COMMUNITY EVALUATION OF MOSQUE FACILITIES IMPACTING CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER ATTENDANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION IN MOSQUES IN KELANTAN

Abstract

Infrastructure is a fundamental service and facility needed for every aspect of development and progress. This includes the mosque's facilities such as prayer spaces, both inside and outside the mosque, cleanliness, and other factors that are crucial for the community to perform congregational prayers in the mosques. However, studies related to mosque infrastructure have received insufficient attention. Therefore, this study aims to assess the level of mosque infrastructure based on the assessment of mosque congregants and the influence of mosque infrastructure on the attendance and implementation of congregational prayers in mosques in the state of Kelantan. A total of 618 data were obtained from mosque congregants in Kelantan, which were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS 3.0 software. The study findings indicate that a) the community's assessment of mosque infrastructure is high (M=6.12 to 6.38; SD: 0.940 to 1.113), and b) there is a positive and significant influence of mosque infrastructure on the implementation of congregational prayers in mosques (ß=.711, t=20.974, p<0.01, f2=0.122). Based on the IPMA analysis in PLS, religious activity facilities and equipment are the most important factors of mosque infrastructure that influence the attendance and implementation of congregational prayers in mosques, followed by cleanliness, cheerfulness, and safety of mosque facilities, visitor-friendly mosque facilities, and efficient mosque staff management. These findings demonstrate that all these elements of mosque infrastructure influence the congregants' attendance for performing congregational prayers in mosques in the state of Kelantan. It is recommended that mosque management and relevant authorities prioritize these aspects to encourage more congregants to attend mosques in Kelantan.