In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Merciful
Every Ramadan brings with it its uniqueness, uniqueness and quality never experienced before. Whether it’s a challenge to overcome, a test to face or a new routine to develop; Ramadan for me has always been my favorite time of the year. Growing up, my parents made the days and nights of Ramadan a time for family, prayer and devotion. As I grew older, I began to isolate myself in a bubble. I retreated from the real world as much as possible and spent the month focusing on rejuvenating and revitalizing my body, mind and spirit from a sometimes very stressful and tiring world.
The last two Ramadans have been far beyond anything any of us could have imagined. Ramadan was spent in total isolation, locked in our homes until 6:00 p.m. This was also a special time, as the mosques were closed and we stayed entirely at home to fast and pray. We prayed Taraweeh (the extra night prayer offered during Ramadan) together as a family. The next Ramadan bought with grace and again we found ourselves locked in our homes.
God Almighty, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) promises in the Qur’an, Chapter 94 Verse 5 – 6 “So truly with every difficulty there is ease; surely with difficulty there is ease”.
God Almighty in his Infinite Mercy brought solace and ease to the hearts of many, especially women, when the doors of Darul Fazal were opened on Sunday, March 13, 2022. A Musalla (prayer room) in the Lowlands, on the grounds of the plant of Amir’s Chicken, was opened and blessed. What was rare about this Musalla was, not only the attention to detail and the extraordinary decor of the prayer room, but the fact that it had comfortable facilities and accommodation for women to pray in congregation. One feature is missing, despite being requested on countless occasions, from the island’s leading massage therapist.
Only two other mosques on the island provide prayer spaces for women in the congregation. And so, Ramadan 2022 began! Taraweeh at Darul Fazal was announced and although I was looking forward to attending, especially knowing that a hafiz would be leading the prayers, I thought it would be challenging to attend regularly as it was too far to travel every night, especially after a day full. of work. Besides, how can I manage to clean myself after Iftar (fasting), get dressed and go to Musalla on time? In my mind, I felt that Taravia would be just a weekend for me. I didn’t know what was waiting for me!
On the first night of Tarawih, we traveled the highway with remarkable ease and arrived in good time for the Isha prayer (the 5th prayer of the day). The room was well lit and cool and the carpet felt incredibly soft and plush! After the Isha prayer, Taraweeh began with the reading of the first Juz (part) of the Qur’an by the Imam.
From that first night, I was completely, absolutely and unequivocally mesmerized by the beautiful, melodious and extremely moving recitation of the wonderful words of Almighty Allah. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I listened to the scathing recitation. It captured my heart and stirred my soul. I knew at the end of 20 rak’ahs that first night, that I should try to attend every night and relive these moments. I could not believe that all my life, I and many women on this small island of 166 square kilometers, have been denied, prevented and left out of such an inspiring and heartbreaking experience.
Listening to the Holy Quran, the words of Almighty Allah, recited in such a beautiful and touching way in the holy month of Ramadan; a month when the Almighty God has closed the entire army of Satans (devils), a month that he has designated for us for fasting, increased worship and reading the Holy Qur’an. How is it possible that for so many decades women and girls are not sheltered in God’s house, experience, witness and participate in such an uplifting act of devotion? I wonder what gives any man the right not to include all mankind in this? What makes some men in Barbados believe that this should be an exclusively male experience?
I am blessed to have experienced this for the month of Ramadan. I was blessed to have a husband and family who supported me in my desire to attend and made all the necessary arrangements, efforts and help to make sure we got out of the house on time. to go to Darul Fazal on time.
My tears continued to flow throughout the month of Ramadan until it became a family joke! I have cried to myself for the years that I have not been able to listen to the Holy Quran in this way during the month of Ramadan. I cried for the countless women and girls in Barbados and around the world who never had the honor and privilege of experiencing what I was experiencing. I wept in gratitude to Allah for choosing me to be present in His space to hear and absorb His words within the deepest part of my being. I wept with gratitude that I was blessed with a husband, son, and daughter who wanted to share and contribute to my encouraging experience every night.
