It
was Ramadan, the sun was shining, and the weather was great. The stage was set for a beautiful expedition
to Masjid Mua'th bin Jabil with the MBB crew.
The brothers at Mua'th bin Jabil were hosting an open house for any who
wished to come and help spread Islam to their Non-Muslim guests. We were graciously invited and we seized this
opportunity to reunite with our Muslim brothers and sisters we have never met
before. I say reunite because Allah
(SWT) says in the Quran, “The believers are but brothers, so make settlement
between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy" (Surah
Hujurat, Ayat 10). So our hopes were
high that we would make many lifelong friends.
When
we got to the vicinity of the Masjid we were pleased to see many indications of
the Masjid's activities. We saw signs on
the road that informed passersby about the open house and since the Masjid is
in a residential area, the presence of the Muslim community could be felt. All along the streets there were brothers
smiling and saying Salam as we made our way to the back of the Masjid. This is one of the big advantages of living
in a close knit community in a city such as Detroit or Hamtramck, and is very
different than what we experience in our everyday interactions with Muslims in
the suburbs.
We
entered the Masjid for the open house and as soon as we stepped in, we were
enveloped in the festive gathering.
There were brothers and sisters who had brought their friends,
neighbors, and colleagues to come learn about Islam and naturally everyone was
in an ecstatic mood. We shared stories
and experiences of Islam and in return our Non-Muslim brothers told us of their
experiences with Islam. One of the key
characteristics about this open house was that it was more informal than others
that had previously taken place. The
group size was smaller and the interactions were less focused on lecture and
more on conversation. As a consequence,
this felt more effective because the interactions were not just informational
but also meaningful. The brothers who
had organized the open house at the Masjid were very wise to plan such a setup
because everything was more heartfelt.
Whether it was the story of how one brother decided to learn about
Islam, or another brother's explanation of the differences between coffee and
“Arabic coffee”, we all felt like long-time friends. 
After
Salaat, our hosts had arranged for some amazing food from a local community
restaurant. I had the privilege of
eating with the chef and many other Muslim brothers. I rotated through 4 tables and all of the
people I met were very unique and had amazing personalities. A couple of my meetings were also very
coincidental. For example, one brother I
met attended Al-Ikhlas Training academy and was on the same flag football team
as a brother that MBB met the previous night at Masjid Wali Muhammad. Another brother I met seemed extremely
familiar, till we both realized that we had met one time before at school. All in all, the hospitality and the
dedication of the brothers at Masjid Mua'th bin Jabil was a beautiful blessing
of Allah (SWT). These brothers took it
upon themselves to share the teachings
of Islam along with the brotherhood and blind cohesion that comes with it and
may Allah (SWT) reward them. Also, i
must send a shout out to Chef Ali Obed from Royal Kabob for the amazing food.
Last
but not least, the brothers at Masjid Mua'th bin Jabil took us on a tour of the
Masjid and I felt that the history of the Masjid should be honored. The Masjid is extremely beautiful not just in
appearance but also spiritually. It is a
renovation of a church and the remnants of the old church adds to the beauty of
the Masjid. The Masjid had high ceilings
and also a mezzanine area for the sisters.
The sisters area (where the open house was hosted) had a huge stained
glass window, which now serves as a partition between two rooms. The downstairs mens area has church doors
that were retiled to add the name of Allah to them. The original architecture of the church was
beautified by many additions including a new minbar that was finished the day
of the open house. I feel that the
change from Church to Masjid is very symbolic of the community and Islamic
history.
The Church was repurposed into
a Masjid which in itself is a beautiful thing and the brothers are working hard
Alhamdulillah to also extend this to the surrounding areas. People are learning about the one true Deen
and Alhamdulillah the same house that was once used by Christians to worship is
now being used to house hundreds if not thousands of Muslims to praise Allah
(SWT). This is a message that is also
very close to the Yemeni community who are the majority of the worshippers
there and should be very close to all Muslims.
The beautiful religion of Islam that we have today is built from the
hard work of The Prophet of Allah (SAW) and his Sahabah (R). One of these great Sahabahs is Mua'th bin
Jabil (R) who dedicated his life to teaching Islam. Mua’th bi Jabil (R) is significant because
after Rasulullah (SAW) won the hearts of the Makkans, he left behind Mua'th bin
Jabil (R) as one of the Sahabahs who would help teach the new Muslims. Also when the people of Yemen accepted Islam,
Rasulullah (SAW) sent a group of teachers who were lead by Mua'th bin Jabil (R)
to Yemen to teach the masses. The
dedication of Mua'th bin Jabil (R) to Allah (SWT) and his Rasul (SAW) was shown
when Rasulullah (SAW) bid Mua'th (R) farewell before his departure to Yemen. Rasulullah (SAW) said, “O Muadh, perhaps you
shall not meet me again after this year. Perhaps when you return you shall see
only my mosque and my grave.” Imagine
that the person you love most in the world is sending you away for the Path of
Allah (SWT), while knowing that He (SAW) may never see you again. I can't imagine the grief of Mua'th bin Jabil
(R) at that time but Alhamdulillah Allah (SWT) gave him the strength to carry
out his mission. Sometimes we take Islam
for granted but InshAllah next time we will remember our forefathers who
sacrificed everything, even the presence of Allah (SWT)'s beloved Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) so that we would be saved.
We were all lost at one point but it is Allah (SWT) who saved us through
His Love and Mercy. Alhamdulillah, I was
reminded of this Love and Mercy throughout my interaction with this
community. Insha Allah I can't wait to
visit my family at Masjid Mua'th bin Jabil and break bread for no other reason
but one - fesabhe lillah.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact
Babar Qadri at bqadri@gmail.com or
Mubeen Qureshi at mubeenq786@gmail.com Jazakallah Khair for your
time and we kindly ask that you keep us as well as the communities that we
visit in your duas. Next stop, Albanian Islamic Center.
Mubeen Qureshi and Babar
Qadri
Masjid Web Site
http://www.masjidmuath.com/
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