Masjid or Musalla

By Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera

What exactly is a masjid? Is there a difference between a masjid, musallā, and jamāt khāna, etc? These are  questions which need detailed discussion. 

Nowadays, in the west, many Islamic Centers being managed include, among other things, a prayer hall,  musallā, or jamāt khāna. Some communities rent an industrial unit, a store front, a house, or an apartment  in which members of the Muslim community gather to perform congregational prayer (and in many cases  social activities). Many communities actually have purchased property which they consider their masjid. 

Which of the above can technically be considered a masjid, and what are the related rulings?   

There is a difference between a masjid and a musallā (or jamāt khāna). A musalla (or jamāt khāna) literally  means a place where prayer is performed or where congregations are held, or worded differently, any  temporary place in which worshippers congregate to perform their prayers. A musalla is also a place that  has not been made an endowment or not yet intended to become a permanent masjid until the Last Day. In  many cases, it is a temporary place from which the community will transfer once they find a more suitable,  convenient, or permanent location. Though Muslims today commonly refer to their “musallā” as their  “masjid,” which the literal meaning of masjid (a place where the prostration is made) allows, a musallā cannot technically be considered a legal (shar‘i) masjid. Likewise the reward for prayer in a musallā is not  the same as in a proper masjid.

The Masjid

The masjid is a sanctified area, in which the rewards of prayers in congregation increase 25 to 27 times and  where the mercy of Allah descends. It is considered the best of places by the Messenger of Allah (upon him  be peace). Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates:  

Masjids are the houses of Allah on the earth. They shine up to the inhabitants of the heavens just  as the stars in the sky shine down to the inhabitants of the earth (Tabarānī). 

A true masjid, in the legal sense, is a place that has been permanently dedicated to Allah for the sake of  prayer, recitation, and His remembrance. Any piece of land that has been dedicated permanently for the  sake of congregational prayers will also become a proper masjid. The great Hanafī scholar of Egypt ‘Allāma  Tahtāwī states:  

Know that for it [piece of land] to be considered a masjid, a building [or structure] is not  necessary. (Tahtāwi, Kitāb al-Waqf, Ahkām al-masjid and Qādī Khān 4:712). 

A masjid is normally made into a waqf or endowment (sometimes difficult to establish depending on the  legal connotations of endowment in some countries). However, once a masjid is erected, it will always be a  masjid and the property of Allah. It cannot return to being the property of any person or community even  those who may have paid for establishing it. ‘Allāma Haskafī writes,  

If the inhabitants surrounding the masjid wither away and the masjid becomes desolate, it will still  remain a masjid according to Imam Abū Hanīfa and Imam Abū Yūsuf until the Last Day, and the  fatwā is on this opinion (Hāwī al-Qudsī)” (Al-Durr al-Mukhtār 3:371). 

The Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace) said,  

All the earth will disappear on the Day of Judgment with the exception of the masjids for they will  join with one another (Suyūtī, Jāmi’ al-Shaghīr).

Designation of a Masjid

A masjid (to become a masjid) must be formally designated by the committee or persons in charge. They do  this by defining the area it will occupy and its boundaries. Along with this they can designate other  adjoining areas to be used as bathrooms, lobby, storage, etc. The latter however will be considered the  auxiliary areas of the masjid and, though part of the endowment, will not classify as “masjid” area that was  previously defined by the committee. Therefore, it is possible, for example, to designate only the front half  of a large hall (i.e. the first 10 rows) as the “masjid,” while the rest of the hall is classified as a musalla. Once  the front half has been designated as such, then that part, both above and below it, becomes a shar‘i masjid.  This means that neither above it nor below it on any floor can be used for anything but as a masjid. Hence,  all rulings that apply to a masjid will now apply to the exact same area directly below it on each of the lower  floors (including the basement); and likewise on all floors above it. Constructing toilets, bathrooms, or  holding any non-suitable activities above or below the “masjid” area will also be impermissible. However, it  is permissible to have toilets or bathrooms constructed out of the boundary of the designated masjid area  on any of the floors, since those areas will be considered the auxiliary area of the masjid and not technically  the masjid itself. ‘Allāma Haskafī writes in his well-accepted text Al-Durr al-Mukhtār: 

“It is prohibitively disliked to have sexual intercourse above the masjid. Likewise it is disliked to  urinate or defecate above it because it is a masjid to the peaks of the heavens (Ibn ‘Ābidīn adds,  “Likewise to the recesses of the earth below”) … it is disliked to enter any impurity into  it.… [However] these are not disliked above a room which has been just set aside as a masjid [in a  person’s home] nor in the room itself, since that is not a shar‘i masjid.… It is permitted for those  in a seminally defiled state or menstruating women to enter into it [i.e. a musalla or place  especially prepared for ‘Id or funeral prayer] just as is permitted into the extended yard of  the masjid [i.e. the overflow area].… (Al-Durr al-Mukhtār with Radd al-Muhtār 1:441-442). 

