State Mosque - Masjid Abdul Wahhab

Information

The state Mosque Qatar is one of the largest mosques in Qatar and has been renamed after the great Muslim theologian, reformer and pioneer of the 18th century “Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab”. Ibn Abdul Wahab (1703-1792) propagated for removing negatives and undesirable innovations in Islam. He admonished Muslims to follow only the original values of Islam as typified by the Salaf and to discard exploitations introduced by bidah (heretic innovations) in his teachings.

The state mosque is located in the Jubailat district of Doha just south of the Corniche, High on a hill overlooking the Qatar Sports Club in Doha's West Bay. Constructed in the first half of 20th century, the mosque features an imposing building with many domes and was built with a fascinating mix of both traditional Arabic and modern architecture which includes sparkling half-moons, a minaret and large open outdoor spaces. The grand mosque has a very fresh feel with crispy lines besides it preserves some of the traditional Islamic architectural elements and with its distinguishing doomed roof it will be a stunning example of architectural magnificence and landmark construction in Doha.

Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, the founder of Qatar Mosque Boualaqbib constructed the state grand mosque in memory of his father. When he heard the death of his father on his return from his military campaign in Zubara in 1878, he decided to build a grand mosque in Doha. The beautiful, prolific mosque also tells the Doha story with the sandstone facades, the lowly building height and ninety smaller domes impersonate the building constraints present when Qatar was in its early years. The refurbishment work started in December 16, 2006 at a cost of 420 million riyals. The total area of the mosque is approximately 175,000 sq.m. In the air-conditioned central hall of the mosque, more than 10,000 men can offer prayers and the nearby spacious space overlooking the Men's Area is enough to accommodate 1300 women. The mosque has three main doors and as many as 17 side entrances. As many as 65 domes cover the outer quadrangle and 28 large domes cover the central hall. Generally, the mosque can house worshippers of as many as 30,000 at a time including the outdoor area.

How to get there?

The mosque is in Al Mohandiseen Street, Doha, south of the Corniche, nearby the Qatar Sports Club. Travellers can smoothly find their ways in the area, as locals around speak English, Arabic and urdu moreover visitors can also find suitable transportation to move within the city.

Inside the mosque

Basement: with an approximate area of about 3853 m 2. Includes wudhu (ablution) place and rest rooms, as well as the part for the machines

Ground floor: an area of about 12 117 m 2. Men’s main prayer hall, women’s special enclosure for ablutions and for other special needs there is a separate place.

Mezzanine floor: an area of about 2594 m2. Includes a prayer hall, ladies area and special prayer hall for the men, besides the library and halls for the memorization of the Quran, separately for both the genders.

Parking: nine parking spaces of about 300 cars and is spread over 14,877 square metres

VIP area: There is a special enclosure for VIP’s to pray.

Things to remember

• That it is inaccessible to non Muslims, however it’s a great place to take photographs
• All worshippers should respect the mosque by turning off their mobiles, food or beverages are not allowed into the facility, placing their shoes in the shoe racks and not to disturb other worshippers.
• Foreign tourists are not bound by the same dress code as Qatari Muslims; however it’s still essential to be sensitive to Qatari ideas of civility. Tourists should be especially cautious about choosing dressing suitably during their holy month of Ramadan.
• Any violators will be forced out of the mosque by the Security staff from the mosque office.

(Source: State Grand Mosque)