[nasional_list] [ppiindia] What Happened to the Post-Prayer Sermons?

From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 07:13:24 +0100
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            Friday, 27, January, 2006 (27, Dhul Hijjah, 1426)


                  What Happened to the Post-Prayer Sermons?
                  Sarah Kwiatkowski, Arab News 
                    
                  We need the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) 
so we can learn from them and apply what we have learned into our daily lives. 
We need our speakers to guide us to good and have the ability to show others 
that Islam is an easy, peace-loving religion.

                  The other day I was speaking to a friend about the current 
situation in the Middle East. As we were talking about Saudi Arabia there was 
one thing that had been bothering me for quite some time. I noticed that over 
the past year or two I have not heard many lectures being conducted after 
prayers.

                  Usually after prayer, the imam or another knowledgeable 
individual at the mosque would get up and speak about an issue that they felt 
needed to be addressed.

                  Occasionally, I would sit next to my window and look out at 
the car-filled parking lot and wonder what drew so many people to these 
lectures?

                  Perhaps it was the imam, the subject content, or maybe just 
some people that happened to drive by and hear the lecture from their cars that 
gathered together to listen to these speakers. Whatever the reason was for 
drawing such large crowds, I was sure that what those speakers were saying was 
very powerful. There would be times I would rub away tears listening to the few 
words I could make out of the lecture. How I wished that I could sit and listen 
to them and truly understand what they were talking about.

                  Although I did not understand much of the Arabic lectures, I 
attended some well-organized Muslim lectures in English and listened to many 
others on cassette tapes. I enjoyed each lecture because it made me aware of 
things that I was avoiding or neglecting in my own religion.

                  The speakers were well informed and very sincere about the 
subjects they were talking about. This in turn brought me closer to God and 
reminded me what was truly important in this life.

                  Muslims have a willingness to talk about Islam. I met many 
Muslims in Saudi Arabia and Muslims who studied in the United States that I was 
instantly impressed with because of their knowledge and devotion to their 
religion. It was almost like a duty for them to educate people about their 
religion. And they did so with great skill and accuracy. And another thing was 
their openness to correct you when they noticed something was wrong or maybe 
misunderstood. I would constantly be reminded of the importance of prayer, of 
wearing the hijab, and treating people with kindness and with patience.

                  However, during the past couple of years I haven't heard many 
speakers. So I asked my friend what happened to all of our influential Muslim 
speakers. And his answer was quite simple: Sept. 11, 2001.

                  The Sept. 11 attacks sent shock waves throughout the Muslim 
world. There was initially a lot of doubt that a Muslim, especially a Saudi, 
could have been responsible for such a terrorist attack. What kind of Muslim 
would take his own life? What kind of Muslim would endanger the lives of 
innocents and of their own people? I myself had a hard time believing that 
someone could be solely responsible for this unnecessary and inhumane attack. 
Sept. 11 had brought the entire Muslim community together and carefully looked 
at the way they were presenting Islam to the public and to each other. But 
Sept. 11 had also brought a lack of speakers in our Kingdom.

                  So what is the solution for these speakers' absences? Who 
does the Muslim community turn to when they have problems or are seeking 
answers to their questions? What should people do who patiently wait for their 
guidance?

                  There are so many people who depend on these speakers' 
sincerity and guidance to direct them to the correct ways and understandings 
and teachings of Islam. We need speakers to remind our brothers of the benefits 
of praying in the mosques and speakers to recognize the importance and 
necessities of female coverings. We need speakers who remind us of the rewards 
of sharing our wealth and giving zakat and to refrain from backbiting and 
jealousy. These are some things we all know and should be reminded from time to 
time.

                  We need the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) 
so we can learn from them and apply what we have learned into our daily lives. 
We need our speakers to guide us to good and have the ability to show others 
that Islam is an easy, peace-loving religion. And most importantly we need 
these speakers to educate and assure the world that we will stand united in the 
fight against terrorism. We must not allow Sept. 11 to silence our influential 
speakers at a time when we need them the most.
                 
           
     


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[nasional_list] [ppiindia] What Happened to the Post-Prayer Sermons?

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