We removed our shoes before we entered and then took our places in the back of the main room in preparation for the "adhan," or call to prayer. The service began with the opening prayer, and then the week's "khutba," or sermon, started, which focused on the practice of fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The sermon was followed by one of the five daily prayers, led by an "imam," or prayer leader, from India, who, as I found out later, had memorized the entire Quran.
My History of Islam class and I had arrived at the mosque around 1 p.m. Friday-the Islamic day of worship-and were greeted by our host Taneem Aziz, who had come to our class with his daughter the day before as a guest speaker. The two of them welcomed us, and then had the men enter on one side of the building and the women enter through the other. This is done to keep Muslim men and women from physical distraction as they enter for prayer and worship. The women in our group were required to wear scarves over their hair and shoulders, as is tradition according to Islamic law.
The service was different from any that I have ever been to, and, though the method of it seemed odd to me, I was struck by how strongly devoted and regimented these Muslims seemed to be in their prayers. The prayers uttered were from the Quran, the title of which means "recitation," considered to be the pure word of Allah sent down to Prophet Muhammad (s.a) through the angel Gabriel (Jibril) or directly by Allah.
Once the prayer ended, we were given the opportunity to talk with some of the congregation and explore the ways of their faith. I spoke at length with a Muslim named Wasim, who was originally from Islamabad, Pakistan but has lived in this area for nearly ten years. He talked with me about some of the more distinct features of Islam: why they pray the way they do, in prostration, and why they face east towards Mecca, their holy city, where the Kaaba-the oldest and holiest shrine in the Islamic religion-is located.
Another American Muslim named Omar talked with me about a common misconception-the misconception that "Muslim" means "Arab." Most of their attendees at the mosque, he told me, were from diverse places like Egypt, Iran, and Syria. We continued conversing on the similarities of God's nature in both Christianity and Islam and how each "surah," or chapter, of the Quran begins with, "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Caring," and how these attributes of God are also emphasized in the Gospels.
Still further, Omar and I talked about how the Muslims view Jesus Christ as one of the greatest prophets and a messenger of Allah, but not as the son of Allah nor as Allah himself. The Quran calls this Christian doctrine heresy, although it does affirm that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and chosen by Allah to spread his message of "islam," which means submission to the will of Allah.
After my conversations I can say that, though we have to agree to disagree on certain issues, we can certainly show mutual respect to one another's faith. I learned at the mosque that what we see on television must not let us stereotype Arabs and Muslims as terrorists or enemies of Christ. As true children of God, it is our duty to love them and pray for them that they may be brought closer to the God that we know.
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