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Throughout the course of history, the mosque has always played a pivotal role in the development of communities; providing education to the masses, rekindling their faith, renewing their sense of belonging, and maintaining social ties with one another.
Whose faith deserves affirmation?
In fact, whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) would speak about the importance of the mosque, he would passionately commend those who eagerly frequented it:
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ الرَّجُلَ يَتَعَاهَدُ الْمَسْجِدَ فَاشْهَدُوا لَهُ بِالْإِيمَانِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ
“If you see a man committed to the mosque, bear witness to his faith.
“Verily, Allah Almighty said,
‘The mosques are only maintained by those who have faith in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer, and give charity.’” [1]
In this report, the Prophet (ﷺ) – without any hesitation – affirms the īmān (faith) of the one who attends the mosque often. So what would He say about one who plays an active role in the maintenance of the mosque?
Like any other institution, the mosque requires committed volunteers to be able to provide communal services. Without committed people, who are selflessly willing to contribute to the development of the mosque, it would cease to fulfil its proper role in a community.
Action plan
Considering that we routinely visit the mosque throughout Ramadan, it is a timely opportunity for us to extend our support, in hopes of being amongst the maintainers of the mosque as per the Qur’ānic verse. [2]
Here are a few things we can do to actualise the above:
- Volunteering in our local mosque by using our distinct skillsets, delivering lessons, tidying up, organising events, managing socials, presenting project ideas, etc.;
- Making use of our local mosque through using it as a venue to carry out beneficial projects;
- Providing financial assistance to the local mosque through fundraising or asking regular attendees to donate.
Coming up
While we aim to make our local mosque a hub for the members of the community, let’s reflect on the upcoming topic in Part 20: speaking out for the oppressed.
In tomorrow’s piece, we will touch upon the binding obligation of being in the aid of the oppressed. Do you often find yourself speaking out against oppression?
Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 2,617
[2] al-Qur’ān, 9:18