What Are the Etiquettes for Walking to the Mosque?

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the Master of the Messengers, his family, and all his companions.

Mosques are the most beloved places on Earth to Allah. Walking to them is among the greatest acts of worship and means to get closer to Allah due to the good tidings it brings, the expiation of sins, and the elevation of ranks as informed by the beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Therefore, he guided us to a set of important Sunnas and etiquettes when going to or returning from the mosque. Among these Sunnas and etiquettes are performing ablution at home, then setting out with the intention and remembrance of Allah during the journey, walking calmly and with dignity, and not interlocking the fingers. When you reach the mosque’s door, enter with your right foot first, reciting the well-known supplication – after praising and sending peace upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) – which is: “O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy.” Then, when you intend to leave the mosque, step out with your left foot first, reciting the well-known supplication – after praising and sending peace upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)- which is: “O Allah, I ask You for Your favor,” along with taking a different path to return if possible. And Allah knows best.

Detailed Answer

The mosques are the most beloved places to Allah on Earth, as narrated by Muslim from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). They are places for manifesting and proclaiming the rites of the religion in the Muslim community, gathering for worship, remembrance, seeking knowledge, and more.

Houses of Worship

Allah (Most High) says:

“(That light shines) through houses (of worship) which Allah has ordered to be raised, and where His Name is mentioned. He is glorified there morning and evening by men who are not distracted—either by buying or selling—from Allah’s remembrance, or performing prayer, or paying alms-tax. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will tremble (hoping) that Allah may reward them according to the best of their deeds and increase them out of His grace. And Allah provides for whoever He wills without limit.” [Quran, 24:36-38]

And He (Most High) says:

“The mosques of Allah should only be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and fear none but Allah. It is right to hope that they will be among the (truly) guided.” [Quran, 9:18]

Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), said: “When you see a man frequenting the mosque, bear witness to his faith. Allah says: ‘Only those who believe in Allah and the Last Day frequent the mosques.’” [Ibn Maja; Tirmidhi]

Given the importance of mosques in Islam, the reward for walking and striving to reach them, spending time in them, and maintaining them is immense.

Virtues

Before detailing the etiquettes of walking to the mosque, let’s mention some hadiths that demonstrate the virtue of walking to the mosques:

From Burayda (Allah be pleased with him) the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Give glad tidings to those who walk to the mosques in the darkness for the complete light on the Day of Resurrection.” [Abu Dawud; Tirmidhi]

From Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Whoever goes to the mosque in the morning or in the evening, Allah prepares for him a place in Paradise whenever he goes or comes.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

From him also (Allah be pleased with him) the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “He who purified himself in his house, and then he walked to one of the houses of Allah for the sake of performing a Fard (obligatory act) out of the Fara’id (obligatory acts) of Allah, both his steps (would be significant) as one of them would obliterate his sin and the second one would raise his status.” [Muslim]

Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “The area around the mosque became empty, and Banu Salama wanted to move closer to the mosque. When the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard about this, he said to them: ‘It has reached me that you want to move close to the mosque?’ They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah, we did want that. He said: ‘Banu Salama, your houses will record your footsteps, your houses will record your footsteps.’ They said: We would not have been pleased if we had moved.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

Imam Nawawi says: “‘Banu Salama, your houses will record your footsteps,’ means: Stick to your houses, for if you do so, your numerous footsteps to the mosque will be recorded.” [Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim]

Etiquettes Related to Walking to the Mosque

1 – Performing Ablution at Home, Then Reciting Duas and Remembering Allah on the Way:

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) stayed overnight at the house of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The Prophet woke up, used a Miswak, performed ablution, and then went out to pray, reciting:

“O Allah, place light in my heart, light on my tongue, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light behind me, light in front of me, light above me, light below me. O Allah, grant me light.” [Muslim]

Abu Hurayra narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

“He who purified (wudu) himself in his house, and then he walked to one of the houses of Allah for the sake of performing a Fard (obligatory act) out of the Fara’id (obligatory acts) of Allah, both his steps (would be significant) as one of them would obliterate his sin and the second one would raise his status.” [Ibid.]

Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said:

“Walk to the prayer. Indeed, those better than you have walked to it: Abu Bakr, Umar, the Muhajirun, and the Ansar (Allah be pleased with them). Take measured steps and increase in the remembrance of Allah, and it is not necessary to accompany anyone unless they help you in remembering Allah.” [Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra]

2 – Walking to the Mosque with Tranquility and Dignity:

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

“When the prayer is called, do not come to it running, but come walking, with tranquility. Perform what you catch and complete what you miss.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

In a narration: “When you hear the call to establish the congregational prayer, proceed to the prayer with tranquility and dignity, and do not rush. Whatever you catch of the prayer, pray, and whatever you miss, complete it.” [Bukhari]

Abu Qatada, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:

“While we were praying with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) he heard the noise of some people. After the prayer, he said: ‘What is the matter with you?’ They said: ‘We hastened to join the prayer.’ He said: ‘Do not do that; when you come to the prayer, you should come with tranquility, and whatever you catch, pray, and whatever you miss, complete.’” [Bukhari; Muslim]

3 – Not Interlocking the Fingers:

Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“Whoever performs ablution and then leaves for the prayer is in a state of prayer until he returns home, so do not do this – meaning interlocking fingers” [Darimi]

Abu Thumama al-Hannat said: Ka‘b ibn Ujra (Allah be pleased with him) met me at the palace while I was heading to the mosque, interlocking my fingers. He said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: ‘When one of you performs ablution properly and then heads to the mosque, he should not interlock his fingers.’” [Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra]

4 – Entering the Mosque with the Right Foot and Exiting with the Left, and Reciting the Prescribed Duas:

Muslim narrated from Abu Humaid or Abu Usaid that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“When one of you enters the mosque, he should say: ‘O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy.’ And when he exits, he should say: ‘O Allah, I ask You for Your favor.’” [Muslim]

In a narration by Abu Dawud: “When one of you enters the mosque, he should send salawat upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and then say: ‘O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy.’ And when he exits, he should say: ‘O Allah, I ask You for Your favor.’” [Abu Dawud]

In another narration: “When one of you enters the mosque, he should send peace upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and say: ‘O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy.’ And when he exits, he should send salawat upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and say: ‘O Allah, protect me from the accursed Satan.’” [Ibn Maja]

And in another narration: “I seek refuge in Allah the Great, His Noble Face, and His Eternal Dominion from the accursed Satan.”

Anas ibn Malik stated: “It is from the Sunna that when you enter the mosque, you begin with your right foot, and when you exit, you begin with your left foot.” [Hakim, al-Mustadrak]

5 – Taking a Different Route, Especially for Eid Prayer: 

Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) said,

“The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to take a different path on the day of Eid.” [Bukhari]

This practice of taking a different route, particularly during Eid prayers, signifies the importance of varying one’s paths to and from the mosque.

Conclusion

As a Muslim, you should be keen on striving and walking to the house of Allah, the Blessed, and Exalted, to perform prayers in congregation, attend gatherings of knowledge, remembrance, Quran recitation, and other activities that bring happiness and success in this life and the hereafter. Be diligent in observing as many of the etiquettes and Sunna practices as possible while walking to the mosque, mindful of the immense reward and great virtue that Allah (Most High) has prepared for His servants who hastened to the mosques. We ask Allah (Most High) to make us all among its people and those who maintain it. Amin.