# What Is a Mosque? > A mosque is the Muslim place of prostration. The Qur’an calls the masjids for Allah, points prayer toward the Sacred Mosque, and has a caller gather the people. Christians say worship is not tied to a direction toward Mecca. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/islam/what-is-a-mosque - Religions: Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: islam, mosque, prayer - Updated: 2026-10-12 A mosque is a Muslim place of prostration, the masjid. The Qur’an says the masjids are for Allah, that prayer turns toward the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, and that people leave trade when the call comes on Friday. The religion that has a mosque is Islam. Christians say the hour has come to worship the Father in spirit and truth, not by facing Mecca. ## Key Points - [Qur’an 72:18](https://quran.com/72/18) (Saheeh International) says the masjids are for Allah, so do not invoke anyone with Allah. [Qur’an 9:18](https://quran.com/9/18) says the mosques of Allah are maintained by those who believe, pray, and give zakat. - [Qur’an 2:144](https://quran.com/2/144) says turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. [Qur’an 2:125](https://quran.com/2/125) calls the Kaaba God’s House, to be purified for those who bow and prostrate. - [Qur’an 5:6](https://quran.com/5/6) tells worshippers to wash face, arms, head, and feet before prayer. [Qur’an 62:9](https://quran.com/62/9) says when the call is made on Friday, proceed to the remembrance of God and leave trade. - [Sahih al-Bukhari 604](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:604) says the Muslims in Medina discussed a call to prayer, rejected a bell and a trumpet, and that the messenger ordered Bilal to pronounce the adhan. The report does not mention a tower. - [Pew’s 2025 report](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/how-the-global-religious-landscape-changed-from-2010-to-2020/) says Muslims were the fastest-growing religious group from 2010 to 2020. The number of Muslims increased by 347 million, and their share of the world rose to 25.6 percent. - Christians read [John 4:21–24](/bible/john/4). Jesus says the hour is coming when the Father is not worshiped on one mountain or in Jerusalem, and that God is spirit, worshiped in spirit and truth. ## A Place of Prostration Masjid is the Arabic word for the place of prostration. Mosque is the English word for that building. [Qur’an 72:18](https://quran.com/72/18) (Saheeh International) says: > And [He revealed] that the masjids are for Allāh, so do not invoke with Allāh anyone. [Qur’an 9:18](https://quran.com/9/18) says the mosques of Allah are maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer, give zakat, and fear none except Allah. [Qur’an 2:114](https://quran.com/2/114) condemns those who prevent Allah’s name from being mentioned in his mosques and strive toward their destruction. [Qur’an 24:36](https://quran.com/24/36) speaks of houses Allah has ordered to be raised, where his name is mentioned morning and evening. [Qur’an 17:1](https://quran.com/17/1) names two mosques in the night journey: al-Masjid al-Haram and al-Masjid al-Aqsa. [What Is the Temple Mount in Islam?](/islam/what-is-the-temple-mount-in-islam) ## The Direction of Prayer [Qur’an 2:144](https://quran.com/2/144) says God will turn Muhammad to a qibla he will be pleased with, and it commands him to turn his face toward al-Masjid al-Haram, the Sacred Mosque. Wherever the believers are, they turn their faces toward it. [Qur’an 2:125](https://quran.com/2/125) says God made the House, the Kaaba, a place of return and security, and charged Abraham and Ishmael to purify it for those who circle it, stay, bow, and prostrate. [Qur’an 5:6](https://quran.com/5/6) is the washing before prayer: faces, forearms to the elbows, a wipe of the head, and feet to the ankles. If water is missing, the verse says to seek clean earth and wipe face and hands. [What Do Muslims Believe?](/islam/what-do-muslims-believe) ## The Call to Prayer The Qur’an uses the call. It does not describe a minaret. [Sahih al-Bukhari 604](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:604) (Muhammad Muhsin Khan), a Sunni hadith, says that when the Muslims arrived at Medina they guessed the time of prayer. Some suggested a bell like the Christians. Others suggested a trumpet like the Jews. Umar suggested that a man should call the people. The messenger ordered Bilal to get up and pronounce the adhan. The purpose of the call, in that report, is a man’s voice telling people it is time to pray. A tower is a later building habit. This page does not date the first minaret, because the hadith does not. [Which Muslims Accept Which Hadith?](/islam/which-muslims-accept-which-hadith) ## Friday [Qur’an 62:9](https://quran.com/62/9) says that when the adhan is called for prayer on the day of Jumuah, Friday, believers proceed to the remembrance of God and leave trade. That is the weekly gathering. It is not a claim that God lives in the building. [Qur’an 72:18](https://quran.com/72/18) says the masjids are for Allah. [Who Is Allah?](/islam/who-is-allah) ## The Christian Claim Muslims prostrate toward the Kaaba and gather when Bilal’s kind of call is made. [John 4:21–24](/bible/john/4) has Jesus tell a Samaritan woman that the hour is coming when worship is neither on that mountain nor in Jerusalem. He says God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Christians confess that God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and they do not turn their bodies toward Mecca. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) [What Is the Difference Between Islam and Christianity?](/islam/islam-vs-christianity) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What Religion Has a Mosque? Islam. A mosque is the Muslim place of prostration. Judaism’s place in the Bible is the temple, and the church’s gathering is not a masjid. [What Is the Temple Mount in Islam?](/islam/what-is-the-temple-mount-in-islam) ### Which Religion Is the Fastest-Growing in the World? [Pew’s report](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/how-the-global-religious-landscape-changed-from-2010-to-2020/), published 9 June 2025, says Muslims were the fastest-growing religious group from 2010 to 2020. The number of Muslims increased by 347 million, more than all other religions combined. Their share of the world’s population rose by 1.8 points, to 25.6 percent. Christians rose by 122 million, to 2.3 billion, and their share fell 1.8 points, to 28.8 percent. The report states the change. It is not a verse of the Qur’an. ### What Is the Purpose of a Minaret? The Qur’an does not use the word. Bukhari 604 says the call was a man, Bilal, announcing the prayer. A minaret is a tower from which that kind of call can be made. The hadith’s purpose is the call, not the stonework. ### Why Is Islam so Popular? Pew counts a rise of 347 million Muslims in that decade and a share of 25.6 percent in 2020. This page does not add a cause the report’s sentences here do not state. The beliefs are on [What Do Muslims Believe?](/islam/what-do-muslims-believe). ### Do Muslims Accept the LGBTQ Community? [Qur’an 7:80–81](https://quran.com/7/80) has Lot call approaching men with desire instead of women a transgression. [Who Is Allah?](/islam/who-is-allah) ### What Can’t a Woman Do in Islam? The Qur’an does not publish one list of things a woman cannot do. It does set inheritance, witnesses, and a husband’s charge, including a strike. [What Does Islam Say About Women?](/islam/women-in-islam) [Why Do Muslim Women Wear the Hijab?](/islam/why-do-muslim-women-wear-the-hijab) ## Keep Reading - [What Do Muslims Believe?](/islam/what-do-muslims-believe) - [What Is the Temple Mount in Islam?](/islam/what-is-the-temple-mount-in-islam) - [Who Was Muhammad?](/islam/who-was-muhammad) - [What Does Islam Say About Women?](/islam/women-in-islam) - [What Is Sharia Law?](/islam/what-is-sharia-law) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Qur’an 9:18 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/9/18) > The mosques of Allāh are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allāh and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakāh and do not fear except Allāh, for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided. ### Qur’an 2:144 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/2/144) > We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muḥammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face [i.e., yourself] toward al-Masjid al-Ḥarām. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces [i.e., yourselves] toward it [in prayer]. Indeed, those who have been given the Scripture [i.e., the Jews and the Christians] well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allāh is not unaware of what they do. ### Qur’an 2:125 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/2/125) > And [mention] when We made the House [i.e., the Kaʿbah] a place of return for the people and [a place of] security. And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer. And We charged Abraham and Ishmael, [saying], "Purify My House for those who perform ṭawāf and those who are staying [there] for worship and those who bow and prostrate [in prayer]." ### Qur’an 5:6 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/5/6) > O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janābah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allāh does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful. ### Qur’an 62:9 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/62/9) > O you who have believed, when [the adhān] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumuʿah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allāh and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew. ### Sahih al-Bukhari 604 Muhammad Muhsin Khan. [Open on sunnah.com](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:604) > Narrated Ibn `Umar: When the Muslims arrived at Medina, they used to assemble for the prayer, and used to guess the time for it. During those days, the practice of Adhan for the prayers had not been introduced yet. Once they discussed this problem regarding the call for prayer. Some people suggested the use of a bell like the Christians, others proposed a trumpet like the horn used by the Jews, but `Umar was the first to suggest that a man should call (the people) for the prayer; so Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered Bilal to get up and pronounce the Adhan for prayers. ### John 4:21–24 King James Version. > [4:21] Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. [4:22] Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [4:23] But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. [4:24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. ### Qur’an 2:114 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/2/114) > And who are more unjust than those who prevent the name of Allāh from being mentioned [i.e., praised] in His mosques and strive toward their destruction. It is not for them to enter them except in fear. For them in this world is disgrace, and they will have in the Hereafter a great punishment. ### Qur’an 24:36 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/24/36) > [Such niches are] in houses [i.e., mosques] which Allāh has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned [i.e., praised] therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings ### Qur’an 17:1 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/17/1) > Exalted is He who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing. ### Qur’an 7:80-81 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/7/80-81) > And [We had sent] Lot when he said to his people, "Do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you with from among the worlds [i.e., peoples]? Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people." ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Qur’an, 72:18; 9:18; 2:114; 2:144; 2:125; 5:6; 62:9; 17:1; 24:36](https://quran.com/72/18) (Saheeh International, as published on Quran.com. The link is the first passage. Square brackets are the translator’s explanations.) 2. [Sahih al-Bukhari 604, The adhan](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:604) (Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Sunni hadith. Bilal is ordered to call the prayer. The report does not use the word minaret.) 3. [Pew Research Center, How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020, Muslims and Christians, 2010–2020](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/how-the-global-religious-landscape-changed-from-2010-to-2020/) (Conrad Hackett and others, 9 June 2025. Muslims the fastest-growing group in that decade; 347 million more Muslims; 25.6 percent of the world.) 4. [Gospel of John, 4:21–24](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/4). King James Version ## See Also - [Can a Christian and a Muslim Marry?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/can-a-christian-and-a-muslim-marry) — Qur’an 5:5 permits marriage to chaste women from the People of the Scripture. Qur’an 2:221 and 60:10 restrict marriage to polytheists and disbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says not to be unequally yoked. - [Can God Have a Son?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/can-god-have-a-son) — The Qur'an condemns the claim that God has taken a son, especially a son by a consort. Christians deny that picture and still confess the eternal Son. - [Did Jesus Die on the Cross?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) — The Qur'an is widely read as saying Jesus was not crucified. The Gospels, Paul, and two Roman-era historians say he was. - [Did Paul Invent Christianity?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/did-paul-invent-christianity) — Muslims often say Paul turned the prophet Jesus into a divine saviour. The creed he says he received, and the apostles he names, are the test of that claim. - [Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/do-muslims-and-christians-worship-the-same-god) — Is Allah the same God? Muslims and Christians both confess one Creator, the God of Abraham. They do not confess the same account of who that God is: Christians say Jesus is God, and the Qur'an denies it.