Islam has made the mosque not only a place of worship but also a central hub of community life where various religious and worldly activities can be carried out. The following authentic narrations highlight some permissible acts in the mosque:
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) said:
He used to sleep in the Prophet’s Mosque while he was a young unmarried man.
(al-Bukhārī, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Nawmu al-Rijāl fī al-Masjid, 444; Muslim, Faḍāʾil al-Ṣaḥābah, 2479)
ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḥārith (رضي الله عنه) said:
We used to eat bread and meat in the mosque during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
(Ibn Mājah, al-Aṭʿimah, 3300)
ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ screened me with his cloak while I watched the Abyssinians playing (displaying spear skills) in the mosque.
(al-Bukhārī, 454; Muslim, Ṣalāt al-ʿĪdayn, 892)
Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) reported:
The Prophet ﷺ once tied a man from Banū Ḥanīfah, Thumāmah ibn Uthāl — who was a polytheist at that time — to a pillar in the mosque.
(al-Bukhārī, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Dukhūl al-Mushrik al-Masjid, 462; Muslim, al-Jihād, 1764)
Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib reported:
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه) passed by Ḥassān ibn Thābit (رضي الله عنه) who was reciting poetry in the mosque. ʿUmar looked at him with displeasure. Ḥassān said: “I used to recite poetry here in the mosque in the presence of someone better than you (the Prophet ﷺ).”
He then turned to Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) and said: “I ask you by Allah, did you hear the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘O Ḥassān, respond on behalf of the Messenger of Allah against the disbelievers, and the Holy Spirit will support you’?”
Abū Hurayrah replied: “Yes, indeed.”
(al-Bukhārī, Badʾ al-Khalq, 3212; Muslim, 2485)
Jābir ibn Samurah (رضي الله عنه) said:
We used to sit in the gatherings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. After the morning prayer, he would remain in the mosque until the sun rose, then he would leave. During that time, we would talk about matters from the Days of Ignorance; we would laugh and smile.
(Muslim, al-Masājid, 670)
① Sleeping in the Mosque
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) said:
He used to sleep in the Prophet’s Mosque while he was a young unmarried man.
(al-Bukhārī, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Nawmu al-Rijāl fī al-Masjid, 444; Muslim, Faḍāʾil al-Ṣaḥābah, 2479)
② Eating in the Mosque
ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḥārith (رضي الله عنه) said:
We used to eat bread and meat in the mosque during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
(Ibn Mājah, al-Aṭʿimah, 3300)
③ Practicing Military Exercises in the Mosque
ʿĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ screened me with his cloak while I watched the Abyssinians playing (displaying spear skills) in the mosque.
(al-Bukhārī, 454; Muslim, Ṣalāt al-ʿĪdayn, 892)
④ Allowing a Polytheist to Enter the Mosque
Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) reported:
The Prophet ﷺ once tied a man from Banū Ḥanīfah, Thumāmah ibn Uthāl — who was a polytheist at that time — to a pillar in the mosque.
(al-Bukhārī, al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Dukhūl al-Mushrik al-Masjid, 462; Muslim, al-Jihād, 1764)
⑤ Reciting Poetry in the Mosque
Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib reported:
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه) passed by Ḥassān ibn Thābit (رضي الله عنه) who was reciting poetry in the mosque. ʿUmar looked at him with displeasure. Ḥassān said: “I used to recite poetry here in the mosque in the presence of someone better than you (the Prophet ﷺ).”
He then turned to Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) and said: “I ask you by Allah, did you hear the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘O Ḥassān, respond on behalf of the Messenger of Allah against the disbelievers, and the Holy Spirit will support you’?”
Abū Hurayrah replied: “Yes, indeed.”
(al-Bukhārī, Badʾ al-Khalq, 3212; Muslim, 2485)
⑥ Talking in the Mosque
Jābir ibn Samurah (رضي الله عنه) said:
We used to sit in the gatherings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. After the morning prayer, he would remain in the mosque until the sun rose, then he would leave. During that time, we would talk about matters from the Days of Ignorance; we would laugh and smile.
(Muslim, al-Masājid, 670)
