A tent adjacent to the Islamic Center of Johnson County (ICJC) in which religious activities and competitions are held during the month of Ramadan (Al Jazeera)

Washington -

“The spirit of the community” is the description given by Imam Jamal Muhammad Saeed, imam and director of the Mosque Foundation in the city of Chicago, Illinois, to the mosque in the United States of America, where the mosque stands out throughout the states, despite the differences in sects, as an essential pillar in the lives of Muslims, Its spiritual and educational importance increases during the month of Ramadan.

Unlike mosques in Arab and Islamic countries, mosques are not managed by a central body such as the Ministry of Endowments, and decisions are not made in a hierarchical manner from the state to the general public. Rather, they are managed by the members of each community stationed in one of the regions in the various American states.

It is estimated that there are approximately 3,000 mosques distributed across various states, and the number of mosques increases year after year, with the expansion of the presence and spread of Muslims, so every mosque has a story and a story, and the majority of Muslims have a share in which they share to ensure the continuity and development of the mosques surrounding them, in light of The moral and religious challenges imposed on them as a result of their living in countries that differ from them in religion, culture, and language.

Muslims at the Islamic Center in the US state of Kansas break their fast collectively every week (Al Jazeera)

Breakfast tables

“Peace be upon you, Ramadan Mubarak. It seems that the weather will be suitable for holding a group iftar on Wednesday at the Islamic Center in the American state of Kansas. Therefore, we will hold an iftar in which everyone will share. Bring the dishes you like.”

This is a text sent by the administration of the Islamic Center to the members of the Muslim community to hold a group iftar banquet in the month of Ramadan. An activity like this is not held once in Ramadan, but rather is repeated according to the management of the mosque and the readiness and desire of the members of the community.

About half an hour before the sunset call to prayer, families begin to arrive. Car doors open, and children come out running, showing excitement on their faces to meet their peers, while a mother comes out laden with a meal she had wanted to prepare, and a father comes with a pot of tea or coffee.

There, inside the tent that hosts Iftar, there is an extended table prepared to place food on it, while volunteers arrive early to prepare the seats and tables designated for eating, and then prepare to pour out the food items for attendees. When the Maghrib call to prayer, the fasting people eat several dates and drink water and soup. Then they prepare for prayer, which is followed by eating the main meal of breakfast.

At breakfast tables, a group of stories are told, and through them we can read an aspect of the culture that Muslim communities create and cherish during the month of Ramadan in the areas they inhabit.

A group breakfast held by one of the pioneers of the Islamic Society as a charity for the soul of his deceased father (Al Jazeera)

Participation in wages

These collective Ramadan tables have three forms, the first of which is the shared iftar, in which families prepare one or two dishes from the spread of the table. At other times, the shared iftar is designated for the entire community, and at other times it is designated for children, to celebrate their fasting and encourage them.

Umm Al-Baraa tells Al-Jazeera Net, “This type of group breakfast encourages families to prepare meals that express their origins, to share with the members of the Muslim community of multiple nationalities,” and she believes that the most important aspect is that “the table inspires a spirit of enthusiasm among the children, who participate with their families in preparing Food, and they proudly exchange with their friends from the community what they have made in their home,” she added, “This type of iftar table is held primarily by families for their children, out of a desire to give them a spirit of joy, and to consolidate the love of Ramadan, the mosque, and Islamic rituals in their hearts.”

The second form of dining is the group iftar, which is held at least once a week. This breakfast is sponsored by donors before the beginning of the month, in coordination with the management of each individual mosque.

Firas (Abu Omar), one of those who, along with his brothers, fully implemented a group iftar, told Al Jazeera Net that he held an iftar with the intention of giving charity on behalf of his father, who died. He also valued the community’s presence, interaction, and solidarity in such activities, and the keenness of many to pray for his father’s mercy and forgiveness.

As for the third type of meals that are held on a daily basis, it is food provided by a group of families who volunteer to prepare daily meals to serve the mosque’s visitors, especially students who expatriate for study, or those who are estranged from their families due to work conditions.

Children playing during Tarawih prayers in the vicinity of the Islamic Center in Johnson County (Al Jazeera)

A favorite destination for children

Nour, a 12-year-old girl, began preparing from the first day of Ramadan to participate in the competition to memorize Surat Luqman, and she tells Al Jazeera Net that she has been participating for 6 years in the competitions held by the Islamic Center in the American state of Kansas, whether to memorize a surah from the Qur’an, or to participate in... The Noble Prophet’s Hadith Competition, or the General Islamic Culture Competition.

