Mosques

[The_Flying_Dutchman]

Are unbelievers allowed to enter mosques ?

[minionkat]

I went to one two or three years ago as part of a Doors Open event.

[x-ray_vision]

According to a Wikipedia article:

Under most interpretations of Islamic law, non-Muslims may be allowed into mosques, as long as they do not sleep or eat there; the dissenting opinion is presented by the followers of the Maliki school of Islamic jusrisprudence, who argue that non-Muslims may not be allowed into mosques under any circumstances.[61]

The Qur’an addresses the subject of non-Muslims, and particularly polytheists, in mosques in two verses in its ninth chapter, Sura At-Tawba. The seventeenth verse of the chapter prohibits those who join gods with Allah — polytheists — from entering mosques:

*It is not for such as join gods with Allah, to visit or maintain the mosques of Allah while they witness against their own souls to infidelity. The works of such bear no fruit: In Fire shall they dwell. *(Yusuf Ali 9:17)

The twenty-eighth verse of the same chapter is more specific as it only considers polytheists in the Sacred Mosque, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca:

*O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-knowing, All-wise.* (Yusuf Ali 9:28)

According to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, these verses were followed to the letter at the times of Muhammad, when Jews and Christians, considered monotheists, were still allowed to the Masjid al-Haram. However, the Umayyad caliph Umar II later forbade non-Muslims from entering mosques, and his ruling remained in practice in Saudi Arabia.[1] Today, the decision on whether non-Muslims should be allowed to enter mosques varies. With few exceptions, mosques in the Arabian peninsula as well as Morocco do not allow entry to non-Muslims. For example, the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and the Moulay Ismael Mosque in Meknes are the only two mosques in Morocco currently open to non-Muslims.[68] However, there are also many other places in the west as well as the Islamic world where non-Muslims are welcome to enter mosques. Most mosques in the United States, for example, report receiving non-Muslim visitors every month.[15] Many Mosques throughout the United States welcome non-Muslims as a sign of openness to the rest of the community as well as to encourage conversions to Islam.[69][70]

Mosque

[yBeayf]

Every mosque I’ve been in, non-Muslims were highly welcomed and treated with great friendliness. After all, if you’re voluntarily entering a mosque, you’re usually someone already at least vaguely interested in Islam, and so a potential convert, and it’s in their best interest to be as hospitable and friendly as possible.

Non-Muslims can’t join in salat, of course, and it would be rather weird for a non-Muslim to hang out in the wudu’ (washing-up-before-prayer) room or be poking around the mihrab, but other than that, it’s pretty much all good.

As mentioned earlier, YMMV in Sa`udi Arabia or certain other places, but from what I’ve heard that’s kinda bizarro-world Islam over there; over here, they’re as welcoming as can be.

[dropzone]

The Flying Dutchman, may I suggest you, in particular, visit one? You might find that the people you meet are “a credit to their faith” and wonderful neighbors. Most have books in English explaining their beliefs.

Muslims used to be odd around where I live but now, especially since they opened a mosque (as featured on NPR’s Morning Edition!) they are common and you can wave at them and they wave back! Not weird at all, within limits. Jeeze, you’d think they were Mormons or something, except they dress cooler.

[DataZak]

Sure, we allow non-Muslims to visit mosques as long as they are dressed modestly (women especially) and don’t visit during prayer times, not because you’ll be in the way but because every one else is busy.

One other thing, Muslim women are forbidden to enter a mosque if they are menstruating (they are even exempt from praying). But then again who’s gonna ask a non-muslim woman who’s visiting a mosque, “Are you on the rag right now?”

[Anne_Neville]

@The Flying Dutchman

Are unbelievers allowed to enter mosques ?

I visited a mosque in Washington DC once on a field trip for my Comparative Religions class, and I am not and have never been a Muslim.

We were expected to dress to Muslim standards of modesty when we went, though- that meant we girls had to cover our hair (it was December, so other issues of modest dress didn’t really come up). I don’t remember if the boys were asked to dress in any special way, and the girls were definitely not asked if we were menstruating.

[Rayne_Man]

When we were on holiday in Turkey a few years ago we visited the small mosque that was just down the road from our hotel. We waited till after evening prayers then asked the young imam if we could look inside. He was most welcoming. Of course we had to remove our shoes and my wife had to cover her hair. He showed us around, explained the various parts of the building and explained many aspects of his faith. He even apologised to us (in a light hearted way) if his call for prayers from the loudspeakers on top of the minaret disturbed us in our hotel.

[madmonk28]

I’ve been in mosques before and people were really friendly, including a Shi’a mosque in Afghanistan during Ashura when congregants were flagellating themselves. They seemed eager to have a guest and were glad to explain their religion.

[Mississippienne]

I visited numerous mosques (cammi) in Istanbul and never had a problem. Two of the more notable ones I visted were the Blue Mosque and the Fatih Cammi, where Mehmet the Conqueror is buried. You just remove your shoes, cover your head if female (my little bandana was always plenty) and stay quiet.