Grand Mosque Khald Bn Alwlyd

Within the district of Ras Beirut in the Lebanese capital, Jami Khalid ibn al Walid honours one of the greatest commanders of early Islamic history, may God be pleased with him. Khalid ibn al Walid, born in Mecca around 592 and passing in Homs around 642, earned from the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, the noble epithet Sayf Allah al Maslul, the Drawn Sword of God. His military genius guided the believers through the decisive battles of Mu'ta, Yarmouk, and Ullais, opening the lands of Syria to the call of Islam in just a few patient campaigns.

Beirut itself has been a city of the faith since the seventh century when Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan made it a naval base of the Umayyad caliphate. The Ras Beirut neighbourhood, built along the coastal promontory where the lighthouse of Manara rises above the Mediterranean, emerged in the late Ottoman period and became home to some of Lebanon's most cherished educational institutions, including the American University of Beirut founded in 1866. Muslim families have lived alongside Christian and Druze neighbours across the quarter for generations, sharing the same coastal air and the same steaming glasses of Turkish coffee poured at every small cafe along the corniche.

Architecturally, the building reflects the Lebanese urban style of the twentieth century. Warm sandstone walls, a central dome, a tall slender minaret whose adhan carries across the sea from the corniche to the old lighthouse, a carpeted prayer hall with a mihrab of carved marble, and a courtyard planted with jasmine shelter worshippers for the five daily prayers. A library in an adjoining room holds volumes on the life of Khalid, the Futuh al Buldan of al Baladhuri, and modern Lebanese works on early Islamic history.

This page provides accurate prayer times for Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha at Jami Khalid ibn al Walid, along with the Ras Beirut address and practical notes for visitors arriving from the downtown souks, from the ancient Roman baths near the Grand Serail, or from the corniche promenade where families gather at sunset to share grilled corn and the salt breeze. Friday khutbahs draw large gatherings of worshippers from across the capital, and during Ramadan the congregation breaks its fast together with tables of fattoush, kibbeh, and sweet knafeh. Travellers walking the jewel streets of the Lebanese capital are warmly invited to step inside, pray with the gentle Beiruti believers, and remember in their supplications the noble commander whose trust in God carried the faith to the blessed heart of the ancient Syrian coast with dignity and valour forever.