Duas for Entering and Leaving a Mosque in Arabic & English

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By Belal Elkadri, an Islam education expert and motivational speaker

Written by Belal Elkadri | Edited by Annabelle Reyes

Last Updated: July 16, 2025 Fact Checked

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Entering the Masjid

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Leaving the Masjid

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Going to the Masjid

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Entering Masjid al-Haram

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Masjid Etiquette

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Benefits of Praying in the Masjid

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Final Thoughts

A masjid, or mosque, is a place of worship and community in the Muslim faith. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, recited specific prayers when visiting the masjid. I’m Belal Elkadri, an Islam education expert and motivational speaker, and I’m here to explain which du’as to recite when entering, leaving, and travelling to the mosque. I’ll also cover the spiritual benefits of praying at the mosque, why it’s important, as well as etiquette tips to keep in mind while you’re there. Keep reading for everything you need to know!

Du’a for Entering & Leaving Masjid

Entering the masjid: اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ. Allaahum-maf-taḥ lee abwaaba rahmatik. (O Allah! Open for me the doors of Thy mercy.)
Leaving the masjid: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ. Allahumma innee as-aluka min fadlik. (O Allah! I beg of Thee Thy Grace.)

Section 1 of 7:

Du’a for Entering Masjid

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اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ Allaahum-maf-taḥ lee abwaaba rahmatik. (English Translation: O Allah! Open for me the doors of Thy mercy.)
- When you enter the mosque, be very mindful and ask God to open up the gates of mercy.
- When entering the mosque, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, used to enter with his right foot, and this is something that you can do as well (along with reciting the du’a). It’s not necessarily a requirement, but it’s one way to go above and beyond and follow in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who Muslims believe was the best person to ever walk on this earth. Essentially, it’s a way to be more mindful of God, be mindful of where you are, and be more present in the moment
- Du’a or supplicating to God is one way to communicate with Him. In the Quran, God says that if you call on Him, He will respond to you, so prayer is one way to establish this deep level of connection between yourself and God. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, also teaches us that a du’a is a form of worship. It shows a sense of humility and an acknowledgement that we are in need of God, and God wants us to turn to him both in moments of ease and in moments of hardship.

Section 2 of 7:

Du’a for Leaving the Masjid

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اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ Allahumma innee as-aluka min fadlik. (English Translation: O Allah! I beg of Thee Thy Grace.)
- When you leave the mosque, thank God for his favors for allowing you to go to the mosque to remember him to pray, and then ask God to save you from the devil.
- The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, would leave the mosque with his left foot, which is something you can do to follow in his footsteps and emulate his behavior. Similarly to entering with your right foot, this isn’t a requirement, but the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that he was sent to perfect character, and one way to do that is to follow his way of life and his teachings.

Section 3 of 7:

Du’a for Going to the Masjid

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Du’a when leaving the house: ‏ بسم الله توكلت على الله، ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله Bismillah, tawakkaltu ‘ala Allah, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. (English Translation: I begin with the Name of Allah; I trust in Allah; there is no altering of conditions but by the Power of Allah.)
- When you say this du’a, it’s believed that the angels will protect you on your journey from point A to point B. It’s a way to ask for protection until you reach your destination, and to show that you’re trusting that God will protect you on this journey.
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Du’a when boarding a vehicle: سُبْحَانَ الذي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هذا، وَما كُنَّا له مُقْرِنِينَ، وإنَّا إلى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ. Subhanal-ladzi sakh-khara lana hadza wa ma kunna lahu muqrinin Wa inna ila Rabbina lamun-qalibun. (English Translation: In the Name of Allah and all praise is for Allah. How perfect He is, the One Who has placed this transport at our service and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and to our Lord is our final destiny.)
- This du’a thanks God for the fact that you have a vehicle (whether that vehicle is a bike, car, train, or airplane), and it acknowledges that the final destination isn’t necessarily the physical location you’re going to—it’s going to be the next life, when you’re returning to God.

Section 4 of 7:

Du’a for Entering Masjid al-Haram

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The Masjid al-Haram is the mosque in Mecca, where the Kaaba is. As Muslims, we face the direction of the Masjid al-Haram five times a day when we’re praying, and we also travel there for pilgrimage if we are able to. There’s Umrah, which is kind of like a mini version of a pilgrimage that can be done anytime, or Hajj, which is the big pilgrimage that takes place during the month of Dhul Hijjah (the twelfth month in the Islamic calendar). When you complete the pilgrimage as a Hajj, all of your sins are washed away. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for those who are financially able, it’s one of the five pillars of our religion, and it’s a sort of rebirth for a Muslim.
- When entering this mosque, say اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ. (“Allaahum-maf-taḥ lee abwaaba rahmatik,” which translates to “Oh God, open up the doors of Thy mercy” in English), like you would when entering any other mosque.
- There’s also a du’a you can recite to display your intention to start worship for Hajj or Umrah:
  - لَبَّيْكَ اَللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ – لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ – إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ – لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ.
  - Labbayka Allāhumma labbayk. Labbayk lā shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-ḥamda, wa n-‘imata, Laka wal mulk. Lā shareeka lak.
  - English translation: Here I am, O Allah, here I am, here I am. You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty. You have no partner.

