A mosque is not simply “a place of worship.”
People get married in mosques. I did. They take their children to full-time or part-time schools that are located inside of mosques. I do this, too.
People gather at mosques to celebrate the birth of babies, and to pray over their loved one who have passed away.
Mosques are home to food banks and soup kitchens for those who are struggling in our communities. Our mosques house counseling services, study circles, and charity events.
We have classes at the mosque, and meals, and meetings. There are bookstores and libraries inside of mosques.
We grow up in mosques, making too much noise at prayer time, running through the lines of worshipers and climbing on the backs of our parents when they’re prostrating. It’s a playground, a sanctuary, a gathering place.
Mosques have served these purposes in our communities for the past 1400 years.
Our mosques are not just ‘places of worship’ where we bow our heads and then go home. They are our second homes.
Mosques are certainly not perfect places. We have our disagreements and divisions and faults. But if I were to walk into a mosque anywhere in the world, I would feel at home. It doesn’t matter if the people around me speak a language I do not understand - our hearts and limbs and smiles speak one language when we’re standing next to each other.
An attack on a mosque isn’t just an attack on people worshiping. It’s an attack on the very heart and soul of our community. That’s why it hurts so much.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”
By Asmaa Hussein
