The mosque is believed by Muslims to be the place where the final Islamic prophet, Muhammad, received the command to change the Qibla (direction of prayer) from Jerusalem to Mecca.

– Quran 2:144 (translated by Mustafa Khattab)[10]A hadith from Sahih Bukhari[11] says: Narrated Ibn Umar: While some people were offering Fajr prayer at Quba' (mosque), some-one came to them and said, "Tonight some Qur'anic Verses have been revealed to the Prophet and he has been ordered to face the Kaaba (during prayers), so you too should turn your faces towards it."

Living accommodations for the Imam, the Muezzin and the caretaker are discretely grouped in one block to the west of the main structure.

Entry to the prayer hall is from the raised courtyard, also to the north, which can be reached by stairs and ramps from the main directions of approach.

[12] The main dome to the south is raised on a drum of clerestory windows which allow light to filter into the interior directly above the mihrab.

Externally, the architectural vocabulary is inspired by traditional elements and motifs in a deliberate effort to offer an authentic image for the historic site.