Section 5 of 7:

Etiquette for Entering & Leaving the Masjid

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Perform a two-rakah prayer upon entering the mosque. When you're going to the mosque, there are two units of prayer that one is supposed to make, basically saying, “I'm coming to the mosque in order to pray.” The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that this is the very first thing you should do when entering a mosque, even before sitting down. It’s not a requirement, but it’s something you should do, even if you’re going to the mosque for another reason, like a wedding or event.
- It’s a way of acknowledging that the mosque is a place of worship, even if you’re going there for a secondary reason.
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Take off your shoes when entering the area where you’ll be praying. One piece of etiquette when going into the prayer hall is to remove your shoes because you’ll be putting your forehead on the ground, so you want to keep that area clean.
- There’s usually a designated shoe area where you can put your shoes on a shoe rack before you walk onto the carpeted area, known as the musalla, where there are no shoes allowed.
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Be mindful of the way you smell. It’s important to pay attention to the way you smell when visiting a mosque, so that you don’t distract, offend, or irritate others. For example, it’s considered bad etiquette to eat garlic or smoke cigarettes before you enter a mosque because there’s a saying of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that says when a person eats onions or garlic and a fellow worshipper gets annoyed by it, the angels also get annoyed by that.
- During Friday prayer, take a shower, or ghusl, in order to clean yourself beforehand.
When you enter a mosque, the biggest thing is to remember that you’re entering a place of worship. Visit with the mindset that this is a place where people come together to remember God and to worship God. If you visit for Friday prayer, listen to the sermon respectfully, and be mindful of people who are praying by keeping your voice down.
If a woman is on her menstrual cycle, it’s perfectly fine for her to visit the mosque. However, there is a difference of opinion on specifics like where a person is able to go and what they’re able to do if they are menstruating, or not in the state of purification or having ablution or wudu.

Section 6 of 7:

Rewards & Benefits of Praying in the Masjid

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In other words, you’re getting one sin wiped away and one good deed with each and every step you make toward the mosque, which is one reason to consider praying at the mosque versus praying at home.
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Praying the first and last prayers at the mosque is equal to praying the whole night. There’s a prophetic saying where the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that when you go to the mosque to pray Isha (the last prayer of the five daily prayers) in congregation, it’s as if you prayed half the night. And if you went to the mosque to pray Fajr (the first daily prayer), it’s as if you prayed the other half of the night. In other words, when you go to the mosque to pray both the first and last prayers, it’s essentially equal to praying throughout the whole night.
- In fact, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that if you knew of the blessings of going to the mosque during Fajr and Isha, even if you are tired or groggy, you would crawl to the mosque in order to get there.
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Going to Friday prayer also has special blessings and rewards. There’s one saying that says when you go to Friday prayer, it’s like the angels are writing your name down on a VIP list to document the fact that you were there at this day and time. Then, the angels close the book when the Imam starts to talk, and they listen to the same sermon you’re listening to.
- There is a difference in opinion about this, but some scholars say that if you have more than four people, you can do a Friday prayer at work or another location if you can’t make it to the mosque. A lot of hospitals, high schools, and universities do Friday prayer, for instance.
Sometimes, people don't memorize the whole Quran, so they'll only recite what they know. But when you go to the mosque, you're going to hear every corner of the Quran being recited, and you may hear it in a very beautiful way. There may be a little lecture that's done that might penetrate your heart and hit you really hard, leading to spiritual growth or insight.
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Praying at the mosque builds community. When you’re praying in congregation, you’re able to see people and be part of a community, and Islam is a very community-driven religion. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, also said that praying together is 27 times more powerful than praying alone, so this is another incentive to go pray with other worshippers at the mosque.
- The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that when a group of people come together and remember God, the angels surround them and tranquility enters their hearts.
- There are also sayings that say the best of you are those who greet people they know and people they don’t know with peace, and that even a smile is charity. Going to the mosque allows you to perform these good deeds because you’re seeing other people, versus just being at home and not seeing anybody.

Section 7 of 7:

Final Thoughts on Visiting a Mosque

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The mosque is a place where everyone should feel welcome. Not all mosques are the same, but ideally, the mosque should be a place for people to build community. It’s a place of worship first and foremost, but many mosques are also equipped with things like gyms, basketball courts, and youth lounges in order to provide spaces for people to connect with others. I’ve even seen mosques with video game set-ups or coffee shops, and many of them are designed to be places that people can be comfortable going into. You’ll often find people there more than five times a day—Muslims coming together, from all walks of life.
- If you’ve tried going to the mosque before and haven’t enjoyed it, my suggestion would be to try to find the right mosque for you, rather than abandoning the idea altogether. It may take some exploration to find the right fit for you, but once you do, there are a lot of benefits to the experience!