Mosques, Dawah and Non-Muslims
By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam
01 February 2023
Overcome prejudices and Islamphobia by preaching in Mosques
Main Points
1. In the
first generation of Muslims when the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was guiding
Muslim affairs, mosques occupied the central space.
2. Most of
the masjid committees comprise people most of whom have no religious
training or knowledge, but they do dictate to Imams how he should respect and
bow down to their views.
3. If the
mosques open up their doors to various activities and get involved in community
affairs, the sectarianism that has rendered most mosques as Masjid e
Zaraar’s can be overcome.
...
Mosques are central to any Muslim society. If few Muslims inhabit a certain
area, the first thing they construct is a mosque, given its essence and
centrality in the Islamic weltanschauung. If the locality is dominated
by Muslims then few mosques will crop up because sectarian Muslims need
separate mosques for their prayers as prayers in a mosque belonging to a
different sect and Imam are not considered valid. So in every locality
dominated by Muslims, mosques are a constant feature validating the identity
and piety of Muslims inhabiting the area. Localities take pride in constructing
mosques worth millions and compete with each other, while the fact of the
matter is that except for Friday's noon prayers, mosques remain empty with very
little presence of Muslims who attend them regularly five times every day.
In the first generation of Muslims when the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
was guiding Muslim affairs, mosques occupied the central space. The affairs of
the Muslims revolved around the masjid only and there was only one
central mosque around which the affairs of all Muslims did revolve. The
hypocrites among the Muslims did exist and they tried to construct a different
mosque that was known as Masjid e Zaraar. It was demolished on the
orders of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), as it had the power to undermine the
authority of the Prophet and was a place where conspiracies against Muslims
would be hatched. So a principle can be derived from this demolition that if a
mosque has become controversial and where conspiracies against Muslims are
hatched it can be demolished. So what should be the fate of the Takfeeri
mosques that are present in every nook and cranny of Muslim localities and are
dividing the Muslims on basis of sects, and schools of thought by brewing and
churning hatred against each other? It should be food for thought for those who
call themselves Ulama e Haqq (The righteous Ulama). Another
principle that can be derived from the Prophetic mosque is the fact that only
one central mosque is to be allowed for Muslims. But now for pragmatic reasons,
like space, population and distance a number of small mosques can be
constructed but that should not lead to division among Muslims.
We are also a witness to growing demands for inclusive mosques. There
are whole programs and campaigns being run for rendering mosques inclusive, so
what are inclusive mosques? They are mosques where women, LGBTQI and
non-Muslims are welcome. In most mosques even Muslim women and transgender are
not permitted to join, other minorities and non-Muslims are banned. The best
experience of living in Islam in practice ritually can be gained from mosques.
But when they are shrouded in mystery everything becomes suspicious. Like
shrines and hospices of saints, mosques too should adopt the policy of
welcoming all.
Also, masjids certainly have the mandate to run and operate the Baitul
Maals. They can collect charity, Zakah and other donations from rich
Muslims and utilize them for the welfare of the poor. As Islamic State has the
prerogative of collecting these mandatory funds (Zakah) from the rich,
but as it is nonexistent, masjids can play a great role in mitigating
the monetary sufferings of the poor. They should help the poor of the locality
as it is incumbent that the first right over charity is of relatives and
neighbours. Also, this fund needs to improve the salary of Imams who are the
most exploited lot among Muslims. For keeping the masjids operative
daily five times, they are being paid peanuts. They have dedicated their whole
lives to the cause of Islam, but Muslims are not even able to help them meet
their day-to-day needs. We must also appreciate their vigorous efforts about
keeping Islam alive through mosques. It is not less than a miracle that it is
because of these Imams that every day for five times the masjids are
operational, attending to the ritualistic needs of Muslims. But they are not
paid for their services. Also, these Imams are expandable and at the whims of
the masjid committees, they can be expelled at any time without any
warning.
Most of the masjid committees comprise people who are retired,
big businessmen, old people or men of influence. Most of them have no religious
training or knowledge, but they do dictate to Imams how he should respect and
bow down to their views. So a trained Imam has to follow the untrained,
religiously illiterate and many times corrupt members of the masjid
committees, which are the biggest catastrophe. It is one of the reasons why
Imams fail to play a positive role in society.
The big masjids also are a living manifestation of the great role
that religion can play in the Muslim community. But lavish masjids also
represent the sorry state of affairs when in the same locality poor cannot
afford decent meals, housing and medical care. So the spirit of Islam is hurt
by the construction of numerous mosques, as it believes in taking care of the
poor and downtrodden more, than constructing mosques in every lane. Also, the
guidance and social role that masjids used to play now have retrograded
to a large extent as sermons, Ulama and Islamic guidance are freely
available through books and on the internet. Now, most Maulanas and Mullahs
try to reach out to their audiences through YouTube video lectures. Also, the
monetary institution of helping the poor has been undertaken by NGOs and other
welfare trusts.
But in spite of these aspects, the role of masjids in Dawah
and helping non-Muslims understand Islam, as well as Bridging the Divide among
people cannot be undermined. Masjids if rendered inclusive certainly
will help in removing stereotypes about Islam. There should be a library and
community Hall associated with each masjid where different activities
can be undertaken. If the mosques open up their doors to various activities and
get involved in community affairs, the sectarianism that has rendered most
mosques as Masjid e Zaraar’s can be overcome. It can certainly grant
Muslims a new way to reach out to non-Muslims as well as to the other Muslims
against whom walls of hatred have been created, thanks to sectarian preachers.
Also, women and other communities who never had the opportunity to experience
how praying inside a mosque looks like would certainly love to repeat the
experience. Also, we will not need debaters to denounce non-Muslims, but these
mosques will help them overcome prejudices and Islamophobia.
...
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar,
Kashmir and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com
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