The Village Square

Sunday at the Square: Crossing a Threshold to Islam, Part 2

Read Part 1 HERE.

The Muslim practice of worshiping five times daily can subconsciously convey militancy to an average American. But just 45 minutes of worship at a mosque helped me to understand that frequent prayer is far more about incorporating a desire to serve God through every day. It’s like the sense of higher purpose a Christian might feel walking out of church on Sunday morning… multiplied 35 times a week.

I learned in the sermon that there are three fundamental parts of a prayer:

Subhannallah  (God is far from any imperfection)
Alhamdullilah (All praise is due to God)
Allahu Akbar (God is Most Great)
 
From Dr. Necati Aydin, who led the prayer:

The meaning of the prayers is the offering of glorification, praise, and thanks to Almighty God. That is to say, uttering Glory be to God by word and action before God’s glory and sublimity, it is to hallow and worship Him. And declaring God is Most Great through word and act before His sheer perfection, it is to exalt and magnify Him. And saying All praise be to God with the heart, tongue, and body, it is to offer thanks before His utter beauty. That is to say, glorification, exaltation, and praise are like the seeds of the prayers. That is why these three things are present in every part of the prayers, in all the actions and words. It is also why these blessed words are each repeated thirty-three times after the prayers, in order to strengthen and reiterate the prayers’ meaning.

The abiding feeling I left with is that I had experienced a deep act of humility towards God and a profound appreciation for God’s earth and His creatures on it. I asked a Muslim woman about extremism in Islam after the prayers. She said it simply wasn’t the faith she knew. What I heard that Friday – at its core – was the message I heard in just about any church I’ve been to.

There are clearly enduring problems between these worlds and to pretend otherwise isn’t realistic. But surely in attempting to solve them – at the very least – we should start by truly understanding, which might start just one doorway and 45 minutes away.

Anyone wishing to visit The Islamic Center of Tallahassee may contact Liz.