Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque)
The holiest mosque in Islam, located in Mecca, which surrounds the Kaaba.
Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque) in Mecca is the holiest mosque and the holiest place in Islam. It surrounds the Kaaba, toward which Muslims face in prayer five times daily. The mosque is the destination for Hajj and Umrah and can accommodate over two million worshippers.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "One prayer in Masjid al-Haram is better than one hundred thousand prayers elsewhere" (Sunan Ibn Majah). This enormous reward makes prayer in Masjid al-Haram the most valuable prayer a Muslim can perform.
The mosque contains several sacred sites: the Kaaba, al-Hajar al-Aswad (the Black Stone), Maqam Ibrahim (Abraham's Station), the Zamzam well, Safa and Marwa. The qibla direction emanates from the Kaaba, and all of the world's mosques are oriented toward this sacred house. Allah says in the Quran: "The first house established for the people is the one at Bakkah — blessed and a guidance for all the worlds" (3:96).
Related terms
Ayat al-Kursi (The Throne Verse)
The mighty verse from Surah Al-Baqarah (2:255), describing Allah's omnipotence.
Salat al-Tasbih (The Prayer of Glorification)
A special voluntary prayer with 300 tasbih recitations, recommended for forgiveness of sins.
Masjid al-Aqsa (The Farthest Mosque)
The third holiest mosque in Islam, in Jerusalem, connected to the Prophet's nocturnal journey.
Du'a al-Iftitah (The Opening Supplication)
A beautiful supplication recited during Ramadan nights, attributed to Imam al-Mahdi.
Minbar (Pulpit)
The elevated platform in the mosque from which the imam delivers the Friday khutbah.
Amr bil-Ma'ruf wa Nahy 'an al-Munkar
Enjoining good and forbidding evil — an Islamic duty connected with prayer.