Children celebrate Eid at Darul Fazal
Each night, there were at least a dozen sisters who attended regularly. On weekends, the ladies section was filled to the max. By the second weekend of Ramadan, the partition separating the ladies’ section from the men’s section had to be moved forward to accommodate the number of women taking part. Now we enjoy a space equal to that of men! The sisters who regularly attended Darul Fazal for Taraweeh prayers began to build a bond of sisterhood and love for each other. Some of us had never met before. Some we hadn’t seen for a long time. We each acknowledged and appreciated each other’s presence knowing that something extraordinary was happening! As the lights in the prayer space dimmed each night, the light of our sisterhood and connections grew brighter! The space was filled with warmth, welcome and love!
As the days approached to say goodbye to Ramadan, I began to feel torn; torn between not wanting this extremely unprecedented Ramadan to end and wanting the excitement of an Eid to arrive. On the 29th of Ramadan, a small group of regulars gathered at Darul Fazal for fasting. Breaking fast that night was a simple but intimate affair tinged with the anticipation of seeing the new moon. All eyes were on the sky and after the evening prayer, some continued their vigil outside, hoping for a glimpse of the crescent moon that signaled the end of Ramadan.
Some of us sisters remained in the prayer area, not moving from our place after performing the prayer. We all sat quietly on the mats, seeming to be deep in thought and reflection. The sound of children playing does not seem to penetrate our consciousness. Sometimes our thoughts were interrupted by the sound of men’s voices as news of moon sightings or non-sightings came in on their various phones and messages.
Finally, the Imam announced that the moon had been sighted and the Holy Month of Ramadan had ended! The entire ladies section erupted in joy and praise of Almighty Allah. As we hugged and wished each other Mubarak Eid, some of us burst into tears, while the children looked on completely confused as to why we were crying, I felt the release of years of pain and anguish of past fatwas and beyyans against the presence of women in Jami, the times we were denied entry, faced with closed doors, threats, mockery, mockery and insults flow to me. I felt free as I was filled with a sense of complete joy and peace filled my heart. Our Lord is truly merciful and bestower of many, many blessings. As the tears subsided, the joy of seeing the new moon, which marked the beginning of Shawwal, and the excitement of the coming of Eid descended upon us.
Our sisterly bond had grown stronger over the past four weeks. Ramadan 2022 leaves me enriched by my experience at Darul Fazal! The subtle beauty of the words of the Holy Qur’an resonates deep in my soul. I can hear the melodious voices of the 3 Huffaz vibrating in my ears. I only regret that more of my Muslim sisters could not share this experience with me. However, I am excited about the fact that I don’t have to wait with bated breath for the mosque nearest to me to respond to our family’s request to allow us women to attend tarawith in congregation, a request that has remained unanswered for years!
I feel the pain of my Muslim sister and friend who was forced to pray in the disconnected and neglected ‘female prayer space’ which was infested with millipedes, insects, spiders and their woven webs and looked like he had not seen the cleaner. for many months! Perhaps the existence of the space has been forgotten as it is so far from the main mosque area! My biggest regret is that I have to wait twelve whole months before I can hear such a beautiful recitation of Allah’s words again in prayer.
Answering the Call of Almighty God is easier when you are in His House. He strengthens a wavering heart and subdues a wandering spirit. Being in His space away from your home, where the call of many distractions of household chores, a phone ringing, and countless unfinished tasks pull you away from His Remembrance, can only be a means of strengthening one’s faith. .
We, as a community, must now realize that our Ummah cannot progress, grow and develop as it should by leaving half of its people excluded from vital and critical aspects of community building. Praying together in the House of God, a mosque, is, has been and can be a fundamental and crucial building block for the Barbadian Muslim Community. The writing is on the wall; how long can the persistent but very misguided men of the Muslim community continue to ignore the fact that they have no right to deny any Muslim entry into the House of God to pray, seek Him and spent time in devotion to Him? The Muslim woman’s right cannot be eroded and denied anymore!
Darul Fazal, like Masjid Ibn Umar (Centre of Islamic Teaching) and Majid e Quba are the beacons of a generation of men, women and children who wish to place the rights of Muslim women and families in their rightful and deserved center stage. . and the heart of community building, the Mosque. May Allah make this journey easy and give wisdom and understanding.
May Allah forgive us all our faults, accept our efforts, supplications, zikr, recitation of the Qur’an and prayer during the month of Ramadan, and allow us to continue with the good of these efforts for the rest of the year. Amen.
This article was originally published on the Barbados Muslim Ladies Association website, click here for the original post. Reposted with permission.