Hence, no area of the actual masjid prayer area can be excluded from the masjid once designated as a  masjid. However, before the plans are finalized and the area is designated a masjid, portions can be  excluded from any of the floors above or below where the masjid will be, to be used for something else that  is related to the masjid, for instance, a storage area, office for the imām, a basement for storing masjid  amenities, a shop to bring in income for the masjid, etc. Ibn ‘Ābidīn writes in his Radd al-Muhtār, 

If they build a room above it for the imam then there is nothing wrong with that, because that is  part of the welfare of the masjid. However, once the construction [designation] of the masjid is  completed then they want to add a room, it will be prohibited [to change the designated masjid area and add a room for something else in it]. If the committee states that we had intended to do  such, their statement will not be upheld [in court] (Radd al-Muhtār 3:371). 

Likewise the Egyptian jurist Ibn Nujaym writes, 

It states in the Mujtaba that it is not permitted for the guardian of the masjid to build shops in the  masjid or in its courtyard [i.e. the courtyard in which salats are performed during summer in hot  countries – also known as the external masjid] (Al-Bahr al-Rā’iq 5:249). 

Storage Areas and Water Reservoir Above or Below a Masjid

A masjid can have a storage area above or below the actual prayer hall. The storage space below the prayer  hall however must be used solely for the amenities of the masjid and must have been designated as such in  the masjid’s design phase. Likewise, it would be permitted to have constructed a water reservoir underneath  the masjid (as in some Muslim countries). It states in the al-Durr al-Mukhtār, 

If they make a basement beneath the masjid for its welfare [however, ‘Allāma Ibn ‘Ābidīn adds  here that this should be of limited area], it would be permissible just as is in the Masjid in  Jerusalem (Al-Durr al-Mukhtār ma’a ‘l-Radd al-Muhtār 3:370).

A Residence or Bathrooms Above or Below a Masjid

Although it is permissible to allocate certain parts of the masjid as a room for the imam and other uses from  the original plan, bathrooms or a complete apartment for the imam should not be planned directly above  the actual masjid area, even during the masjid’s initial design phase, since it is impermissible to have sexual  relations, relieve oneself, etc., above or below a masjid. In any case, adding a residence or office to the  existing masjid area will not be permissible after the masjid area is designated. ‘Allāma Ibn ‘Ābidīn writes, 

“It remains [to be ruled], whether it would be permissible if the person making the endowment  designates lavatories [bayt li ’l-khalā’] to be directly beneath the masjid, as is the case in Masjid  Mahallat al-Shahm in Damascus. I have not seen a specific ruling on this. Yes, it states in the  Chapter of Endowments [of al-Durr al-Mukhtar] ‘If they make a basement beneath the masjid for  its welfare it would be permissible’ so ponder” (Radd al-Muhtar 1:441). 

Ibn ‘Abidin however only mentions this analogy between a storage basement and bathrooms in passing,  stating that it is an issue in need of further deliberation. It is not based on any strong analogy.   

Islamic Centers and Musallas Today  

A menstruating women or one who is experiencing post natal bleeding or a person in a seminally defiled  state is prohibited from entering into a masjid. The Prophet (upon him be peace) said:  

I do not make the masjid lawful for the menstruating women or the one experiencing post natal  bleeding (Abū Dāwād, Ibn Māja, Tabarānī, Zayla‘ī has considered it sound [hasan] 1:193-194). 

Young Children in the Masjid

It is unlawful (haram) to bring in infants or young children into the masjid if there is a possibility of them  polluting the area of the masjid. If they are in diapers and less likely to pollute any part of the masjid, it will  still be somewhat disliked (makruh tanzihan) to bring them as they could be carrying filth in their diapers  (Radd al-Muhtar ’ala ‘l-Durr 1:441, Al-Ashbah wa ‘l-Naza’ir, al-Qawl fi Ahkam al-Masjid 407). The  Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace said. 

Keep your infants and the insane away from your masjids (Sunan Ibn Maja, babu ma yukrahu fi ‘l masjid). 

