Flight From the Masjid

[Darqawi]

Flight From the Masjid

 

By Imam Zaid Shakir

 

One of the noblest and most beneficial institutions in the history of humanity has been the Masjid (Mosque). It was in the Masjid that the great scholars of Islam were first shaped: linguists, jurists, theologians, saints, and countless devout worshippers. The Masjid has produced men and women who have left an indelible mark on the world. It was around the Masjid that the great universities, hospitals, observatories, hostels, and the other institutions that became the hallmarks of the great Islamic civilizational enterprise appeared. The Masjid has always been the heart of the Islamic community, serving as a house of worship, an educational center, a center for the dispensing of valuable social services, a meeting place, and a place of solace and refuge.

 

Unfortunately, today in America, we find many Muslims who have either left, or were never fully involved in the life of the Masjid. There are many reasons for this regrettable situation. The purpose of this article is to examine some of those reasons, and to suggest some measures that may prove beneficial in overcoming them.

 

One of the greatest causes of the flight from the Masjid is ignorance. This ignorance begins with a lack of knowledge concerning the very word itself. If asked, how many Muslims would be able to define “Masjid,†linguistically and legally? This may seem a trivial point, however, the meaning of the word is intrinsically associated with its principal function. If we were all more cognizant of the primary function of the Masjid, we would possibly be more careful to avoid some of the questionable practices, which commonly occur in them. Many of those practices, as we will seek to explain in this article, are instrumental in the flight from the Masjid.

 

Read the whole article from http://www.zaytuna.org/articleDetails.asp?articleID=24

[- Femme -]

Excellent article, thanks for sharing Darqawi. I agree with everything the author said. Especially masjids not catering to the needs of the people. There should be programs designed to attract women and youth to the masjid, which I find sadly lacking. Most masjids have Dugsi Quran, but there should also be Islamic History, Fiqh, Aqeedah and Arabic language lessons taught. We need all these and I don't understand why it's not being offered. Knowledgeable brothers and sister should also volunteer and help the masjid out as much as they are able to. You can't just take and not give back.

 

My local Masjid is very clean but we do have a big problem with women sitting around and gossiping amongst each other, letting their out of control chilren run around, and distrub the people listening to the lecture or lesson. How many times have I wanted to body slam them to the ground. It's really sad. We usually leave the majid, without hearing half of what the Imam said, and a big fat headache to boot.

[ElPunto]

Originally posted by Scarlet:

Excellent article, thanks for sharing Darqawi. I agree with everything the author said. Especially masjids not catering to the needs of the people. There should be programs designed to attract women and youth to the masjid, which I find sadly lacking. Most masjids have Dugsi Quran, but there should also be Islamic History, Fiqh, Aqeedah and Arabic language lessons taught. We need all these and I don't understand why it's not being offered. Knowledgeable brothers and sister should also volunteer and help the masjid out as much as they are able to. You can't just take and not give back.

I get your point about having a more broad based program of knowledge and making sure that the Masjid is welcoming and accomodating especially of the women. But I didn't like the word 'attract' u used. This religion is for ppl's benefit and we shouldn't glam it up or sex it up to appeal to wayward ppl. It reminds of a clip that I saw recently on CNN - where Jewish synagogues are offering a cocktail/social hour before services to attract the young, professional and harried. Wierd - a religion should have it's own bedrock attraction and sensibility.

 

My local Masjid is very clean but we do have a big problem with women sitting around and gossiping amongst each other, letting their out of control chilren run around, and distrub the people listening to the lecture or lesson. How many times have I wanted to body slam them to the ground. It's really sad. We usually leave the majid, without hearing half of what the Imam said, and a big fat headache to boot.

Please do body slam down - I beg of you. Something needs to be done - Imams plead with them to stop and nothing happens. Seriously, we need bouncers - just grab the mother and child and eject them.

[- Femme -]

But I didn't like the word 'attract' u used. This religion is for ppl's benefit and we shouldn't glam it up or sex it up to appeal to wayward ppl.

I didn't mean it that way. I meant that people are not given options in the Masjid, if all that is being offered is Quran lessons for children and prayer services (which are important in of themselves), many people would rather stay home or do other things. But if things that benefit them, that they could contribute in, and actually learn from (again most people who come to the masjid know how to read the Qur'an and have considerable chapters memorized, but how many know the meaning of what they're uttering? Very, very few), then they would come I believe. I would love to have lectures offered in masjid apart from the Jumca and friday nights that they typically do. I would love it and would come regularly if arabic language lessons were given and etc. But people don't have the time, funds, or maybe the interest to initiate these programs.

 

I still believe masjids should me made 'attractive' for the believers, it's too important not to.

[ElPunto]

^^^OK - I guess semantic difference. Yeah - definitely should cater to the needs of believers but I guess the way I understood attract was more in the vien of the synagogue thingy.