A Place to prostrate in Jeddah

Mosque in Jeddah by Ery Zaidir

Adzan Maghrib echos faintly from the mosque. People who enjoy the beautiful sunset by the Red Sea immediately move from their seat for ablutions. They use water from water bottles that they brought or buy from vendors of snacks and drinks.

Some young men have brought a mat to prepare for prayer. Small children that are chasing each other, swinging, playing ball, running and biking… are now being called by their parents to perform prayers in congregation.

In the distance there are also a group of men and women who take turns in praying maghrib. There is no reason to delay the prayer just because they are  far from the mosque. There is nothing to delay the prayer or to wait until they go home. Moreover,  Maghrib time is very short. All obligations prayer wherever they are should be completed.

It is mentioned in the Hadith Muslim,

“and wherever you are, if the prayer time has come perform prayer immediately, because this earth is a mosque (place of prostration)”.

That is the daily sight I see in Jeddah. Although it is not a city of Mecca or Medina, but Jeddah still has an Islamic atmosphere. Mosques are not only full in the Friday prayer or Ramadan but also in the daily prayer. If the adzan echoes all the affairs and trading have to stop temporarily. Store clerks immediately close their shops, waiters close the curtains and doors, as well as fruits and vegetables sellers on the roadside just leave their goods without fear that somebody will steal them.

The buyers have to be patient to wait outside the store or pray in the prayer room that has been provided.  Even if there is no special room, there is roll of carpet mats in the shopping centre.  It happened to me when I was at the shop and I was in a long queue at the checkout counter, then prayer time came. The cashier did not want to serve us anymore.

Visitors usually have to get out of the store when prayer time comes, except in big supermarkets and restaurants. They are so discipline. Although sometimes there are some disobedient stores  who continue to serve customers, until they get reprimanded by religious police officer. Or a few buyers who force to be served because they are in a rush. In that case, generally the sellers refuse to do transaction because it is prayer time. They are not afraid to lose some profit because of losing the buyer. Subhanallah.  It is mentioned from the Quran,

Allah enlarges the provision for whom He wills of His servants and He (also) that constrict him. Surely Allah is Aware of all things (Quran Surah Al-Ankabut: 62).

Not only do I admire the orderly prayer, but also the obedience in reading Quran. In the market, often I see sellers who read or recite Quran while attending their goods. Indeed I often feel ashamed of myself, by my inconsistency in memorizing the Quran and understanding its meaning.

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It would be nice if the mall or commercial centre has a prayer room that is clean and fragrant rather than a cramped place in the basement car park that are hot, noisy and smelly. Aisha RA said in the hadith,

“Prophet Muhammad had ordered set up a mosque in the village. Also ordered to clean it up and gave him sweet-fragrant, “(Reported by Imam of the five, except Nasa’i).

What a pleasure if we can pray or read the Quran wherever we are.  In a closed or opened spaces. For the earth is the place for prostration.

 

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