Masjid al-Jinn in Makkah: the story and how to visit

The story in the Qur’an

Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ in Surah al-Jinn: “Say: it has been revealed to me that a group of jinn listened, and said, ‘We have heard a wonderful Qur’an, which guides to the right way, so we have believed in it’” (72:1–2).

Surah al-Ahqaf adds that this group went back to their people as warners, calling them to answer Allah’s call (46:29–31). The jinn are a creation of Allah that we cannot see, and some of them believe and some do not.

Why the mosque has this name

By old tradition, the mosque stands near the place where the Prophet ﷺ met the jinn in Makkah, or where they pledged their faith. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (RA) reported that a tree told the Prophet ﷺ about the jinn on the night they heard the Qur’an (Bukhari 3859).

The exact spot of each event is known from history and tradition, not from the Qur’an. That is enough reason to remember the story here, but not a reason to believe the place has a special ritual.

Where it is

• On the road between Masjid al-Haram and the al-Ma’la cemetery, in the north of central Makkah
• About a kilometre and a half from the Haram: a short taxi or bus ride, or a long walk in cooler weather
• Next to it is al-Ma’la (Jannat al-Mu’alla), where Khadijah (RA), the Prophet’s ﷺ first wife, is buried
• The present building is modern and fairly small, with a tall minaret, among hotels and offices

Visiting: what to know

• It is a normal working mosque. Join a prayer if you are there at prayer time
• Pray two rak’ahs of tahiyyat al-masjid when you enter, if it is not a disliked time
• There is no special du’a, no special reward and no ritual tied to this mosque, so do not pay anyone for “special prayers” here
• Many pilgrims combine it with a visit to al-Ma’la, where you can make du’a for the believers buried there, from outside the graves
• Go early in the day in summer; the streets around it are busy and hot by midday