Our Masjid for Our Ummah.

So beautiful yet so empty.


Assalamualaykum warahmatullah wabarakatu,Bismillah Hirrahmanir Raheem.
Allahuma Sali'ala sayidina Muhammadin nabiyil ummi wa 'Ala ali wa sahbihi wa salim.

I bear witness and testimony that there is no other God except Allah and that Muhammad Ibni Abdullah, Salallahu Alaihi Wassalam(peace and blessings of Allah upon him) is His Prophet and Final Messenger.

During the early days of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Medina after his Hijrah from Mecca and began building a masjid which is now the famous Masjid al-Nabawi. It was not a masjid like the ones we have today. They were no golden domes or airconditioning, no proper walls or parking lots. Yet, it was the headquarters of the Islamic Empire filled with recitation of the Qur'an and the hadeeth. The masjid was always full of worshippers and believers praying to Allah Azza Wa Jalla.

It did not just act as a place of worship but also as the military headquarters, the place where converts were received, the wounded were nursed after battles and the court of justice were held. There were some of the Companions who built tents and huts around the Masjid in order to be able to perform their prayers in congregation. Such was the importance of the Masjid for the muslims then, that they would live near its vicinity.

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has said:
“The Prayer in congregation is twenty seven times superior to the Prayer offered by a person alone." (Bukhari & Muslim)

Today, there are hundreds and thousands of masjids all over the world and alhamdulilah, in Brunei our masjids are properly maintained by the authorities.
Yet, with the millions of dollars put into maintaining it, many within minutes of each other, even with the beautiful azan calling out through the loudspeakers at the minarets, not many come walking. How many of us respond to it? How many of us come when Allah calls us?

The Masjid is a symbol of our Islamic legacy. Must it only be filled during the nights of Ramadhan and the Friday Jemaah prayers? Will it only be a place where tourists come and take the odd picture or two? Or will it be a place where muslims in their droves come to worship and stand united in front of Allah, our Master, our Creator, our Guider, our Protector?

I was at a masjid last Sunday along Jln Muara performing Asr prayers and there were only 10 or 12 in the congregation. During Maghrib, there was only one row. Isya had 2 rows. I asked myself? Where are the muslims? Where is my Ummah?

Are they at work? No, it's a sunday. Are they at the Mall, the shops, the open houses? Are they sitting in front of the television? Or are they filling their time with some other worldly activity? Only Allah knows but one thing was certain, they were not at the masjids.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him) reported that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“If anyone hears him who makes the call to Prayer and is not prevented from joining the congregation by any excuse (he was asked what an excuse consisted of and replied that it was fear or illness) the Prayer he offers will not be accepted from him.” (Abu Dawood)

How do we expect our Master to respond to us when His Servants do not answer his call? Why do we not beckon to Him when he invites us to visit Him in His House? How can our supplications, prayers and Duaa's be answered when we do not even bother to answer Him?

Is it any wonder why the morality of our youth in this country are at a downward spiral? How do we expect our next generation to succeed us and carry the torch when we do not lead them the way and take them to the Masjids?
We do not only pray at the masjids but we also stand united amongst others from all walks of life. We learn brotherhood and unity and how to be one Ummah like the glory days of Islam. We learn humility and punctuality. We can learn so many things if we just make that first step and head out to the masjids when the azan calls us.

Brothers and Sisters, please do not be offended because i say this firstly to remind myself for i am one who needs constant reminding. Secondly, i write this to remind us of what Allah and His Prophet, Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him) have asked us to do and that is to pray in congregation.

"If the one who misses the congregational Prayer knew what reward lay in it for him, he would come to it slithering. (Tibrani)"

So muslims, listen to Allah and His Messenger.
Let us not procrastinate and let us start now. Let us go to the masjids, not only in Ramadhan, but for the rest of the year and insya-Allah for the rest of our short duration in this world. Let us bring ourselves to the Masjid with our children and let us stand united as one Ummah in front of Allah Azza Wa Jalla.

May Allah guide and protect us , May He bless us with knowledge that benefits us, May he bless us with the Taufik to understand and implement that knowledge into our daily lives and May He guide and bless us all. Amin Ya Rabbal Alameen.

All that is good comes From Allah Azza Wa Jalla and all that is bad comes from my own self.Wassalamu Alaikum Warrahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

-Abu Iman.