The Prophet's Mosque as a Blueprint for Community Development

In this paper, I will discuss the significance of the Prophet's mosque in Madinah as a catalyst for a good socialization, which, in turn, proved vital for the holistic development of the nascent Muslim community. The paper deals with the meaning of the concept of the mosque while analyzing the variety of the socio-political and religious roles of the Prophet's mosque. Those roles later evolved into independent institutions some of which physically remained attached to the mosque proper in the latter's capacity as a "mother institution", while the others physically went away from the mosque but remained spiritually and functionally connected to it. The main roles and functions performed by the Prophet's mosque revolved around it being a centre for congregational worship practices, a learning centre, the seat of the Prophet's government, a welfare and charity centre, a detention and rehabilitation centre, a place for medical treatment and nursing, and a place for some leisure activities.