Mosque Etiquette: A Practical Guide for Visitors and Regulars

A mosque is a house of prayer first, and everything about its etiquette comes from that. The Qur'an says, in meaning, to take your adornment at every mosque (7:31): come clean and well presented. The rest is mostly consideration for the people around you. This guide is for new Muslims, visitors and anyone who grew up with one mosque's habits and now attends another.

Before you arrive

• Wudu at home if you can; the mosque's washing area gets crowded before prayer.
• Clean clothes, no strong smells. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked those who had eaten raw garlic or onions to stay away from the mosque until the smell was gone (reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). The same applies to cigarette smoke and heavy perfume in a packed room.
• Dress. Men: loose trousers or a long garment covering navel to knee, shirt with sleeves preferred. Women: loose clothing covering everything but face and hands; a scarf. Visitors of other faiths are usually asked only to dress modestly.
• Check the prayer time and the iqamah time; they are different. The prayer times tell you when the window opens; the mosque sets the iqamah.

Entering

1. Right foot first, saying "Bismillah, Allahumma iftah li abwaba rahmatik" ("O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy"). Shoes off at the shoe rack.
2. Say salam to those present, quietly if people are praying.
3. Pray two rak'ahs of greeting the mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid) before sitting down, if the time allows. The Prophet said: when one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit until he has prayed two rak'ahs (Bukhari 444 / Muslim 714). If the iqamah is about to be called, or it is a disliked time in the Hanafi view, skip them and the obligatory or sunnah prayer takes their place.
4. Sit where the rows end, filling the front rows from the middle. Do not step over seated people to reach a "better" spot.

While people are praying

• Do not pass directly in front of someone praying. A hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim warns strongly about this. Walk behind them, or beyond their sutrah (a barrier placed in front: a pillar, a chair, a bag). In a crowded hall, wait a few seconds for a gap or cross well in front of the rows where there is a walkway.
• Keep your voice down. No conversations in the prayer hall while others pray, including the sunnah rak'ahs after the congregation.
• Phone on silent before the iqamah, and no screen use in the hall during prayer. If it rings during your prayer, silence it with one hand without turning.
• Do not recite aloud so loudly that it disturbs the person next to you.

During the congregation

Straight rows, shoulders level, following the imam one beat behind. Full details are in praying in congregation. Latecomers join calmly and make up missed rak'ahs after the salam; they do not run.

During the Jumu'ah khutbah, listen in silence (see Jumu'ah).

Women's areas

Most mosques have a women's section: a balcony, a side hall, or rows behind the men in the same hall. It is usually signposted and has its own entrance. Women pray behind the same imam, following the same prayer. If a mosque has no women's area, it is reasonable to ask the management; many mosques in Muslim-minority countries have improved their facilities after being asked. The question of attendance itself is covered in women and salah.

Children

The Prophet carried his granddaughter during prayer and shortened the prayer when he heard a child cry, so children belong in the mosque. What helps everyone:

• Bring children old enough to stand still in a row (often from about five) and stand them beside you, not in a separate row of children at the back unless the mosque arranges it.
• Younger children: a quiet toy or book at the back of the hall, with an adult who steps out if the crying starts.
• Teach them not to run through the rows during prayer; gentle reminders, not scolding (teaching kids to pray).
• Many mosques have a family room or crèche for Jumu'ah and tarawih; use it when you need to.

Visitors and new Muslims

Nobody expects you to know everything. Sit at the back, copy what you see, and ask the person next to you after the prayer. Most mosques have someone responsible for welcoming newcomers; the office or noticeboard will say who. See first steps in salah.

Parking and neighbours

A mosque's reputation in the neighbourhood is part of its da'wah. For Jumu'ah, Eid and tarawih:

• Never block driveways, pavements or corners, even "for five minutes".
• Car-share or walk when you can; a mosque with 400 attendees and 300 cars creates the complaints that lead to planning restrictions.
• Leave quietly late at night after tarawih; no car doors slamming and no loud goodbyes under residents' windows.
• Take litter with you, especially after iftar.

Leaving

Sit for a minute of dhikr if you can, then leave with the left foot first, saying "Allahumma inni as'aluka min fadlik" ("O Allah, I ask You of Your bounty"). Put your shoes on outside the carpeted area, and leave the shoe rack tidy for the next person.

Mosque customs vary from country to country and even street to street: colours of carpet, where the women's door is, whether people shake hands after prayer. None of this is a matter of right and wrong, so follow the house rules of the mosque you are in. For questions about what is required rather than customary, ask the imam or a scholar you trust.