wa bihi't-tawfīq. Allāhumma'ftaḥ lanā abwāba'l-ʿināyāti wa'l-karāmāt, wa waffiqnā li'ṭ-ṭāʿāti wa'l-ʿibādāt, wa'ḥfaẓnā mina'l-āfāti wa'l-baliyyāt, wa bārik lanā fi'r-rizqi wa'l-ḥasanāt, innaka ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr. Wa ṣallā'llāhu taʿālā ʿalā khayri khalqihī sayyidinā Muḥammadin wa ʿalā ālihī wa aṣḥābihī ajmaʿīn, bi-raḥmatika yā arḥama'r-rāḥimīn.
By His help and generosity, and success is from Him. O Allah, open for us the doors of Your care and Your favours, grant us success in obedience and worship, protect us from harm and trial, and bless us in our provision and good deeds; indeed You have power over all things. And may Allah Most High send blessings upon the best of His creation, our master Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
Adab to be observed in the mosque
- Entering with the right foot and leaving with the left, reciting salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ on each occasion.
- Not appropriating a fixed place in the mosque for oneself (ta'ayyun al-makan).
- Not stepping over people's necks (takhatti raqab an-nas).
- Avoiding worldly discourse inside the mosque.
- Refraining from reciting poetry inside the mosque.
- Avoiding eating, drinking, or sleeping inside the mosque.
- Not wiping mud or dirt from one's shoes on the mosque's walls or pillars.
- Not allowing children or the mentally disturbed to enter unsupervised.
- Not searching for lost property inside the mosque.
- Not disposing of grass, refuse, or waste inside the mosque in a disrespectful manner.
- Not snapping the fingers inside the mosque.
It is prohibited for one in janabah (major ritual impurity) or a woman in haidh (menstruation) to enter the mosque.
The following ten actions inside the mosque are makruh tahrimi, the source's own term, denoting a dislike bordering on the forbidden rather than an unqualified haram:
Makruh tahrimi actions in the mosque
- Closing the mosque's door.
- Relieving oneself, or engaging in intercourse, on the mosque's roof.
- Performing wudu, or using a miswak, within the mosque itself.
- Spitting or clearing the nose onto the mosque's walls.
- Entering with a body carrying najasah (impurity).
- Bringing in shoes soiled with filth.
- Unsheathing a sword inside the mosque.
- Fighting, disputing, or making unnecessary noise inside it.
- Joking, loud laughter, or idle amusement inside it.
- Entering after eating garlic, onions, or anything foul-smelling, or after smoking.
Soliciting alms inside the mosque is haram.
Giving charity to a person who is stepping over others' necks in the mosque to reach the giver is not permissible, rendered here as makruh tahrimi, on the same equivalence the source draws elsewhere between 'not permissible' and that category (flagged, since this particular instance is not explicitly labelled).
Entering the mosque after consuming an intoxicant is haram, even where the person shows no outward sign of intoxication; such a person may be expelled from the mosque.
Buying, selling, or practising one's trade or profession inside the mosque is not permissible, rendered as makruh tahrimi on the same interpretive basis noted above.
Offering salat al-janazah inside the mosque is not recommended (makruh, in the lighter, tanzihi sense); it becomes permissible where no other place is available, or where a valid excuse such as rain applies.
Conducting a nikah ceremony in the mosque is mustahabb.
Further mosque rulings
- Using the mosque as a mere thoroughfare is not permissible, treated here as makruh, per the same interpretive equivalence.
- Inscribing Qur'anic ayat or complete surahs on the mosque's walls is not ideal.
- Decoration or ornamentation on the mosque's walls, particularly the mihrab and the qiblah-facing wall, is undesirable; a limited degree of ceiling ornamentation is unobjectionable, but excess is undesirable.
- Directing funds toward mosque decoration, even confined to the ceiling, is less preferable than directing that same sum to the poor as charity.
- Religious instruction may be conducted within the mosque.
- Removing birds' or animals' nests, eggs or chicks included, from the mosque is permissible.
- The mosque is to be kept free of dust, cobwebs, and dirt.
- The mosque is to be kept perpetually fragrant.
بِعَوْنِهٖ وَ كَرَمِهٖ وَ بِهِ التَّوْفِيقُ اَللّٰهُمَّ افْتَحْ لَنَا أَبْوَابَ الْعِنَايَاتِ وَ الْكَرَامَاتِ وَ وَفِّقْنَا لِلطَّاعَاتِ وَ الْعِبَادَاتِ وَ احْفَظْنَا مِنَ الآفَاتِ وَ الْبَلِيَّاتِ وَ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي الرِّزْقِ وَ الْحَسَنَاتِ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى خَيْرٍ خَلْقِهٖ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلٰٓى اٰلِهٖ وَ أَصْحَابِهٖ أَجْمَعِينَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Biʿawnihī wa karamihī wa bihi't-tawfīq. Allāhumma'ftaḥ lanā abwāba'l-ʿināyāti wa'l-karāmāt, wa waffiqnā li'ṭ-ṭāʿāti wa'l-ʿibādāt, wa'ḥfaẓnā mina'l-āfāti wa'l-baliyyāt, wa bārik lanā fi'r-rizqi wa'l-ḥasanāt, innaka ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr. Wa ṣallā'llāhu taʿālā ʿalā khayri khalqihī sayyidinā Muḥammadin wa ʿalā ālihī wa aṣḥābihī ajmaʿīn, bi-raḥmatika yā arḥama'r-rāḥimīn.
By His help and generosity, and success is from Him. O Allah, open for us the doors of Your care and Your favours, grant us success in obedience and worship, protect us from harm and trial, and bless us in our provision and good deeds; indeed You have power over all things. And may Allah Most High send blessings upon the best of His creation, our master Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
Terms on this page
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- The procedure and etiquette of relieving oneself The words to say, the order of cleaning, forbidden places to relieve oneself, and the acts disliked while doing so.
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