A mosque (in Arabic, masjid) is where Muslims pray together. Many also hold classes, dinners and youth nights. Muslims pray five times a day. The big weekly gathering is Jumu’ah, Friday around midday, with a short sermon before the prayer. It can be crowded. Some mosques hold it in shifts.
Before you go
Call or email. Many mosques give tours and are happy to set a time.
What to wear: modest clothes that cover your arms and legs. No shorts. Women may be asked to cover their hair. Practice varies by mosque. Some lend scarves, some don’t require one, so CAIR’s advice is simple: bring a scarf just in case.
What happens
You’ll take your shoes off before the prayer hall. There are shelves for them. The hall has no pews. People sit on the carpet, and chairs are there for anyone who needs one.
When it’s time to pray, people stand in straight rows and move together: standing, bowing, kneeling with foreheads to the floor. Men and women usually pray in separate rows or areas. You sit quietly and watch. Nobody expects you to join.
Do and don’t
- Don’t walk in front of someone praying. Go behind them.
- Do silence your phone, and keep quiet during prayer.
- Handshakes: many Muslims don’t shake hands with someone of the other gender. Let the other person offer first. A smile and a nod are always fine.
- Photos and the Qur’an: ask before you take a picture or pick up a copy of the Qur’an.
What to say
The greeting is as-salaam alaykum, “peace be with you.” The answer is wa alaykum as-salaam, “and with you, peace.” If that feels like too much, “Thank you for having me” works in every language.
Worried?
“Will they make me pray?” No. “I forgot a scarf.” Ask. Many mosques keep extras. It’s a mosque, not a final exam.
Try it on
When you picture a mosque, whose pictures are you using: your neighbor’s, or the evening news’s?