According to Nour, what pleases her most about Ramadan is her participation before the start of the holy month in decorating the mosque with a number of children from the community, and their participation together in activities that continue throughout the month, where children meet at group breakfast tables, or during Tarawih prayers, and the activities that follow. .

In a conversation with Nour’s mother, she pointed out that her daughter had learned in the mosque since she was four years old the stories of the prophets, the Prophet’s biography, and intonation, and she added to Al Jazeera Net that “Ramadan is an annual central station, in which the role of the mosque increases, and the connection of children, men and women to it, and it is keen on it.” Parents are encouraged to take their children to mosques at an early age, especially with the challenges they face throughout the year, and in light of the many holidays - within America - that are contrary to the Islamic religion, and which are dominated by a festive nature that attracts children.”

As for Jana, the 6-year-old girl, she comes to the mosque every day during Tarawih prayers, to play in a separate room with her fellow children, and she says that she loves the mosque very much to see her friends there, as many mosques are keen to provide volunteers to babysit the children, so that the families have the possibility Worship comfortably, especially on weekends.

Ramadan tents are set up in more than one mosque throughout the month, not to hold celebrations as in many Arab countries, but to hold competitions and religious lessons, and to provide a place for group breakfast and suhoor, which creates a different atmosphere for young people than what they are accustomed to for the rest of the year.

The Islamic Society of Kansas City opens its doors for I'tikaf during the month of Ramadan (the Society's website)

Spirituality in exile

With the start of Ramadan, mosques are racing to prepare religious and cultural activities and events to serve members of the community at all ages, especially those related to youth, in light of the increasing challenges facing members of the Muslim community in the United States. Some mosques are also attracting preachers and readers from outside the United States, or from other states. Others, to enrich their programs during the month.

One of the most prominent of these activities is a night called “Youth Night,” where activities are held every Saturday in some mosques for young people over the age of 13, as a day off in the United States. They gather on that night to pray Tarawih and Tahajjud, interspersed with preaching thoughts and group suhoor. Parents are keen to encourage their children to attend such activities.

Abu Al-Muhannad told Al-Jazeera Net that these activities contributed greatly to the formation of the religious culture of his children, and that what made exile most easy for them was the active role of the mosque, by paying attention to promoting and consolidating the culture and religious rituals among the community’s members and for future generations.

As for what most distinguishes mosques in the United States, their programs during the last ten nights. In addition to opening the doors of seclusion for men and women in separate places, it includes a continuous program that begins with the evening prayer, then Tarawih, through to tahajjud and collective suhoor, and since the first day of Ramadan, many mosques hold Tarawih prayer consists of 20 rak'ahs accompanied by a thought in the middle, and two rak'ahs of Shaf' and Witr.

Ashraf (Abu Muhammad), who regularly secludes the last ten days of Ramadan at the Islamic Society of Kansas, says, “The experience of seclusion in general is a purification of the soul, let alone someone who lives in a foreign country. The person works throughout the year and faces constant challenges, so Ramadan comes.” “As a great opportunity to review priorities in all aspects of life.”

He added to Al Jazeera Net, "What this month confirms in the soul is that religion is not a secondary value, but rather a fundamental one. Work helps you to worship and not the opposite, and Ramadan is a valuable opportunity to restore the relationship with God, and God has blessings, like the Night of Destiny, that the individual must invest in," as he put it.

Abu Muhammad confirms that “the most important element for making the most of Ramadan is being alone, especially in the last ten days, in contrast to the popular invitations, activities and events that are dominated by entertainment in this month.” He explains, “In order for an individual to make the most of these days, he must sacrifice his time and money. He increases his focus on reading the Qur’an and performing acts of worship, and you feel the effects of this sacrifice in the blessing of time, family, and livelihood, as if you were born again, and the effect of this seclusion only increases in the mosque,” ​​as he described it.

During Ramadan, especially in the last ten days, mosques witness a widespread demand for donations from Muslims, who contribute to providing the mosque with the financial resources necessary to continue its activities and meet its needs, or donations collected to support the poor and needy around the world, through official registered associations.

Source: Al Jazeera