Muslim prayer section of multifaith prayer room in HKIA

A musalla ( ar-at, مصلى, muṣallá) is a space apart from a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...

, mainly used for prayer in Islam.''The Encyclopaedia of Islam''. New Edition. Brill, Leiden. Vol. 7, pg. 658; ''al-mausūʿa al-fiqhiyya.'' Kuwait 1998. Vol. 38, pg 29 The word is derived from the

verb A verb () is a word ( part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descr ...

(''ṣallā''), meaning "to pray". It is traditionally used for the

Eid prayers Eid prayers, also referred to as Salat al-Eid ( ar, صلاة العيد), are holy holiday prayers in the Islamic tradition. The literal translation of the word "Eid" in Arabic is "festival" or "feast" and is a time when Muslims congregate wit ...

and the

funeral prayers ( ar, صلاة الجنازة) is the Islamic funeral prayer; a part of the Islamic funeral ritual. The prayer is performed in congregation to seek pardon for the deceased and all dead Muslims. The is a collective obligation upon Muslims () i. ...

as per the

Sunnah In Islam, , also spelled ( ar, سنة), are the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and pass ...

. A musalla may also refer to a room, structure, or place for conducting ''

salah (, plural , romanized: or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːh, ( or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːtʰin construct state) ), also known as ( fa, نماز) and also spelled , are prayers performed by Muslims. Facing the , the direction of the Kaaba wi ...

'' (canonical prayers) and is usually translated as a "prayer hall" smaller than a mosque. It is usually used for conducting the five mandatory prayers or other prayers in (or without) a small

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship * Congregation (Roman Curia), an adminis ...

, but not for large congregation prayers such as the Friday prayers or the Eid prayers (the latter is conducted in congregational mosques in case there is no musalla, in the original meaning of open space, available). Such musallas are usually present in airports, malls, universities and other public places of Muslim-majority countries, as well as some non-Muslim countries, for Muslims to conduct their daily prayers. Usually, a musalla will not contain a minbar.

References

{{Islam-stub Islamic architectural elements Islamic terminology Rooms

See also

References