The Role of the Mosque in Islam The mosques are the most important centers in any Muslim community.

From their Minbar are delivered the khutbah, arguably the most important weekly address regarding Islam, and around them the Muslims congregate and organize their affairs. It is no wonder, therefore, that the mosques have been caught up in significant controversy because of their important status, both for the Muslims who visit them and for the government. Effective control of the mosque and its agenda can significantly contribute to the revival of the Muslim Ummah or it can lead to the perpetual silence and ignorance regarding our affairs, further entrenching our decline. In this article, we will look at the current reality of the mosque and their perception in the eyes of the Muslim community. We will also look at the attempts to manipulate them and their role as described by Islam. The Mosque and Muslim Youth The Muslim youth in this country are very familiar with the mosque routine they endured as children. The daily visit to the mosque sent by their parents to learn and memorize the Quran, to establish Muslim friends and to develop a strong Islamic personality, did the opposite in many cases. Many times the parents dropped off the kids and didnt attend neither the adult lecture nor the Zuhr prayer, and came by to pick up the kids after the Sunday school was over. Rather than centers for guidance and clarification, the mosques many times are operated by no-discussion, no-question rule and are completely unaware of the reality and problems faced by the Muslim youth. Muslim teenagers and youth felt that they could not turn to the mosque to clarify their understanding of Islam, to have the confusing questions posed at school to answer or simply to seek advice about avoiding the temptations and pressures brought on by living in a society that contradicted their way of life. Most of the emphasis in Sunday schools is on memorization, while most of the problems can only be solved by understanding and discussing the wisdom of Islamic teachings. The issues of drugs, alcohol, dating, terrorism, being proud of being a Muslim, the lies of the Media that they have to deal with in school are hardly every dealt with. The Muslim youth resultantly found no solace and saw no point in

attending the mosque. It is no exaggeration to say that this affected a whole generation of Muslims in this country. Many may have turned to Islam later in life through university and college Islamic societies (MSAs), but many simply rebelled against the mosque and in some cases even disassociated themselves from Islam. This was because either they followed the crowd or aspired to a life of freedom with accountability to no one, lessons learnt from Western society or simply as a result of resentment and sometimes fear of the mosque. The Khutbah Arguably, the most opportune time to access the Muslim community, the khutbah has always occupied a pivotal role in informing the Muslim Ummah about her affairs and calling her to the appropriate actions. Allah (subhanahu wa taaala) has ordered that trade and all other activity be abandoned at the time of Salat al-Jumuah and that people assemble to hear the khutbah: When the call is proclaimed for the Prayer on the day of Friday, come to the remembrance of Allah and leave off business [Jumuah: 9] The Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) said that, When the Imam comes out (i.e. starts delivering the khutbah), the angels present themselves to listen to the Khutbah. [Bukhari] However, we frequently find that many khutbah address subjects which have little or no relevance to the affairs of the Muslims. The khutbah is one of the greatest, yet most squandered, opportunities to explain and alert the Muslim community to a whole host of important issues. Most of the time the khutbahs revolve around topics that people already know. Even when the most famous and well known speakers come, they will talk about topics that have already been repeated several times, or for fundraising of their organization. Most often the topics relate to issues of purification, and no action. Purification of the Ummah is an important aspect, but it is not the only aspect. Many khutbahs are boring; the right of the khutbah is that it is conducted by people who can communicate properly. The Khutbahs is the institution of education started by the Prophet for the whole Ummah, yet the khutbahs given by the most qualified people sometimes are a real waste of time. According to Surah thul Jummah and the saying of some companions, the main function of Jummah is to teach people the wisdom of Quran. As stated above, some khateebs can give such a boring khutbah and it

can sometimes turn out to be a waste of time. If someone read this and started arguing that going to Jummah is a blessing first of all because of so and so hadith, thats fine, hes correct in that matter. However, since doing qital fe-sebillilah is a blessing, should we go do it now? No, because we are not ready, and it will have negative effects. So the same is for Jummah khutbah, people should not be put to sleep! Countless khutbah have repeatedly discussed the lives of the previous Prophets (as), the miracles of the Quran and the Hereafter, all of which are very important subjects, but rarely does the Imam address the prohibition of taking usurious loans such as mortgages, the prohibition of playing the National Lottery or the shirk of the hakamiyah. They also fail to address the situation of the Muslim Ummah globally except through a mere mention in du'a, and many will completely avoid the issue of working to re-establish Allahs (subhanahu wa taaala) Deen on the earth. This according to Quran is the main reason for us being an Ummah. The khutbah therefore takes place without leaving any significant impression on the minds of the congregation. These khutbahs represent only preaching and Christian-style sermons that bore the audience who eagerly wait for its end. It seems that little or no thought goes into addressing the issues that affect and concern the Muslim community. The Imams of the Masajid Even the best of the Imam do what the leaders of the Mosques expect them to do. In some cases it actually becomes a blessing. The major problems with the Imams of today are four. First, they are too divided into their sectarian groups, and this adds to the friction & conflict in the Masjid already there. Second, the knowledge that the Imams have may be traditionally deep, but its only textual which is acquired through the process of memorization. They do not have the training of critical thinking, and thus fail to address real issues, in applying the knowledge gotten by them. We can see this both in America and in Muslim countries, where thousands upon thousands of learned scholars of Islam are just following old rhetoric and cant solve real issues, and thus cant stand up to the injustices that occur in their society. The ideal Imam, or the organic Imam is the one who can give a small khatirah in the morning after Fajr, then can attend a church and effectively talk about Islam, then give a powerful Jummah Khubah, then give an academic lecture to a University setting, then

attend a conference with the Media. Such a person must have a strong core group of people with him. This problem in the US can be solved by at least having American born Imams rather then outsiders to lead the communities. The third problem is, the Imams are not true Imams, and they themselves are followers. Many times they can not even be members of an Islamic Movement. Fourth, they have to have the ability to visualize a better future for the Ummah and must be willing to run towards it with full force, and must learn how to and the importance of building bridges with people and organizations who are sincere. An Advice to the Masajid The great Imams of the past Imam Ghazali, Imam ibn Taymiyah, etc, were not paid by anyone. The Imams have to have the freedom to say what needs to be said, most should have their own independent way of income. When the Mosques hire the Imam they should set up a small business for the Imam, and that should be the means of his livelihood. An Advice to the Islamic Schools Todays Islamic schools have been secularized and the image of Islam in the mind of the youth is just a mere religion and not a Deen. But this is not the only issue with these so called Islamic schools of today. The youth as well as the elder dont practice the Islamic principles properly. Take for example, lower your gaze is hardly a practice. In fact, the men mix with the women so much, that it becomes impractical to lower their gazes. The Muslim woman today is no longer seen as something untouchable, in where men hardly converse with her unless if needed to in extreme matters, otherwise today they are rather touchable and easy to talk to or use. This is completely wrong. The following is taken from an Islamic School in New York, Bayshore. Here is an excellent example of what the Islamic Policy should be like and implemented: We want to uphold the highest Islamic standards in all areas of our work. Certain policies have been put in place to ensure adherence to the Divine Law, Al-Shari'ah. All adult Muslim men and women must strictly observe the Islamic Code of dress when entering the premises. Kindly contact the office for more information regarding Islamic Dress codes. All men entering the building are expected to lower their gaze when interacting with female teachers or any other non-family females. All

women are expected to do the same and keep interaction across genders to an absolute minimum. Kindly observe these rules when you are picking up and dropping of your child, at parent teacher conferences, and