The mosque was founded around 635 during the era of the second Caliph Umar, on the outskirts of Basra right before the conquest of the city.

The reconstructed building, however, was destroyed again during the Abbasid era due to the great flood which submerged the city of Basra.

Due to the religious importance of the mosque, the site became a location of many massacres of Arab pilgrims, especially during the Zanj Rebellion.

[3] In the early 2010s, there were plans to expand the mosque to cover an area of 200 dunums and rebuild it to look like its original form with the addition of six minarets, sixteen doors, and a large courtyard for prayer.

According to Ali al-Baghdadi, who's the man in charge of the mosque, the gatherings include people from all over Iraqi cities, and the Arabian peninsula, in addition to visitors and tourists from Iran, Pakistan, and India.