The musalla is a vibrant space for us to stay connected to Allah (SWT) through various forms of worship. It is where we pray our five daily salah, read Quran and gather together to share stories and discuss our faith.
Without a doubt, the musalla is a space that provides an environment of care, belonging and continuous support to the community. As a central part of any Muslim community, family and home, we should take care of our musallas and make them bright and welcoming for anyone and any group who chooses to visit.
But what items should we put in our local musallas to make them feel complete? Here is a list of essentials you can add to your musalla to make it more welcoming all year round.
Prayer Mats
No matter where you are, prayer mats will always be available in most musallas worldwide. It is essential for Muslims to pray in a clean place, so a space dedicated to the worship of Allah (SWT) should have clean prayer mats readily available.
In the past, the Prophet (SAW) and his companions used to pray on “khumrah”, mats made from palm fronds. Today, prayer mats come in a wide variety of sizes and colours. They also differ in quality and design, from plain and simple to intricately woven with high-grade material. Some of the most beautiful prayer mats come from within “the rug belt”, which spans from Northern Africa and the Middle East to Central Asia and Northern India.
You can view and purchase a diverse range of authentically-made prayer mats from these regions, particularly from Madinah, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, in our collection here.
Prayer Clothes
Just as it is vital for us to have a clean area to pray in, the clothes we perform salah in should also be free from impurities. While we can pray in our regular clothes if they are clean and cover our awrah (parts of the body that must be covered), we don’t always wear these clothes that are appropriate for salah. That’s why many musalla will often have prayer clothes as well as prayer mats. Likewise, having dedicated prayer clothes means that we can easily get into the mindset of praying.
A musalla will have prayer clothes for men and women, respectively. A common type of prayer clothes that men wear is the sarong, which covers their lower body. Prayer clothes women wear cover everything except the face, hands and feet.
You can view and purchase these prayer clothes for men here and for women here.
Quran
The Quran is the book of Allah (SWT), sent by Him to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It is from this holy book we read and memorise the surahs we recite when we perform salah. The Quran is also where we base our way of life, as it contains everything we need to know about our universe and how to run society. So it is essential to have copies of the Quran in any place we dedicate for the sake of worshipping the one and only Creator, Allah (SWT), such as a musalla.
The Quran today comes in many different sizes and translations in various languages to help non-Arabic speakers of all backgrounds to understand its meaning and text. However, the core Arabic text stays the same. Allah (SWT) has willed the Quran to be the only book in history that continues to be preserved and remains unchanged from its original state. Countless Muslims, from Arabic and non-Arabic speaking backgrounds alike, have read and memorised the Quran from cover to cover – a journey they started in their local mosque or musalla.
You can view and purchase a diverse range of Quran for your musalla needs here.
A Place to Put Your Quran
As the Quran is a sacred text, containing the words of Allah (SWT), we must treat it with respect. This means we cannot place it on the floor or bury it beneath other books. We also must have wudu when touching a physical copy of the Quran.
While reading, you can prop the Quran on your lap or with your hands when reading, but it’s much easier to read for longer if you have something to put it on. A Quran holder, in particular, can help and is useful to keep in your musalla.
You can view and purchase a Quran holder here.
Books of Hadith
Along with the Holy Quran, Muslims also draw advice from the six authentic books of Hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasai and Sunan Ibn Majah. These books contain the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), words and actions he did in his daily life that are favourable for us to emulate. It is from the Sunnah we learn how to perform the pillars of Islam, including salah. The Quran also decrees for us to take Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as our role model, as stated in these verses:
“You have an excellent model in the Messenger of Allah, for all who put their hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much.” (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:21)
“O you who believe, obey Allah, the Messenger, and those in command among you. If you disagree about something, refer it back to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best thing to do and gives the best result.” (Surat An-Nisa, 4:59)
As the authentic books of hadith supplement the rulings given to us by the Quran, it is essential to include them in any musalla.
You can view and purchase one of the authentic books of hadith here.
Azan Clock
"Surely the Salah at fixed hours (of the day and night) has been enjoined upon the believers." (Surah An-Nisa, 4:103).
Islam, in the Quran and Sunnah, regularly reminds us of the importance of praying our five daily salah consistently and on time. By doing so, we boost our iman and gain guidance from Allah (SWT) that helps us refrain from sinning by engaging in bad deeds.
So how do you find out when it’s time to pray? You can make it easier on you by having an Azan Clock in your musalla, that is easily adjustable and programmed to your exact location.
You can view and purchase an Azan Clock here.
Tasbeeh
Dhikr, remembrance of Allah (SWT), is a significant act of worship in Islam, as it is a direct and powerful way of connecting with Him.
A common type of adhkar (the plural form of “dhikr”) we do is saying “Subhanallah” (Glory to God), “Alhamdulillah” (Praise be to God) and “Allah Akbar” (God is the greatest) thirty-three times each after our daily salah. When performing this act of worship, we often count on our fingers to help us keep track of how many we’ve said, or we can use Tasbeeh.
Around the world, many Muslims keep tasbeeh (also known as, “Tesbih”, “Tasbih” or “Misbaha”) in their musalla to help them in their adhkar. The use of tasbeeh by Muslims goes as far back as Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), who used a subha similar to modern tasbeeh.
Today, there are many different designs and colours of tasbeeh, but most have 99 beads, which symbolize the 99 names of Allah, separated by flat disks into three groups of 33. There are also tasbeeh that only have 33 beads.
You can view and purchase a diverse range of tasbeeh here.
While this is not an exhaustive list of what to put in your musalla, having these items can help make a musalla truly feel like the heart of your Muslim household and community centre.
For more information on the range of essentials we have at Darussalam, view our catalogue or contact us!