Friday Prayers and Muslim Service
Acceptance, Learning and Love - Exploring Religion

We arrived at the mosque about fifteen minutes before the service would begin and before the congregation was full. We removed our shoes and walked into the door labeled “men.”  It was a Friday afternoon, the time that many muslims come together for jummah or the most important prayer of the week. Friday in the muslim religion is the day of gathering. Myself and the other males who attended this Global Studies event lined the back of the long, carpeted room, sitting on old church pews. Those who came to participate in the prayer sat on the carpet, filling the front lines first so those who arrived late had an easier time finding a spot. The ground was marked with arches in small rectangles to give everyone a place to kneel. The Imam started the prayers with blessings in a mixture between Arabic and English. This was a time for personal prayer and when you could reflect on your own blessings from Allah. Although I am not muslim, I found myself thinking about just that. Everyone faces hardships in their life but some would wish for the hardships I’ve had to face. That same goes for me onto others. It is important to acknowledge your own luckiness and blessings while also being able to take the time to cope with your own struggles. The Imam’s words helped me recognize that.

After the service, the Imam made a special announcement that recognized our attendance. Many people afterwards came up to us, introduced themselves and shook our hands. They asked us our favorite parts of the service, what our takeaways are and thanked us for visiting. This act of invitation and acceptance into their community allowed me to see the love that many had for each other, even strangers they didn't even know. 

Once everyone had left the mosque, the Imam invited everyone to gather in a room and ask questions about the service, the culture — really anything, he said. He was prompted by a question to tell us a story. It was of an American veteran who was fed a lot of misinformation about muslims. It escalated to the point where he felt empowered to enter a mosque during prayers and shoot at the crowd. The people of the mosque later reached out to the attacker and asked him to come into the mosque and meet the people that he shot at. He agreed and was overwhelmed by the love of the community so much so that he studied to become an Imam. The power that generosity, love and care for others has is showcased here in this story. I believe that the Imam shared this with us to show that you cannot give up on people. Everyone is truly good on the inside, it is their surroundings and outside influence that ruins the purity of one's character. Being able to get past this is key in acceptance of all. 

This strength and genuine care for others is all thanks to religion. I have often viewed religion as something that tore people apart. Many major conflicts and wars in history have been caused because of clashing religions. Before this service, I would have most likely taken the view that religion causes more harm than good; this idea has changed in me. By seeing how people can come together during their busy work days to pray and embarrass each other, I was allowed to see that without religion, people would lose critical connection to people, their community and a welcome home.