What Are Functions of a Mosque? Read This! - Guidelines Islamic Law

Functions of a Mosque

Hi all readers! Are you looking for an explanation of “what are functions of a mosque?”? If your answer is “Yes”, congratulations! Now you are reading the right article. Why? Because that is what I will explain in this article. As Muslims, we must understand that. That's why I wrote this article. So, you should read it to the end!

Specifically, there are some important things about “what are functions of a mosque?” which I will explain in this article. Some important things I mean are as follows:

Meaning of Functions of a Mosque

The first important point about “what are functions of a mosque?” What I will explain now is the meaning of the phrase "functions of a mosque". I want you to understand that so you can understand the focus of our discussion now. In addition, I also want us to have the same understanding of the topic of this article.

If we examine the sentence "functions of a mosque", then we will find two words that we must understand:

Function

The first word we must understand is “function”. Linguistically, the word has the meaning of use or benefit

Mosque

The second word we must understand is “mosque”. By the way, have you read the article about the literal meaning of the mosque that I published some time ago? If you haven't read it, I highly recommend you read it. In that article I have explained about the literal meaning of mosque and the meaning of mosque in Islam.

In this article I will not argue about the meaning of the mosque. Specifically, I said that what is meant by a mosque here is a building used by Muslims for worship, such as praying, reading the Koran, and so on, just like the mosques we know.

So, specifically, I want to say that the meaning of the sentence "functions of mosque" which is the focus of discussion in this article is the use of a mosque or benefits of a mosque.

Functions of Mosque in Quran and Hadith

The second important point is “what are functions of a mosque?” What I will explain in this article are the functions of the mosque in the Quran and hadith. Maybe now you are wondering, "Why is the Quran and hadith used as a reference to understand the functions of the mosque?".

As Muslims, we must understand that the Quran and hadith are the primary references in Islam. The Quran is the word of God, while the hadith is everything that is attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, be it his words, his actions, or his decisions. So, Muslims should use the Quran and hadith as the two primary references in their life, even if they want to understand the function of the mosque.

Quran on the Functions of a Mosque

There are many verses of the Quran that describe mosque. Of course, I will not explain all of that in this article. Some of the Quranic verses that explain the functions of mosque are as follows:

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ مَنَعَ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ

And who is more unjust than one who prevents the mention of Allah's name in His masjids? (Al-Baqarah: 114).

إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ

Only those who prosper the masjids of Allah are those who believe in Allah and the Last Day. (At-Taubah: 18).

وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا

Verily, the masjids belong to Allah, so do not worship anyone but Allah. (Al-Jin: 18).

Those are some verses of the Quran about the function of a mosque that we must understand.

Hadith on the Functions of Mosque

As for some hadiths about the functions of a mosque are as follows:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ ؛ أُصِيْبُ سَعْدٌ يَوْمَ الْخَنْدَقِ فَضَرَبَ عَلَيْهِ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خِيْمْةً فِيْ الْمَسْجِدِ لِيَعُوْدَهُ مِنْ قَرِيْبٍ . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Aisha radliyallahu anha, she said, "Sa'ad was hit by an arrow at the time of the Khandaq war. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam then made a tent for Sa'ad at the mosque, so that he could meet him from a nearby place." The hadith is narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ مَرَّ بِحَسَّانٍ يُنْشِدُ فِيْ الْمَسْجِدِ فَلَحَظَ إِلَيْهِ ، فَقَالَ ؛ قَدْ كُنْتُ أُنْشِدُ فِيْهِ ، وَفِيْهِ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْكَ . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

From Abu Hurairah radliyallaahu anhu, that Umar radliyallahu anhu met Hassan who was developing (poetry) in the mosque. He then looked at Hassan with a denying view. Hassan then said, "I have developed (poetry) in it (mosque). In it there is someone who is better than you."The hadith is narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Those are two hadiths about the function of mosques that we must understand.

Conclusion About the Functions of a Mosque in Quran and Hadith

Now I will make a conclusion about the functions of a mosque in the Quran and hadith as I have quoted above. If we understand some of the verses of the Quran and hadith above, then we can conclude several things as follows:

1. The function of a mosque is to worship Allah, such as praying, reading Salawat, Quran, Dhikr, and so on.
2. The function of a mosque is for social activities, such as compensation for orphans, social assistance, and so on.
3. The function of a mosque is as a place for rest, such as sleeping, and so on.

Of course, there are many functions of a mosque in addition to these three main things. One thing you must understand is that mosque can be used for good things that are not against Islamic law.

All readers! That is a brief explanation of "what are functions of a mosque?". Do you understand? If you want to ask, please ask!

I think that's enough for this article. May be useful. Amen.

See you again in the next article!