With a mission to be more than just a place of prayer, the facility has also hosted a variety of events for the entire community since it first opened, offering a diverse range of activities for those who seek to gain knowledge. The Minaretein building is also home to Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Islamic Studies (CIS), which provides a unique platform that contributes to critical intellectual debates on Islam in a global context through its blended academic programs and an immersive learning experience.

The spiral building plan and multiple routes connecting the school to the mosque reflect the notion that all knowledge ultimately derives from faith. In 2017, the building, formerly known as the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, won the American Architecture Prize for Educational Buildings, Cultural Architecture, and Institutional Architecture. In 2016, it was nominated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for its inaugural international prize. In 2015, it won the Best Religious Building prize at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Singapore.