It is already the sixth day of the most blessed of the Islamic month, Ramadhan, but it is hardly too late to extol its virtues and significance. The Prophet’s hadith as reported by al-Bayhaqee affirms that the first ten days of Ramadhan bring Allah’s mercy (rahmah); the second ten His forgiveness (maghfirah) and the last ten emancipation from the fire of hell (itqunminannar).
To practically list all the virtues of Ramadhan in this limited space is hardly possible. However, what we observe during the fasting month speaks for itself. Evidently, every time Ramadhan begins, mosques will be bursting at the seams with worshippers. They will gather in droves into mosques capitalising countless opportunities and bounties that Ramadhan offers to get closer to their Creator and seek His mercy, blessings and forgiveness. As a result, mosques become much livelier during Ramadhan compared to other months.
Besides the usual congregational obligatory prayers, other activities conducted by mosques during the blessed month includes providing meals for iftar (fast breaking) and organising congregational Tarawih prayers later in the evenings. Tarawih is a special prayer performed only during Ramadhan nights. Although not compulsory, Muslims are highly encouraged to perform it for it is a sunnah (practice) of the Prophet. A hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah extols one of the virtues of Tarawih prayers in which the Prophet intoned that, “Whoever establishes prayers during the nights of Ramadan faithfully out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards (not for showing off), all his past sins will be forgiven.”
Yet as outwardly religious and spiritual the Muslims are during Ramadhan, as seen from their more than frequent mosque visits, the fervour dramatically dies down once Ramadhan is over. The number of congregators dwindles and mosques will return to its less than packed normal state. Nevertheless, be it Ramadhan or otherwise, the notion that the mosque is merely a physical place to perform solat (prayers) is always held by Muslims.
Yet, such is a misperception about the actual function of the mosque. When the Prophet migrated to Medina, the first deed he undertook upon arriving there was to build the Quba Mosque which still stands to this day. Even though the building structure during the prophet’s days was very basic, mainly clay and date palm trunks were used, it was the place where the Prophet and His companions prayed, learned and recited the Quran.
Indeed, the Prophet did not limit the mosque merely for prayers or Quranic recitations. He made it as a centre where the Islamic state affairs were conducted. Perhaps what Imam Ibn Taimiyyah mentioned in his book, al-Fatawa, could provide some insightful perspectives on the actual roles and functions of mosques in Islam.
The mosques were the stations of the Muslim leaders and the centers for congregations. The Prophet SAW established the foundation his blessed mosque on piety. In it prayers and Qur’anic recitations were performed, the remembrance of Allah and teaching knowledge established, and speeches were given. And in it were matters of politics (running affairs of the Ummah), troops and platoons were deployed, and in it Muslims gathered for their religious and livelihood affairs, and so were his governing officer of Makkah, At-Ta’if, Yaman, and other similar regions and cities. And the same was the condition with his governing officers in the suburbs. They had gatherings where they performed the prayers and political affair…
Indeed, this was later echoed by Sir William Muir in his book, The Life of Muhammad, who comments that despite crude in material and insignificant in dimensions, the Prophet’s mosque is glorious in the history of Islam. Not only was it a venue where the Prophet and his companions spent most of their time, established oft-recurring prayers and listened with reverence and awe to messages from Heaven; but it was also the place where they planned their victories; received embassies and issued edicts, amongst others.
In comparing the statements by both Ibn Taimiyyah and Muir on roles of mosques during the Prophet’s time with current functions, a somewhat large disparity exists in the extent to which we make full use of the institution. Despite their large size, lavish design and exceptional comfort, most mosques are seen as institutions which confine their functions to religious and spiritual rituals. In some instances, mosques are reduced to becoming destinations and places of attraction for tourists.
Thus, the present challenge that arise is reinstating the functions of mosque to its original purpose i.e. as a central place where Muslims initiate and undertake activities that cover all spheres of their life from establishing and seeking the pleasure of Allah to managing the affairs of the ummah.
Such an uphill task requires a concerted effort from all of us including policy-makers and government agencies. It should first begin with the need for all stakeholders to have the correct understanding of the virtues and roles of mosques in Islam. Such an understanding would be fundamental as it will help Muslims— especially those involved in managing mosques— to have the right perception on how to manage the houses of worship and organise programmes effectively.
In the corporate world, the success of an organisation depends on the blend of many factors, both internal and external that can be translated into managerial excellence that consists of several elements such as clear vision, innovation, strong leadership, good governance, employee focus etc.
As such, if we would like to see the revival of the role of mosques as it used to be during the early ages of Islam, it is high time for the relevant authorities to consider the emulation of corporate management techniques in mosque administration. However, this does not mean the management of mosques has to operate on the platform of profit-based principles. What is recommended is that good governance practices are adopted in daily operations and management process.
Adopting a corporate culture undoubtedly requires experts knowledgeable in dealing with organisation and administration activities. To this end, mosque management could consider engaging those with professional background as part of its management team. Their presence will definitely create a significant influence on how mosque administrators manage and plan activities as well as create mosques, as described by the Prophet in a hadith narrated by Ibn Hibban, as the best patches of earth.
