‘The home is a sanctuary.’ This phrase is often coined by Westerners who take aspects of Eastern philosophy and try to replicate them into our homes. These people emphasize that the home should be a safe haven and we should design and decorate our home to create a peaceful environment. Even though many of us do not go to the extreme measures these people prescribe (like ensuring our home has the correct “chi”), we do spend time and money to make sure that our homes are neat, clean, and comfortable.

Think about your own home. How many of us like it when our home is dirty? How many of us like having neighbors who play their music so loud that we can’t even think, let alone sleep? And when something is broken in our home, how many of us would either call a repairman immediately?

When it comes to our own homes, there is typically daily time spent to ensure our home is a pleasant place to live. Yet, how many times have we gone to the masjid, only to leave frustrated and upset because the same effort is not put into making the masjid a pleasant place for the believers to worship their Lord? This problem is one that affects every community. Yet, if we knew both the rights of the masjid and observed some basic etiquette, the masjid would likely once more be a place of reverence and remembrance of Allah.

Rights of the Masjid

1. When you enter the masjid, enter with your right foot first and pray two raka’ before you sit down.
The Prophet sallahu ‘alayhi wa salaam said, “When one of you enters the mosque, he must not sit until he prays two Raka’”. (Agreed upon)

2. The masjid should be a place for the remembrance of Allah ta’ala and not for idle talk.
Al-Haakim reported that Anas ibn Malik said, “The Prophet sallahu ‘alayhi wa salaam said, ‘There will come a time when people will sit in circles in the mosques and they will have no concern except this world. Allah has no need of them so do not sit with them.’”

3. The masjid should not be used as a place of business.
Allah’s Messenger sallahu ‘alayhi wa salaam said, “If you see someone buying or selling inside the mosque say: May Allah not make your trading profitable!” (An-Nasa’i and at-Tirmidhi)

4. The masjid should be clean and not have a bad smell and should be close to the people.
‘Aisha narrated that the Prophet sallahu ‘alayhi wa salaam ordered that the mosques be built in residential districts and that it be cleaned and perfumed. (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and at-Tirmidhi)

5. The masjid should be a center of learning for the community.
The Prophet sallahu ‘alayhi wa salaam used to teach the people in the masjid and advise them if he saw them doing something incorrect.

10 Quick Ways to Improve Your Masjid

1. DO spread salaam to your brothers and sisters.
Greet your brothers and sisters with a smile and say ‘Assalaamu Alaikum’.

2. DO Arrive on Time
No one likes Desi Standard Time or Arab Standard Time (or whatever standard time you follow). If there is a function going on at your masjid, start and end on time – the standard time followers will quickly learn.

3. DO Clean Up
If you (or your child) make a mess, clean it up. If you find that your masjid is consistently dirty and when you make sujood the carpet has a funky smell, instead of just complaining about it, offer to clean it. Bring your whole family and some cleaning supplies one weekend morning and spend time cleaning the house of Allah.

4. DO Educate Yourself and Others.
If there is a lack of education going on in your masjid, start a halaqa yourself. You don’t have to be a scholar to lead a halaqa. Just choose a trustworthy book and summarize different sections or topics within it.

5. DO Involve Your Children
The masjid is a great place to take your children to be around other Muslim children and children should be accommodated in the masjid. However, there’s a balance between including children and letting them run wild. Ask your masjid for a special area for children away from the main prayer area. If that doesn’t work, bring quiet toys (not the kind that make musical sounds) to keep the child occupied. Take your child out of the main prayer area if they get rowdy or start crying loudly and return when they’ve settled down. If you bring a snack, observe #2.

6. DO NOT Double Park
Self-explanatory.

7. DO NOT Make Others Uncomfortable.
When the masjid is crowded and you arrive late, you do not have to act like a lineman to push your way through the crowd to the front line. No one likes to be squished unnecessarily. Pick a spot farther back where there is more space available.

8. DO NOT Distract Others.
The masjid is not a place to talk about the TV show you watched last night, to gossip with your friends, or listen to your IPod. Your noise disturbs people who came to pray or listen to the khutbah.

9. DO NOT Ignore Hygiene
It is difficult to sit in a crowded area around people who smell bad. So before you go to the masjid, make sure you’ve showered, worn deodorant, brushed your teeth, and worn clean clothes. Just a reminder, the Prophet sallahu ‘alayhi wa salaam told people not to eat garlic or onions and go to the masjid. Remember to keep a siwak handy. This will make the experience at the masjid much more pleasant for everyone. (As a side note, brothers may perfume themselves but sisters may not. Use moderation as a general rule of thumb; you never know if the person praying next to you may have an asthma attack because you sprayed too much cologne.)

10. DO NOT forget to make du’aa for your masjid and community.
Du’aa is the weapon of the believer and nothing is possible without the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

When we give the house of Allah as much priority as we give our own homes, then our masajid can truly become a ‘sanctuary’ for the remembrance of Allah.