I love my masjid

Yesterday my Friday afternoon class was cancelled, so I decided to go spend the rest of the day at my favorite masjid. I am so glad I went, Alhamdulillah, because the khutbah, given by a sheikh from England at jummah, was amazing. It talked about how Islam is not a religion that requires blind faith, but too many Muslims often treat it this way. The sheikh said that too often, Muslims will do certain things or believe certain things because they feel like they "have to" or because they're following what their families taught them; instead, we must question our faith. We must question why we believe what we believe, instead of simply following what other people tell us to do. This is, I believe, an extremely important lesson; Islam is all about ikhlas (sincerity), and doing things or believing things "just because" or "because we have to" is often devoid of actually caring about it. It is obviously important to follow ALLAH's commands, but simply following them without understanding and appreciating the spirit behind them makes them lose their meaning. Unfortunately, I didn't take any notes during the khutbah so I know I'm missing many other good points made, but I thought you all might appreciate this since there has been discussion recently about questioning one's personal faith. I really appreciated that the sheikh said that this is okay to do in Islam; in fact, questioning why we do things can even be beneficial because it forces us to examine our reasons behind things and to purify our intentions. I feel like this khutbah might have caused a stir at some masjids because of its call for people to question things, but Alhamdulillah my masjid is very into emphasizing the spirit behind our duties.

Later in the evening, I was sitting in the cafe across the hall from the prayer space (the masjid is actually a cultural center, consisting of the musallah, a cafe, two stores, a school, and spaces for community activities) talking with friends. On a couple of the tables, I found a small stack of cards placed there. They said:
"ALLAH is One. He has no son. He was not born. He is the Everlasting, Eternal Creator and Sustainer of the universe. His Mercy encompasses all, everywhere and at all times. If you want anything, ask Him only. No one else has the power to help you. No matter how much you might love them or fear them, they cannot help you or hurt you unless ALLAH allows it. ALLAH's Word is the Qur'an, whose message was revealed in stages to all Prophets. This Message has never changed for those who follow the truth the Prophets brought--ALLAH is One. Worship Him only and He will bring you peace when all around you seems wrong. He is still in control. He holds every atom in place, surely He can fix any problem for you, just call Him--start now, see what will happen. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, the All-Mighty ALLAH! ALLAHu Akbar, Alhamdulillah!"

Subhanallah, such a simple message, but it captured the essence of Islam in one short paragraph. I especially loved the sentences about ALLAH bringing us peace "when all around us seems wrong"; indeed, it is often when things are craziest and most chaotic that we realize that ALLAH is As-Salaam, the Source of Peace. I'm sure the cards were meant for non-Muslim visitors to the cafe (the masjid is open to everyone, and non-Muslims often come to eat at the cafe and visit the musallah) as a quick introduction to Islam, but they also served as a great reminder to Muslims. It's things like this--sheikhs that give khutbahs encouraging us to think; cards with reminders of ALLAH's Loving Care; the welcoming, respectful atmosphere towards everyone (Muslims and non-Muslims); women praying in the same room as men and not stuffed into a small, nasty space; women and converts not being treated as second-class citizens--that make me so grateful for my masjid, Alhamdulillah. I don't think I could have picked a better one to attend. Honestly, I would like to get married and raise my family here in Boston primarily so we would have access to this masjid and my kids could grow up in such a great Islamic environment, Insha'Allah.

More blog posts coming soon, Insha'Allah. :)