The Mosque of the Jinn

The Mosque of the Jinn stands near the cemetery of Mecca al-Mukarramah, about 2 km north of the Masjid al-Haram, on a hill overlooking the city. Since watchmen responsible for the security of Mecca traditionally gathered here from early times to change guard, it is also known as "Masjid al-Hurras" (the Mosque of the Guards).

The Prophet (s.a.w.) used to recite the Qur'an at various times and places in order to convey the revelation to the jinn. One day, while going with Abdullah ibn Mas'ud to a place near Hajun, he drew a line on the ground and asked him not to cross it, while he recited the Qur'an to the jinn on the far side of the line. For this reason the place was called "the spot of the line," and the mosque later built there was named the Mosque of the Jinn. Three years before the Hijrah, on his return from Ta'if, the Prophet (s.a.w.) prayed the dawn prayer on the plot of this mosque. Seven of the jinn who heard the Qur'an he recited during the prayer came to believe. Because these seven jinn, whose names are still recorded on a wall of the mosque, pledged their allegiance to the Prophet (s.a.w.) at this spot, it is also called "Masjid al-Bay'ah" (the Mosque of the Pledge).

The first mosque on this site was built in 1700 by an architect named Ibrahim Agha, who had come to Mecca al-Mukarramah. The mosque last built in 1943 (1362 AH) was demolished and rebuilt in the year 2000.