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Name
Hasan
-
Profession
Question
Why not mosques in the West adopt a wider perspective by targeting all people Muslims and non-Muslims alike, sharing with them their human concerns and joys? I think it would be very useful if mosques interact positively with the societies they are in and not be exclusively for Muslims.
Answer
This is a very interesting approach and we thank you for joining us in this live dialogue.
Actually, the situation in America at least is improving in the last few years with more and more Muslim communities engaging in open houses for their masajid. People of other faiths from a particular city are invited to visit the masjid. The program essentially entails having a brief talk about Islam, followed by a tour of the masjid and perhaps some light refreshments.
People have the chance to ask questions and to witness first-hand the peaceful setting of the masjid. If more and more people of other faiths are able to come into the masjid, to talk to other Muslims, and to ask questions about the religion, the masjid architecture, its programs and activities, etc., then insha'allah, we hope that at least there will be less misconceptions about just what the Muslims believe and exactly what goes on behind the masjid walls. If the open house hours happen to coincide with an appointed Prayer time, then the people of other faiths have a chance to observe the Muslims praying as well. And Allah knows best.
Name
MF
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Profession
Question
In your opinion what are the most obstacles or problems that hinders mosques from playing its positive role among Muslim communities and in the Western society at large?
Answer
May Allah reward you for joining this live dialogue and for this insightful question.
There are at least three possible sources of problems which hinder the masjid from being able to play a positive role in the Muslim community and indeed in the Western society at large.
First, some Muslims themselves are very limited in their knowledge of what the activities can and cannot be held or sponsored in the masjid. Therefore, even if a person was to make a suggestion about a new program or activity, sometimes, it is the Muslim community itself, due to its own limited knowledge, which restricts attempts to be creative in responding to the needs of the whole Muslim community.
Second, some masajid (plural of masjid) are limited in terms of new programs and activities because of the leadership which controls the day to day administration of the masjid. These leaders sometimes have their own interpretations or understanding of what is and is not allowable in the masjid and therefore they end up hindering the full participation and involvement of the members of their community.
Finally, there is also obstruction and hindering by the larger community of people of other faiths because they do not understand what role the masjid is supposed to play. Of course, it is up to the Muslims to communicate better the amazing potential of a masjid in serving the needs of both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. However, as noted above, sometimes the Muslims are not equipped to explain the role of the masjid and sometimes we make assertions not based on fact but on culture and our own misunderstandings. And Allah knows best.
Name
Shadi
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Profession
Question
Salam. Brother Altaf, I believe that masjids in the West should pay more attention to educational services to the community. Teaching children the Qur'an and Arabic should be on the top of their priorities, do you agree?
Answer
Dear Shadi, it is always a pleasure to chat with you via the Islam Online live dialog.
Your suggestion about the masjid offering educational services is excellent. Too often the masjid becomes a social center and the focus is shifted from educating the community to meeting only its social needs. There should be a balance so that the spiritual, educational and social needs are all met by the masjid. There is a great need to educate not only our children but even their parents and offering programs to teach the Qur'an and the Arabic language should be priorities of every masjid.
Of course some communities are very advanced and they have well developed weekend school programs or even full-time Islamic schools. However, the masjid should offer the educational services on many days and at different times so that those who cannot come on the weekends or are not enrolled in the Islamic school can insha'allah benefit. And Allah knows best.
Name
Akmal
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Profession
Question
What is the ideal role of the mosque in Islam, esp. in the West?
Answer
Thank you for joining the live dialog. The ideal role of the masjid is to serve as comprehensively as possible the needs of as many of the Muslims of that area as possible. The masjid should meet the spiritual, educational and social needs of its congregation. The masjid should be of benefit to the Muslims and the people of other faiths living in the vicinity of the masjid.
The masjid cannot of course be everything for everyone. However, to the extent that the community members can, we should understand and appreciate that every single member of the Muslim community, whether they are old or young, male or female, from whichever race, ethnicity, or nationality, born Muslim or became Muslim later in life, educated or uneducated about Islam, rich or poor, everyone deserves access to the masjid programs and activities and a chance at participating in the decision-making structures of the masjid. And Allah knows best.
Name
Jumail
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Profession
Question
What role can women do in mosques?
