<P> A mosque (/ mɒsk /; from Arabic: مَـسْـجِـد ‎, translit . masjid) is a place of worship for Muslims . There are strict and detailed requirements in Sunni jurisprudence (Arabic: فِـقْـه ‎, fiqh) for a place of worship to be considered a mosque, with places that do not meet these requirements regarded as musallas . There are stringent restrictions on the uses of the area formally demarcated as the mosque (which is often a small portion of the larger complex), and in the Islamic Sharī'ah (Arabic: شَـرِيْـعَـة ‎, Law), after an area is formally designated as a mosque, it remains so until the Last Day . </P> <P> Many mosques have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in varying styles of architecture . Mosques originated on the Arabian Peninsula, but are now found in all inhabited continents . The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for Ṣalāh (Arabic: صَـلَاة ‎, meaning "prayer") as well as a center for information, education, social welfare, and dispute settlement . The Imām (Arabic: إِمَـام ‎, Leader) leads the congregation in prayer . </P> <P> The word' mosque' entered the English language from the French word mosqueé that was probably derived from Italian moschea, a variant of Italian moscheta, from either Middle Armenian մզկիթ (mzkit') or Medieval Greek: μασγίδιον (masgídion) or Spanish mezquita, from Arabic: مَـسْـجِـد ‎, translit . masjid (meaning "place of worship" or "prostration in prayer"), either from Nabataean masg dhā́ or from Arabic Arabic: سَـجَـدَ ‎, translit . sajada (meaning "to bow down in prayer"), probably ultimately from Aramaic s ghēdh . </P> <P> The first mosque in the world is often considered to be the area around the Ka'bah (Arabic: كَـعْـبَـة ‎,' Cube') in Mecca, which is now known as Al - Masjid Al - Ḥarâm (Arabic: ٱلْـمَـسْـجِـد الْـحَـرَام ‎, the Sacred Mosque). A Hadith in Sahih al - Bukhari states that the Kaaba was the First Mosque on Earth, and the Second Mosque was the Temple in Jerusalem . Since as early as 638 AD, the Sacred Mosque has been expanded on several occasions to accommodate the increasing number of Muslims who either live in the area or make the annual pilgrimage known as Ḥajj (Arabic: حَـجّ ‎) to the city . Others regard the first mosque in history to be the Quba Mosque in present - day Medina since it was the first structure built by Muhammad upon his emigration from Mecca in 622, though the Mosque of the Companions in the Eritrean city of Massawa may have been constructed at around the same time . </P>

The word masjid (mosque) literally means a place of