A couple of years ago, the fundraising started for a masjid in our city. Thousands and thousands of dollars were contributed, may Allah reward all those that participitated in building his home. Then started the construction. And a while later was the opening and we moved from the cramped, stuffy school house that was the original "masjid" to this huge masjid, double stories mashaa’Allah with an elevator and tons of space which is a huge blessing from Allah.
For some reason it seems that more people came when it was still a school house but now that the work is done, its like you wipe our hands off, pat yourself on the shoulder, your work to building it is done and now you leave. You have done your part here. For most of us, because we’re usually broke college students or teenagers, we didn’t play as active of a role as our parents did. They were the ones who donated the money and we just came and sat there as the shaykh was yelling at the top of his lungs, right?
But I think many of us fail to realize that at this age, our relationship with the masjid might not be monetary, it might not be huge sums of donations, but we have much more important role, we have a much more important status- we are the carriers of this home when our elders leave. We, the youth, we the young and the active, our age gives us a lot of benefit and potential- sounds cliché, but after all the elders pass away, we are the carriers, we are future, it may be our kids that will be coming here. But without us having a connection with this masjid, without us having a relationship with Allah’s home, there may not even be a future to the masajids across the nation. And I’m not just talking about this masjid, it’s every masjid here in town. Its not just attendance at this masjid, its any one of the masajid across the nation.
When we have a negative view of the masjid, how are we expected to be the torch bearers? When parents and their children are leaving cause of gossip and backbiting and drama with this person or that person, how can we expect a future? How is that possible?
The masjid’s originial role was a focal point, a central place in everyone’s life but that role has disappeared. But now, we’d choose the mall over the masjid any day right? Most of us would go to the movies rather than come to the masjid Friday night to hear a halaqa? Most of us would rather be anywhere but the masjid. But Why is it like this? What’s the cause?
Discussion Question: What are some reaons that you guys think that the role of the masjid is pretty much disappearing?
We have an extremely negative view of the masjid. We have this view that if we have a problem, or we need to talk, the first place to not go is the masjid. So I’m going try to present a story right now. Today, if one of us got into a fight or something, if we got into a fight, or we were going through something, some kind of hardship, just got into an argument with our parents, what to you normally do? Most of us would probably go grab some ice cream, post a status on facebook, sleep, but the masjid would be the last place we’d think of going right?
Well hear this, subhanAllah it’s pretty awesome. Ali ibn Talib and Fatima (may Allah have mercy on them), the daughter of Rasulullah, salla Allahu alayhi waslam, and her husband got into a fight. And apparently this was like a full fledged marital fight where they were screaming and everything at each other. And Ali, radiallahuanh, got angry and he left the house and where do you think he went? He went to the masjid. So he went to the masjid and laid down and just slept. He didn’t start praying or anything he just laid down and slept. Talk about seeking comfort in the masjid. And Rasulullah, salla Allahu alayhi wasalam came later and they talked about this and there was a counseling session that took place right there at the masjid. But today, the masjid would be the last place many of us would think of coming to seek refuge. But truth is, this place holds a lot of Baraka, a lot of blessing. Angels surround the masjids, it is quiet here for the most part, and it’s a good place to calm your mind- its a good place for reflection.
Back then, The masjid used to play a lot of roles but today, we’ve seen a lot of those roles disappear because we haven’t taken part in helping it play those roles.
Just some cool facts about the different roles that there used to be:
-the masjid served as the central focal point of prayer, but we all knew this
-it served as the focal point of education, the main point of decisions was decided at the masjid.
-the masjid served as a resting place for non-Muslims. Some of us may think that non-muslims aren’t allowed blah blah blah, but back then, a caravan came with a group of Christians, and they rested at the masjid.
-the masjid served as a clinic, where people who had cysts, and glaucomas came and got treatment. A little part of the masjid was portioned off for the clinic. And even today, to follow that example there is a masjid on the West Coast, where they provide free check ups and treatment at the masjid all week to Muslims and on Fridays, they open it up to non-Muslims too and about 75 non muslims come every Friday and in exchange they just give five mintues of their time in which they are told about Islam. Dawah by Action!
-the masjid was the place where a drunken guy came to sober up. Yeah, a drunken guy had come to the masjid to sober up.
PART II.
All these roles that the masjid served is amazing. But today the masjid is here only when we need it. We come to Allah’s home only when we need it. We come to Allah only when we need him.
And from this, we’re gonna branch on to the second part of our talk: coming to Allah only by necessity.
This situation is best understood by presenting an analogy that is relevant to all of us. Many of us are students, and you know when you have that one classmate who like never comes to class and then everytime the test comes around they call you up asking for help. They may never talk to you but all of a sudden when they need something, they talk to you. In this situation, you can't help but feel frustrated or used. This person only talks to you when they need you.
Now this isn’t a human that you’re using, this is Allah, your creator, the one who sustains you, and yet you only come to him when you need him, yet he isn’t in need of us but still feeds us, still wakes us up after sleep, still keeps our hearts beating. SubhanAllah, there is something wrong, so so wrong with that. Allah does not NEED to do anything for us, He subhana wa ta'ala sustains us and provides us with his mercy regardless. But we, the ones who need Allah the most, the ones who need his mercy the most, the one whose entire purpose of existence is to remain close to our Rab, when we as the poorest of creation only come to him by necessity, we are only creating a deep pit for our own selves.
Another reason for this dilemma, is the lack of care, simply and plainly put. A lack of connection with Allah leads to a lack of connection with the masjid. When you start to not care about your salah, or dua', or any act of worship, why would you care about coming to the masjid? It wouldn't seem important to you. And everywhere you look, this lack of care has spread. Look around you, people are like in a trance, living life without purpose. You do this, and that and that then repeat. This is due to lack of reflection, when you realize you have a purpose, you start to care. When you start to care that there will be a day when you will be accounted for everything, when you start to care that you will have to face your Rab, slowly you will start to care more about things, surely you'll feel the need to attach yourselves to things and places that Allah loves.
"[Such niches are] in mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings" [24:36]
And All good belongs to Allah, creator of the heavens and the Earth.
