When someone you love is admitted to the hospital, the days blur together. Tests run late, visiting hours stretch into the evening, and it is easy to look up and realize Asr has come and gone. For Muslim patients, families and the many Muslim doctors, nurses and staff who work in Massachusetts hospitals, one practical question comes up again and again: where can I pray here?

The good news is that several of the state's largest hospitals have set aside space for Muslim prayer, and some hold a weekly Jumu'ah. Almost all of them have chaplains who can help with religious needs. We checked each hospital's own spiritual care pages for this guide. Rooms and times do change, so treat this as a starting point and confirm on site.

Mass General: a masjid room since 1999

Massachusetts General Hospital has one of the oldest hospital prayer rooms in the area. According to a 2006 Religion News Service report, Muslim staff prayed in the chapel until 1999, when a masjid room opened at their request. A mihrab showing the direction of Mecca was added in 2005. The hospital's chaplaincy director told the reporter that 100 to 200 people regularly attended Friday prayers in a reserved conference room.

Today, Mass General Brigham's chapel page says the MGH masjid is at Blake 192, with prayer rugs provided. Jumu'ah is held Fridays at 1 p.m. in the Yawkey 4820 conference room. The main chapel is on the first floor of the Ellison Building. MGH Spiritual Care says its team includes Muslim spiritual care providers, and it calls its services "free, private and confidential." You can reach the department at 617-726-2220 or MGHSpiritualCare@mgb.org.

Patients at Mass Eye and Ear, next door, are welcome to use the MGH chapel. Chaplain visits can be requested at 617-573-3550.

Brigham and Women's

At Brigham and Women's Hospital in the Longwood Medical Area, the masjid is on Lower Level One in Room CA102 (Lower Pike), and prayer rugs are provided. Jumu'ah is every Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the Duncan Reid Conference Room, outside the K elevators on the Upper Pike (2nd floor). For more information, the hospital lists 617-732-7480.

Boston Medical Center

Boston Medical Center, in the South End, says a chaplain is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After hours, the chaplain on call handles emergencies only. At any hour, the on-call chaplain sorts requests and, when appropriate, sends them to a faith-specific chaplain, and BMC names an imam as one example. Its spiritual care page lists a Muslim Chaplain reachable through pager #3658 or 617-638-6850. The interfaith chapel is on the second floor of the Menino Pavilion.

BMC's own list of reasons to call a chaplain includes help with "a religious observance or tradition while in the hospital," and it names dietary needs and fasting as examples. That is worth knowing if you are worried about food during a long stay.

For Friday prayer near the BMC campus, the Salaam Foundation's community list of Boston-area masjids shows a 1 p.m. Jumu'ah in rooms 226 and 726 at 100 E. Newton St., and a 12:15 p.m. Jumu'ah on the 7th floor of 650 Albany St. These are community listings rather than hospital announcements, so check before you go.

Boston Children's Hospital

For families with a child in the hospital, Boston Children's says its multi-faith chapel has the direction of the Qibla marked and is open at all times for daily prayer. Its spiritual care page also mentions a Boston prayer schedule, special offerings for Ramadan and other holy days, and additional Muslim resources. To reach a chaplain, call the page operator at 617-355-6363 or ask a member of your child's care team.

Beth Israel Deaconess

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has two interfaith chapels, Dooley Chapel on the West Campus and Wolfson Chapel on the East Campus. Both are open around the clock and hold sacred texts from a variety of traditions. BIDMC's page does not describe a separate masjid room or a hospital Jumu'ah, so if you need help finding a place to pray, ask your nurse to contact Spiritual Care or call 617-667-3030.

Outside Boston

Worcester: UMass Memorial Medical Center holds a weekly Jumu'ah on its University Campus, with the khutbah at 1:10 p.m. and salah at 1:25 p.m. in Room S7-402 of the Medical School. Chaplains are on the Memorial and University campuses daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. After that, ask the operator at 508-334-1000 to page the on-call chaplain.

Springfield: Baystate Medical Center offers interfaith chaplains 24 hours a day, and its chaplains say they will help connect patients with a religious leader of their own tradition. In a January 2025 hospital announcement about renovating the Interfaith Chapel, Rev. Ute Schmidt, manager of Spiritual Services, said the chapel is used by "our Muslim patients, families, and team members to pray daily." Spiritual Services is listed at 413-794-2899.

Other Mass General Brigham hospitals: Newton-Wellesley Hospital has an Interfaith Prayer Room open 24 hours a day on 2 West, near the ICU (chaplains at 617-243-6634). Spaulding Rehabilitation says its chaplains represent Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim traditions. Cooley Dickinson in Northampton says its chaplains are familiar with Muslim traditions, among others, and can be reached at 413-582-2869.

Practical tips for patients and families

  • Speak up early. Tell the nurse at admission that you are Muslim and what matters to you, such as prayer times, modesty, diet or fasting. Hospitals including BIDMC and UMass Memorial say the care team can request a chaplain for you.
  • Ask about food. None of the pages we checked promise halal meals, so ask the nurse or food services what is available. Before family brings food from home, check with the care team, since some patients are on special diets.
  • Pack a small kit. A travel prayer mat, a scarf or kufi, and a qibla app on your phone make it easier to pray in a room or a quiet corner.
  • Ease is part of the deen. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, told a companion who was ill, "Pray while standing and if you can't, pray while sitting and if you cannot do even that, then pray lying on your side" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1117). The Qur'an allows a person who is ill to fast missed days later (2:185) and allows tayammum, purifying with clean earth, when water can't be used (5:6). For your own situation, ask your imam or a trusted scholar.
  • Inviting your imam. You can usually invite your own imam to visit. Mass General Brigham says visiting clergy should bring clergy identification plus the patient's name and room number, and the name, address and phone number of their congregation. Some of its hospitals validate parking for visiting clergy.
  • When the news is hard. Chaplains can sit with families, pray with them and help reach community leaders. Our guides to Muslim funeral and burial in Massachusetts and mental health support may also help.

Prayer rooms in hospitals exist because people asked for them. Muslim staff at Mass General pushed for theirs more than 25 years ago, and chaplains across the state now treat a patient's faith as part of their care. If your hospital is not listed here, or a room has moved, let us know through our contact page so we can keep this guide accurate for the next family who needs it.

Header photo: the main entrance of Massachusetts General Hospital, by Kenneth C. Zirkel, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).