Answer
May Allah reward you for this question. Women in the West continue to struggle to be able to have complete and unhindered access to the masjid and all praise is due to Allah that the situation is improving and they are not only having more access to the masjid but also to the masjid administration and decision-making structures. Women play many roles in the masajid such as serving as an officer of the masjid administration, organizing spiritual retreats, offering programs and activities specifically developed for women, developing educational services for men, women and children, and promoting social services and programs to assist women in need of counseling or other forms of immediate assistance, and so on.
There is tremendous potential for the involvement of women in the masjid and regrettably, they are sometimes limited by the narrow minded men who are in charge of the masjid. As we noted above, the situation is improving and all praise is due to Allah.
Name
Ahmad
- United States
Profession
Question
Is it possible and permissible for the mosque administration and visiting Muslims to co-operate with non-Muslims on a certain project serving the community?
Answer
Thank you for this question. Alhamdulillah, the Islamic teachings are comprehensive and therefore we have guidance and precedent regarding cooperation with people of other faiths on projects to serve the community.
As we read the seerah (life history) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), we come to appreciate the lessons he taught us and one of those lessons was that he willingly joined even before becoming a prophet, an effort known as the Alliance of Virtue or Hilf-ul fudhul. This was an early effort on the part of the Makkan tribes to enter into a pact to preserve honor and dignity and to uphold the rights of the most vulnerable in society. After prophethood, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remarked that if he was invited to join such an alliance again, he would do so.
There is so much that can be done to help the most vulnerable and needy people in our society. Muslims alone cannot serve all of humanity and it is not only people of other faiths who are in need. There are also Muslims in the West who are among the poor, the needy and the vulnerable. Muslims should not only heed the lessons from the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and cooperate in worthy efforts to serve humanity, we should actually be on the forefront, developing new community service ideas and inviting others to join insha'allah. We should be clear in our intention and wish only to serve the needy without any desire to try to convert them to Islam. If people wish to learn more about Islam, we should provide the resources and leave their guidance in the hands of Allah. And Allah knows best.
Name
Mu'mina
- Australia
Profession
Clothing Designer
Question
Dear Sheikh. I have a question. Sometimes at the mosque, during Prayer or the sermon, I feel like I need to pass wind and hold it in. Is my Prayer still accepted. Also what about times when it is not Prayer time, i.e. in front of people, would my wudu still be accepted? Please enlighten me on this problem, Jazakallahu khayr.
Answer
Thank you for joining the live dialog. Regrettably, this is not a fatwa session and we urge you to write back during the regularly scheduled Islam Online general fatwa sessions or by just submitting your question to the Islam Online Ask the Scholar section.
Name
Sami
- Australia
Profession
Question
In the West, there are many Imams who are in dire need of more training and knowledge to understand the community and how to deal with the other. What is the best way to deal with the lack of awareness among Imams which for sure affects the role of the mosque?
Answer
This is perhaps one of the most critical challenges the Muslim communities in the West are facing. There has only recently been sufficient and focused attention on the knowledge and training required to serve as an Imam of a community. The lack of education and training has in the past been the source of much misunderstanding and even misconceptions about Islam and the rights and responsibilities of Muslim men, women and children in the West.
One of the best strategies that can be adopted at this point is to develop programs and activities for young men to explore the possibility of becoming an Imam. Using trustworthy and knowledgeable scholars, a process can be developed so that the best and the brightest young men and even young women, can be selected to receive higher education and training to become scholars themselves. Of course we are in no way implying that the young women would be trained to serve as Imams of a mixed congregation, but we are stating that any efforts to educate and train scholars to serve the Muslim community cannot be focused solely on young men but must include young women so that the young women are in turn able to serve as resources and points of reference for women and men in the community.
Having indigenous Imams, educated and trained in the West, will in itself not solve all the problems that the Muslim community is facing, however, these efforts will go a long way in ensuring that whatever responses are developed to help the Muslim community are rooted in Islamic teachings and are the product of an upbringing in the West and not somewhere else in the World. And Allah knows best.
Name
Bahaa
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Dear doctor Altaf, may Allah reward you for your efforts in presenting the true image of Islam in the West. My question is: What are the efforts you do, as Muslim leaders in the West, to refute the stereotype some westerners conceive about mosques that they are just incubators of radical ideas in the West, given the fact that some extremists, though few, has used mosques wrongfully to promote radical agenda?
