Question about visiting The Mosque...
Salaam, i have been studying and practicing Islam for a little over 2 years, yet I speak no Arabic, know no other Muslims personally and to be honest have been a little aprehensive about visiting the Mosque do to those reasons. As I said i am a convert, I fear only Allah yet I want to be as knowlegable and respectful as possible on my first visit, I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem/know of anyone who was in this situation?
Peace and Blessings
wa alaykum as salaam, i under it can be quite scary to just walk into unknown territoy like that. i was in that situation myself, but eventually i just walked in. i felt uncomfertable but that feeling went away after a few visits.
question though, have you learned your basic obligations such as the prayer, the rules of fasting, zakat etc?
Knowing these 5 obligations will earn you respect alone, regardless of how long it has been since you reverted to Islam.Originally Posted by Kareem
Brother entering a mosque is to worship Allah and learn about the islamic lifestyle. You mentioned you fear Him alone, so you should go into the mosque with this thought, and because you want to learn arabic and understand the deen more etc.
I will pray for this challenge to be made easier for yourself. Ameen.
I also noticed that this is your first thread(i think). As- salaamu alaikum brother, i hope you find this site useful.
A good advice is to try and learn more about the Muslims here. its a forum- if there is anything you would like to know from fellow bros n sis' jus ask
"YoU CaN NeVeR sToP LeArNiNg aBoUt iSlAm...I MeAn IsLaM iS eTeRnAl]
Walaykum Salaam...
Brother; firstly welcome. I understand that even if you are not afraid of anyone, but still you might feel a bit shy. Its natural. My humble suggestion is that you make your first visit on Friday at 1.00pm (because the congregational weekly Jumma prayer takes place on Friday, after midday) and there will be so many people there that you will just blend in with everyone else, and noone will even probably notice a new face there.
Also bear in mind that the Eid prayer (there are 2 Eids per Year) will probably be this Sunday (in the morning sometime) and you would be able to participate in this prayer. There will be many peope there, most likely the mosque will be packed out. So this is also an ideal opportunity to make your first visit, when there are so many people around.
Then, while you are there, check out the times of the daily prayers on the notice board, and try and come for some of these prayers if you can. This way, you'll get used to coming and going to the mosque, and you might begin to introduce yourselves to people. Don't be shy.
You don't need to worry about not speaking Arabic. Most Muslims in the world (percentage wise) are not Arabs and don't really speak Arabic much. Probably all the youngsters there at the mosque speak the language of your country, since they would have been born there.
If you don't mind me asking, where roughly do you live (in which city/town)? Maybe there is a brother on this forum that lives near you and can help you out.
Wasalaam.
Peace and Blessings to all who responded, I live in Richmond Virginia, and i dont believe an actual Mosque exists here, the place i visited was an Islamic Academy where many school age children were playing and getting an education. I guess more than anything im trying to learn the correct way to pray, i purchased a book which(maybe its just me) seems confusing with the many different Raka's and Arabic terms.Its wieghs heavy on my heart because at times i feel like the prayers i offer are not pleasing to Allah as i have to rely on my book during prayer to make sure im going about it the correct way. I keep telling myself, that at 5 times a day, for the rest of my life, eventually(sooner or later) i will memorize these words and this "problem" will be a thing of the past.
Thank you all for your kind and encouraging words, I will keep up the struggle for as long as it takes. This forum definatly is a blessing from Allah.
Peace
Don't worry bro, insha Allah, you will get it.
Make dua (pray) that Allah sends you to a teacher.
Firstly, Eid mubarak! Take time out on this blessed day and pray to Allah for the guidance you want.
It is a shame that you dont have a masjid soo close, but this ialamic academy seems ok to seek any help from. Surely there are teachers there, who teach the children on praying. Go and ask them to teach you (they will explain in more simpler terms, insha'allah).
In the mean time, keep striving to d the best u can, why should not Allah be pleased with your prayers...you are doing what you can to do them to the best of your ability, even you are reading the book throughout your prayer..
All the best. My prayers are with you.
"YoU CaN NeVeR sToP LeArNiNg aBoUt iSlAm...I MeAn IsLaM iS eTeRnAl]
Assalam Alaykum (Peace be with you)
I found out from Wikipedia that "There are five masjids in the Greater Richmond area, accommodating the growing muslim population. They are Islamic Center of Virginia (ICVA) in the south side, Islamic Society of Greater Richmond (ISGR) in the west end, Masjidullah in the north side, Masjid Bilal near downtown, and Masjid Ar-Rahman in the east end"
I think that you can find addresses for these mosques here on this page:
http://www.isgr.org/othmosq.htm
I don't know how far they are from you. Anyway... don't worry too much about formalities of prayer, they will come to you soon enough God willing.
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