Importance of making mosques more engaging

Although the word ‘Masjid’ literally means “a place of prostration”, a mosque is not only a place of prostration.  Masjids are the absolute beating heart of a Muslim society. As the true centre of a Muslim society, mosques played the role of social, political, educational, and economic nerve centres of the society in the golden age of Islamic civilisation. In Madinah, the mosque of our beloved Prophet (PBUH) had a very simple infrastructure made only of mud bricks and palm leaves. It had no complex architecture, no air conditioning, and no marble floors. Abdullah bin Umar (RA) informed us that during the time of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), the mosque was built of unbaked bricks, its roof was made of palm leaves, and its pillars were trunks of date palm trees. (Sahih Bukhari: 446).

According to another hadith, the construction and infrastructure of Masjid an-Nabawi were so humble and simple that on one rainy day, the Prophet (PBUH) ended up with traces of mud on his forehead and the tip of his nose after prostrating. Abu Sayeed Al-Khudri (RA) said, "Once we were in I'tikaf with Allah's Messenger (PBUH) in the middle ten days of (Ramadan), and we came out of it in the morning of the twentieth … The people returned to the mosque (for I'tikaf)." There was no trace of clouds in the sky. But all of a sudden a cloud came, and it rained. Then the prayer was established (they stood for the prayer), and Allah's Messenger (PBUH) prostrated in mud and water, and I saw mud over the forehead and the nose of the Prophet (Sahih Bukhari: 2036). Despite having the muddy floor and the leaking roof, the mosque of The Prophet (PBUH) remained the most spiritually alive and socially productive. It was so profoundly functional that an entire sovereign state of Madinah was successfully governed from within its humble, mud-brick walls.

On the other hand, our mosques in Bangladesh boast magnificent, multi-storied buildings with expensive tiles and towering minarets. Yet, functionally, they are largely inactive. The doors of the mosques are locked immediately after the congregational prayers. If a traveller or a latecomer arrives even slightly outside the fixed hours, they are barred from entering even to perform a basic prayer. By locking the doors of the mosques, we have locked the door of spiritual development of our community. 

In the golden age of Islam, mosques were far more than just a place of worship; it was the ultimate centre of society. It served as the heart of the community where social issues were addressed and resolved. Serving as a grand centre of learning, the Prophet’s Mosque featured the Suffah-- a sanctuary for education-- and served as the breeding ground for visionary leaders like Abu Bakr, Umar, Ushman, and Ali. Rather than being confined to ritual prayers, the mosque of The Prophet (PBUH) was the primary judicial court where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) listened to legal disputes, arbitrated conflicts, and implemented statutory laws. Abdullah bin Ka`b bin Malik narrated, 'Ka`b demanded his debt back from Ibn Abi Hadrad in the mosque, and their voices grew louder till Allah's Messenger (PBUH) heard them while he was in his house. 'He came out to them, raising the curtain of his room, and addressed Ka`b, "O Ka`b!" Ka`b replied, "Labaik, O Allah's Messenger (PBUH)." (He said to him), "Reduce your debt to one half," gesturing with his hand. Ka`b said, "I have done so, O Allah's Apostle!" On that, the Prophet (PBUH) said to Ibn Abi Hadrad, "Get up and repay the debt to him." (Sahih Bukhari: 2418).

The mosque even functioned as a centre for economic empowerment, actively creating employment opportunities for the unemployed. According to a Hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) auctioned a poor man's blanket inside the mosque to buy him an axe for work. Anas Ibn Malik (RA) narrated: a man of the Ansar came to the Prophet (PBUH) and begged from him. He (the Prophet) asked, 'Have you nothing in your house?' He replied, 'Yes, a piece of cloth, a part of which we wear and a part of which we spread (on the ground), and a wooden bowl from which we drink water.' He said, 'Bring them to me.' He then brought these articles to him, and he (the Prophet) took them in his hands and asked, 'Who will buy these?' A man said, 'I shall buy them for one dirham.' He said twice or thrice, 'Who will offer more than one dirham?' A man said, 'I shall buy them for two dirhams.'

He gave these to him and took the two dirhams, and, giving them to the Ansari, he said, 'Buy food with one of them and hand it to your family, and buy an axe and bring it to me.' He then brought it to him. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) fixed a handle on it with his own hands and said, 'Go, gather firewood and sell it, and do not let me see you for a fortnight.' The man went away and gathered firewood and sold it. When he had earned ten dirhams, he came to him and bought a garment with some of them and food with the others. (Sunan Abu Dawood: 1641). So, mosques are not just for prayers; they are the centre of the Muslim community. Along with ensuring they are alive with congregational prayers, we need to keep our mosques open and establish them as centres for Islamic education, Islamic cultural activities, and social welfare. This is how the community will truly benefit, making them truly productive centres that serve and uplift the society.