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Muslim Student Association
Northern Virginia Community College
Annandale Campus

by Susannah Joseph

I have always had friends that were Muslim but I never took an effort in knowing more about their religion. I became very interested in the religion when we started studying it in class. I was really fascinated with it. It is such a beautiful religion. I wanted to know more about it so that is why I chose to go to a mosque as my second encounter with a religion. 

I started asking my Muslim friends to take me with them to their worshiping center. Two of my friends were more than happy to take me to show me how their religion is like. We chose to go to the Muslim Worship Center at the Annandale Nova campus. We decided to go to a noon prayer on a Friday since that is the day most Muslims go to the Mosque anyways. Of course I was really nervous because unlike the last encounter to a church that was a different denomination than mine, Islam is a completely different religion itself. My only reconciliation is that my being a Syrian Orthodox Christian, we have a lot of similarities with Islam but that is only culture-wise. 

Let me start at the beginning. I woke up really nervous even more than the last time I went for an encounter with a religion. I had asked my friend the day before what to wear, she told me to dress modestly not to show anything. I dressed appropriately and she came with one of our other friends to pick me up. At this point I am really tense about what's going to happen. When we get in the car, my other friend Raheel asks me why I have makeup on then he looked at my fingers and said, "You have nail-polish on too!!" By then I was in panic-mode because I did not know that things like that mattered, it's something I never even thought of. So, I immediately wipe of my lipstick. We drive to Annandale and I am asking them continuous questions about my behavior and meanings and types of prayer. They answer me very patiently because I think they were glad about my curiosity.

Finally we get to Annandale, my friend and I go to a Student Muslim association office. That is where we go to get our robes. She grabs two robes and two scarves then she takes me through some hallways until we reach outside the classroom where the prayers are going to take place. We are standing outside and she is putting on her robe and scarf. I'm just watching because I want to put my scarf in a way that covers me like she does. Then she helps me put it on and we finally go inside the classroom. 

The first thing I notice is that there is about ten desks put together through the middle of the classroom to separate the men from the women. The men of course are in the front section and the women in the back. I'm guessing it is arranged that way so the women do not have their backside facing the men while they prostrate in prayer. It was weird to watch things I learned in class in action such as the reason for the arrangement of the men and women. Well, I saw Raheel up in front with the men and he had a small white toupee sort of hat on his head. Many of the men had it on. While the women were assembling into a line in the back some of the men had started their prayers. I am not quite sure what this is called but what some people were doing is first covering their face with their hands then bending down and touching their knees with their hands. They would stay like that for a minute. The prayer leader started, the one thing that was interesting was that the people that were not done doing that little ritual would continue to do it even though the prayer leader had started. The prayer leader started talking about the Prophet Mohammed and his words. He talked of Ramadan and what it stands for. I noticed that we started out with at the most 20 people at the beginning of the prayer but more and more people joined. There were people there of every color and race and it was so amazing to see that kind of variety in this religion because I've always thought of it and known it as a middle-eastern and Arab religion. 

The prayer leader finished his sermon, and then he started chanting in Arabic. At that time we all stood up and faced the front. Some of the men started chanting with him. After the chanting everyone bend down and touched their knees with their hands. I noticed that some people were saying a prayer while they were doing that. I think they did this about three times. Then every one started the kneeling down and doing the prostrating prayer. I was very uncomfortable because I had sat in the middle next to my friend and I was not doing the prostrating prayer and I sort of broke the line and I felt very uncomfortable about it. Everyone did the prayer again about three times, while they were praying they were whispering a prayer. After that we were done. 

The one thing I wont forget is that after we had finished the prayer, the girl next to me said something. She told me that the next time I come I would probably have to sit in the corner or at the end of the line because other wise it will mess up their prayer order because every one has to be close and touching either when they are praying. I apologized but my friend said that it is usually like that at conventional Mosques but a lot of women especially with kids do what I did and sit there. I still felt bad but I was ignorant to the fact and I had apologized. 

We left the campus and headed home. I noticed a difference in both of my friends. They had become quieter and more reserved since we got out of prayer. I also noticed that both of them took couple of minutes in the car to say one of their prayers for Ramadan. 

In conclusion, I am very satisfied with my trip to the Islamic ways. I have a very strong newfound respect for every Muslim now. I must say I saw an incredible amount of faith from each and every one of the people that I saw at prayer that day. I'm so fortunate that I could partake in such a gathering. 

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