There is no doubt that any society whose mosques are more populated—through attendance at congregational prayers and Friday prayers—will face fewer material and spiritual corruptions; life there will be healthier and more wholesome.
Whoever walks toward the mosque intending to attend the congregational prayer, God rewards him with seventy thousand good deeds for each step he takes, and his ranks are elevated by the same amount.
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his Household) said:
“Whoever walks to a mosque seeking its congregation, for every step he takes he will have seventy thousand good deeds, and his ranks will be raised by the same. If he dies on that way, God will appoint seventy thousand angels to visit him in his grave, give him glad tidings, console him in his loneliness, and seek forgiveness for him until the Day of Resurrection.”
(Sources cited in the Persian original: Wasā’il al-Shīʿa; Amālī Ṭūsī.)
When life’s pressures and incidents produce sorrow for someone, he should perform wudu (ablution), enter the mosque, and pray two rak‘ahs; then call upon God. Have you not heard God say: “And seek help through patience and prayer”? (Qur’an 2:45).
Imam Sādiq (may God be pleased with him) said that when worldly worries press upon someone, he should make ablution, go to the mosque, perform two units of prayer, and supplicate God.
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his Household) also said:
“Mosques are the homes of the God-fearing; and for those whose homes are the mosques, God will seal them with spirit and mercy and grant them passage over the Sirāt (the bridge) to Paradise.”
(Kanz al-ʿUmmāl and other collections.)
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his Household) said:
Every night the Angel of Death calls: ‘O people of the graves, whom do you envy today?’ The dead reply: ‘We envy only the believers in their mosques.’
(Arshād al-Qulūb, etc.)
When calamities and afflictions descend upon the world, those who frequent the mosques are safeguarded.
Imam Ali (may God ennoble his face) said that five things illuminate the heart: frequent recitation of “Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad,” speaking little, sitting with scholars, praying at night, and walking to mosques.
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his Household) also said that a person who does not join the congregational prayer in the mosque with the Muslims, without a valid excuse, his prayer will not be accepted.
Imam Ali was asked who is “the neighbor of the mosque.” He replied: “The one who hears the adhan (call to prayer).” He added that if someone lives close enough to hear the call, he should attend in the mosque.
Imam Bāqir (may God be pleased with him) said: God forgives the mu’adhdhin (caller to prayer) according to the range of his sight and the reach of his voice in the heavens; every dry and moist thing that hears his voice testifies for him. For every person who prays in the mosque with him the mu’adhdhin receives a share of reward, and for every person who prays at his voice he gets a good deed.
When God sends down a trial from the sky, those who carry the Qur’an, those who observe the times of prayer, and those who fill the mosques with attendance, are saved from it.
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his Household) said:
“Mosques have pegs (steadfast people) whom the angels sit with; if they are absent the angels seek them out; if they fall ill, the angels visit them; if they are in need, the angels help them.”
(Bihar al-Anwār, etc.)
Imam Sādiq (may God be pleased with him) urged: “Be frequent visitors of the mosques, for they are God’s houses on earth. Whoever comes to them in a state of purity, God purifies him of his sins and writes him among their visitors.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his Household) brought glad tidings to those who go to the mosques in the darkness of night that they will have full light on the Day of Resurrection.
When afflictions or disasters descend, the mosque-goers are safe from them. The mosque, filled and maintained by worshippers, becomes a center of spiritual and social protection.
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his Household) also stated that those who live by the mosques and keep them alive are granted special blessings; negligent absence from congregational prayer without excuse jeopardizes acceptance of one’s prayer.
Imam Bāqir’s wording underscores the high status of the mu’adhdhin and of those who respond to the call: God forgives the mu’adhdhin, grants him a share from every worshipper who prays at his call, and recognizes his effort.
The narrations present several concrete benefits for those who regularly attend and sustain mosques:
Forgiveness of sins for those who enter the mosque in a state of purity.
The recording of one’s name among the visitors of God.
Angelic companionship, care in illness, and intercession by angels.
Protection from certain trials and collective afflictions when communities maintain active mosques.
Spiritual elevation: walking to the mosque, attending congregational prayer, and performing extra worship (especially at night) are repeatedly praised.
Great reward for the mu’adhdhin and for those who answer the call to prayer.
Imam Sādiq (may God be pleased with him) and many other traditions encourage people to frequent mosques and to keep them alive, reminding believers that mosques are God’s houses on earth and that Allah honors those who honor His House.
Conclusion: The classical narrations emphasize profound spiritual, social, and eschatological rewards for filling and maintaining mosques—both as personal acts of devotion and as communal safeguards. Regular mosque attendance, participation in congregational prayer, and respect for the adhan are repeatedly associated with forgiveness, angelic companionship, divine protection, and elevated ranks in the hereafter.
