|
ASALAM-U-ALIKUM I've always been interested in learning more about the Muslim religion. One of my best friends, Saba Khan, who I have known since 6th grade was kind enough to invite me to her mosque on Wednesday night to hear, observe, and learn more about her religion, since I expressed to her my desire to learn more about her religion. The mosque we went to was the Adams Center off of Route 7, next to the Bridal Shop. I actually was not aware that the mosque was there because it's located above the Bridal Shop, with the entrance to the mosque next to the Bridal Shop. We agreed to meet at the mosque and after parking our cars, we walked into the building, climbing three flights of stairs, and then I noticed a long hallway. I let Saba proceed first since I was a bit nervous and had no expectations as this was my first experience. When entering the building, I first observed my surroundings. I took into view that there were posters hung on the walls reflecting the weekly/daily schedule for various prayers. Then we walked by an Muslim family at the public cubbies where they were taking off their socks and shoes. I noticed that each of the girls, including the mother, was wearing a wrap around their head. I then inquired of my friend Saba why she wasn't wearing a wrap and she said that she forgot to wear it but that it is customary in their religion for the women to wear one. Next, before the service began, Saba took me into the ladies room to freshen up before we attended the prayer service. The bathroom was nice and was very well maintained. I noticed a display of brochures on the wall about different issues such as pregnancy, spousal abuse, child care, etc. I wasn't too surprised about the display of the brochures since a lot of churches/mosques stress the importance of these issues but what was interesting was the fact that each brochure was written in English. I then asked Saba why none of the brochures were in the Islam language. Saba explained to me that it was not unusual for the brochures to be in English, as the prayers were also given in English and the reason for this is because of the fact that there are actually many different Islam languages and not just one. I was truly beginning to see into the Islam religion. I found this very interesting because I thought all Islam people spoke Arabic but that's not true. Saba told me that she can actually speak 2 different Islam languages and just a little Arabic. We then adventured into the prayer room. There were approximately 10 people attending the service. Saba was trying to explain everything to me in whispers during the service in order not to disturb anyone. During the service, I noticed that there was a long gate type fence dividing the room in two sections. I inquired as to the purpose of the gate and the reason for it and she replied that it divides the men and women. I thought it was unique to see men and women praying separately, as I had never imagined this before. She continued to explain that the men pray in the front and women pray in the back because in their religion the man is the head of the household and carries the most power, respect, and dignity. This is completely different than the Christian religion because everyone just sits wherever and we are not divided by gender. I wasn't quite sure whether I found this to be an attribute that I would enjoy or not since I had never experienced this before and didn't want to feel like I was less than a man. It was extremely quiet in the room except for the few children that were talking and crying. During the service, I observed the follower's gestures and how they prayed. I glanced around and noticed that everyone was on the carpeted floor bowed down on their knees. During their prayer, they continuously sat up, leaned down, sat up, leaned down, and continued this process. As they leaned down their foreheads were touching the floor and Saba explained to me that it was expected to pray in that fashion. Watching the behavior of the Islam people on their knees praying reminded me of praying in a Christian church. We pray on our knees the same way as the Islam people, except that we don't have the continuous up and down movements. At this time, I had so many questions for Saba and I didn't know where to start first. But she gladly offered lots of patience and happily answered each one of them for me. One of the greatest questions I had was in regards to their higher being and what they called their god. She replied that all Middle-Eastern, Indian, and Pakistani people believed in the same God that Christian people worship with the exception of calling him Allah which is an Arabic name. I was stunned and nearly fell over when she told me that she worshipped the same God I did. I always believed that the Islam people worshipped many gods like the Hindu people. I told her that was a very interesting and fascinating fact and she just laughed at my amazement.
Saba explained to me a little about the Juma prayer. During the prayer, there is usually a leader that proceeds to the front and says a couple of prayers for everyone. Thereafter, there is a quiet time where everyone will pray for themselves. Then, the leader begins another prayer while everyone listens and privately talks to God. It was mesmerizing when Saba told me that during individual prayer, followers will twirl their pointing finger around and around to keep away devils and bad spirits. She also noted that there are times when they may stand and pray. When they stand they must place both hands just below their chest (right above their stomach) and stand up completely straight, stressing that it is extremely impolite if one slouches. In conclusion, the Islam religion completely impressed me and I found it very interesting. I am so pleased that I went with my friend Saba because I felt much more comfortable asking questions of her than a complete stranger. Attending a service and asking questions of someone whom you don't know, you always run into the possibility of offending someone by not phrasing the question exactly right. But with Saba, I knew that whatever questions I had would be answered and no offense would be done. However, there is still so much to learn about this religion and I asked her if perhaps I could attend service with her again at a future date. Afterwards, Saba apologized because of the lack of activity taken place at the mosque that night but informed me that it is better to attend on a Friday because that's when all the prayers take place. One thing I did want to mention was the fact that the people were extremely kind. Not once was I treated differently or frowned upon for being an outsider. I felt like part of the family of worshipers and I was welcomed into their mosque. Even though I didn't get to observe many of the religious activities that take place within their mosque, Saba taught me a lot about the religion and explained everything thoroughly. The most intriguing part of the entire religion was the gate and how the men and women were separated. I believe that that aspect of their religion reflects the man's responsibility towards family, and the respect that men are provided by the women. So in conclusion to my religious experience, Walaikum-U-Salam (may god keep you in good health; response to Asalam-U-Alikum). |
||||
| Created by Laura Ellen Shulman |
Last updated: December 2002
|