Assad took part in prayers at the Al-Kheir mosque, in Muhajarin, near his home in northwest Damascus.
State television showed Assad being greeted by Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun and, at the end of prayers, being surrounded by scores of well-wishers keen to shake his hand.
In his sermon to the people, the mosque's imam, Mohammad As-Sawan, referred to the unrest in the country which has reportedly killed 170,000 people and called for an end to the urest, AFP reported.