The highest point, which is below the dome, is equivalent to a 25 storey building. The cavernous hall has no fans or air conditioners and is ventilated by land and lake breezes wafting across the verandah, mashrabiyah or vertical grills, ventillation ducts on the columns and openings above the stained glass windows. These features combine to provide a cool and comfortable prayer area. The 'hoods' surrounding the dome and the covered verandah, meanwhile, help reduce glare and driving rain which are commonplace in Malaysia's tropical climate. The hall has a capacity for 8,000 men on the ground level and 2,000 women in the gallery, where they sit behind a finely crafted timber screen.
Lobby lifts transport female congregants to the gallery overlooking the main prayer hall.
The Sahn or Courtyard, with the minaret When the prayer hall is full, congregants gather in the sahn or paved courtyard. It is in front of the prayer hall and can accomodate up to 5,000 congregants. The open courtyard is landscaped and contains several decorative water features. The remaining sides of the sahn are bordered by colonnades with the umbrella-shaped roof found in Malaysia's Masjid Negara, the national mosque. The high point here is the 116 metre minaret, which is influenced by the design in the Sheikh Oman mosque in Baghdad.