Answer
This is an excellent question. Thank you for joining the live dialog and just to clarify, I am not a 'doctor' but am working on my PhD.
Although the Muslim community will not be able to stay ahead of all of the efforts aimed at attacking Islam, Muslims of the West are doing a lot and all praise is due to Allah that the image and understanding of Islam are improving in the minds of the non-Muslims of the West. There have been so many efforts in the past at printing literature in the West to explain Islamic teachings and especially the role of the masjid. However, no single effort has been as successful as the idea of having an "Open House" at the masjid.
As I described in response to another live dialog participant, finally through the open house idea, the people of other faiths are having a chance to come to the masjid and experience first-hand, what the inside of the masjid looks like, what prayer motions look like, what Muslims believe in and do not believe in, etc. The open houses held in the West have also helped to strengthen community relations because the visitors treat the masjid as a part of their neighborhood as opposed to some mysterious structure of the East sitting right in the middle of a neighborhood in the West.
Even staunch opponents of Islam, those who disseminate the kind of hateful and uninformed ideas you have mentioned in your question, when asked if they have ever visited a masjid, almost inevitably say they have been too busy, or that just visiting a masjid would not change their views that masajid of the West are incubators of radical ideas. The slightly open minded among these opponents, who accept the invitation to visit a masjid, walk away completely disillusioned because they must now admit to the world just how ill-conceived their understanding was of the masjid and what happens inside a masjid.
While few individual Muslims might hold extremist views, the open house also helps people of other faiths understand that the religion of Islam neither condones violence nor terrorism and therefore the religion cannot be held responsible for the actions of a few of its most ignorant followers. And Allah knows best.
Name
Majid
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Profession
Question
Many differences especially doctrinal differences between Muslims following different madhhabs or sects arise from time to time. Could you please shed light on the role of the mosque regarding such issues?
Answer
The masjid is intended as a house of worship, the house of Allah, for everyone who believes in Allah and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). There is no "Islamic police" that is supposed to be stationed at the doors of the masjid, deciding who can and cannot worship in that masjid. Regrettably, some people do take the matter of interpreting very complex aspects of Islamic law into their own sometimes uninformed hands and end up excluding some Muslims. The masjid should have a clear and unambiguous policy and should educate the leadership and the congregation alike so that everyone understands that no one will be denied entry or access to the masjid based on doctrinal differences, or because they follow a different school of thought.
Our Islamic scholars of the West should work hard to anticipate such challenges arising and provide guidance and leadership based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah so that lay people who are in charge of the masjid administration do not enact policies which are exclusionary. And Allah knows best.
Name
Zeinab
- Egypt
Profession
Question
We have heard about watching the mosques and Imams by the security authorities in some Western countries. What are the consequences? And how can the Islamic states and organizations help to support the role of the mosques in the West?
Answer
Due in large part to the masjid being such a focus of misinformation and misunderstandings, it is not at all a surprise that people of other faiths and even some Muslims believe, although totally incorrectly, that the masjid sponsors radical and extremist ideas. Our view is that even if every other person who worships at our masajid is an agent of the government, we should not be worried because Muslims of the West are doing nothing wrong and have nothing to hide. By having open houses, by inviting local and national government leaders to our masajid, and by educating those in power about Islam, we will do much to promote the peaceful and constructive message of Islam.
Of course, the very notion of violating the sacred precincts of a masjid by having spies and informants, is detestable. However, this is a civil liberties and freedom of religion issue which the Muslims of the West have recourse to handle via the laws of lands of the West. Although the offer of support and help from other Islamic states and organizations is appreciated, this is a challenge that we Muslims of the West must and insha'allah will resolve on our own. And Allah knows best.
Name
masud
- Bangladesh
Profession
student
Question
What are the conditions of mosque in Europe?
Answer
Thank you for this question. Unfortunately, your question is too brief and it is impossible for us to know whether you are referring to the state (condition) of the masajid in Europe or the laws/rules (conditions) of building/having masajid in Europe. And then too, the time is short, and a response to your question will vary by every country and then every region in each country. Muslims in England are facing different challenges than Muslims in the Netherlands, and so on. And Allah knows best.
Name
Editor
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Profession
Question
.
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank our guest for speaking to Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