Sleeping & Eating in the Masjid

It is disliked to sleep or eat in a masjid without the intention of i‘tikāf or unless one is a traveler (Al-Ashbāh  wa ’l-Nazā’ir 407)

Congregation for Five Daily Prayers in the Masjid is a Communal Obligation 

A congregation for the five daily prayers have to be established in a masjid otherwise the local inhabitants  would be sinful for negligence, since it is a wājib to perform the congregational prayers for the locals in the  masjid. ‘Allāma Ibn ‘Ābidin writes regarding tarāwīh prayer which is a confirmed sunna and not wājib: 

The apparent purport of their [jurists] statement is that it is a communal sunna to perform it  [tarāwīh] in congregation in the masjid, to the extent that if they performed it in congregation in 

their homes, and no congregation took place in the masjid, they would all be sinful (Radd al Muhtār 1:473). 

Hence, if this is the case for a confirmed sunna congregation, it would be more binding to have a  congregation for every obligatory prayers in each locality. The Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace)  said, 

There is no salāt for the neighbor of the masjid except in the masjid (Dāraqutnī, Hākim from  Kashf al-Khafā’).

Conversation in the Masjid

It is likewise disliked (makrūh) for one to speak about worldly affairs in the masjid, ‘Umar (may Allah be  pleased with him) had designated a special place outside the masjid where people could go and talk. Ibn  ‘Abidin writes,  

(It is disliked to speak in the masjid) this is regarding that talk which is of [a] permissible nature,  [and] not regarding other than that which would warrant much greater sin (i.e. if one were to  speak of it in the masjid) (Radd al-Muhtār 5:269). 

The Musallā or Temporary Place of Prayer

All the above restrictions (i.e. that it is disliked to speak of worldly matters in the masjid, etc.) do not  technically apply to a musallā since it is a temporary place for worship. Hence, it can have apartments,  bathrooms, etc., above or below it; or itself even turned into such (i.e. an apartment), once it is no longer  used as a musallā. However, it is recommended to treat it as a masjid, since it is being used for similar  purposes. 

A third floor musallā within an industrial complex, which has other activities and businesses operating on  the other floors (basement included), cannot be considered a shar‘ī masjid, but rather comes within the  definition of a musallā. ‘Allāma Haskafī writes, 

If the basement was designated for any other use [i.e. not for the masjid] or he [the owner] made a  room above it and faced the door of the masjid to the street [meaning he made it separate], then it  cannot be a masjid. Hence he may sell it… [if he wishes, since it does not become an endowment]  the same as if he had made [a portion from] the middle of his home into a masjid, and permitted  for the adhān to be called therein – it would not become a masjid. 

‘Allāma Ibn ‘Ābidīn comments on this by saying: 

The reason for the place not being a masjid is because the additional rooms are not designated for  the welfare of the masjid. This is explicitly mentioned in the Is‘āf, where it says, “If the basement or  the floor above it is endowed for the benefit of the masjid or they were properly endowed for that  then it would become a masjid (Shurunbulāliyya). It states in al-Bahr [al-Rā’iq] that the summary  of this [issue] is that it is a condition for it being considered a masjid that the lower and upper  floors need to [also] be a masjid, so that the rights [and ownership] of people is waived from it, as  Allah says ‘And verily the masjids are for Allah…’” (Radd al-Muhtār 3:370). 

Although similar laws should be observed in a musalla as in a masjid, since it is emulating a masjid, it is not  legally necessary. Therefore: 

• It would be permissible for menstruating women to enter into a musalla to attend classes or  lectures.  
• Performing prayer therein would not hold the same reward as praying in a masjid although it  would be more than in the home. A hadīth related by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalānī from ‘Abdullāh ibn 

‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās states that the reward for a congregation with one’s family members (aside from in  a masjid) holds 15 times the reward of praying alone, whereas praying it in the congregation in the  masjid holds twenty five times the reward. Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalānī concludes that the 25 times extra  reward is confined to performing it in congregation in the masjid and not in a congregation  performed at home. See Fath al-Bārī 106, Mirqāt al-mafātīh 3:145, and al-Bahr al-rā’iq 1:346 

• It would be permissible to eat or sleep in a musalla without having the intention of i‘tikāf, which is  necessary in the masjid for one to eat or sleep. 
• One can also perform Tahiyyat al-Masjid in a musalla. 

A useful setup for women’s prayer could be that there be two room: one connected to the back of the men’s  prayer area, which could be intended as being included in the shar‘i masjid; and another room behind the  first room, which could be a musalla or a multi purpose room for menstruating women or women with  children to stay in.