a short history of masjid muhammad - muhammad mosque no. 4

8/12/2019 A Short History of Masjid Muhammad - Muhammad Mosque No. 4

1/5

A Short History of Masjid Muhammad:The Nations Masjid

Masjid Muhammad or Washington Masjid, also called, The Nations Masjid

(Mosque) is the place of worship for seeral thousand Muslims in theWashington, !"#" area" $er% &rida%, near midda% when thetraditional 'dhan (call to pra%er) is heard there, hundreds gather tooffer praise and thans to 'llah (*d) and listen to the +mam delier ameaningful, inspiring hutah (sermon)" This is the -umah serice,the Muslims congregational worship, as commanded % 'llah in the.ol% /uran and as has een practiced in the world for more than 0122%ears"

!ating ac to the mid 0342s, Masjid Muhammad as the oldest Muslimcommunit% in the !# area, did not alwa%s hae such comfortale

surroundings for its adherence in the nations capital, especiall%among 'frican 'mericans" When the .onorale $lijah Muhammad(Ma% 'llah forgie his sins and grant him a place in paradise) eganteaching here in the late thirties and earl% forties, he found ignoranceand despair among his people and hostilit% and hatred among#aucasians" &or seeral %ears, he held meetings in priate homes,housing projects and een street corners, until space was rented onthe second floor of a funeral parlor on 5ermont 'enue and 6 7treet,N"W" This was to ecome the first temple in Washington, !"#", ofthe Nation of +slam and 8rother 7ultan 9, its first minister"

The small communit% moed to arious locations during the ne:t few %ears, then,in 031;, .onorale $lijah Muhammad and seeral of his followerswere arrested in the Nations #apital for refusing to register for militar%serice" This rought a halt to the spread of +slam in the area andacross the countr%" +t was not until the 03


2/5

!uring the 03easedstore*fronts could not continue to meet the needs of the WashingtonMuslims" +n 03


3/5

renamed the Washington Masjid" The word Masjid was introduced,meaning a place of prostration and worship" ?ther changes includedremoing most of the seating to permit worship in the traditional+slamic manner, dissolution of the militaristic &ruit of +slam, called&?+, which had een initiated in response to the hostilit% which the

earl% Muslims in 'merica had encountered, and admission of#aucasians into the communit%" $ssentiall%, under the leadership ofthe late +mam W"!" Mohammed, Masjid Muhammad transitioned froma nationalist presentation of +slam into the mainstream practice ofproper uniersal +slam following the /uran and the life e:ample of@rophet Muhammad of oer 0122 %ears ago"

Most important, howeer, were the spiritual changes" Ehalil 'del*'lim (raa) wasappointed the first (6esident) +mam % W"!" Mohammed in 03D


4/5

+n 7eptemer ;202, +mam Tali Muttaqee 7hareef ecame the first @residentand +mam to hae een elected to the position % the communit% ofMasjid Muhammad in its histor%" .e is currentl% sering thatleadership position" .aing just retired from the Gnited 7tates 'ir&orce after completing 42 %ears of actie serice at the highest

enlisted ran, with a Masters !egree in 8usiness, a graduate of the&oreign >anguage +nstitute majoring in 'raic and the Middle $ast,and haing sered as an +mam in seeral cities, he was resourced tocontinue leading and uilding upon Masjid Muhammads rich histor%"

The communit% of Masjid Muhammad has emerged as an important andrespected oice promoting peace, racial and religious dialogue,understanding, cooperation, and mutual respect for differences" +tinitiated and led interfaith relations and is a charter and susequentl%the oldest +slamic &aith group memer of the +nterfaith #onference ofMetropolitan Washington" +t continues to e a significant faith

communit% partner toda%, as well as a ridge uilder to help thecultural and religious diide" With a significant eteran memership, itinitiated and was home for the nations first Muslim 'merican 5eterans

'ssociation (M'5'), which now has seeral chapters and is growingaround the nation" The first +slamic #haplain of the G"7" 'rmed &orceswas a memer of Masjid Muhammad during his da%s as an enlistedMuslim soldier" +n the D2s, it started the er% first Muslim 8o%s andirls 7couts program in the Nations #apital region" Memersof Masjid Muhammad were highl% instrumental in estalishing the

'merican Muslim #oalition for ood oernment, now called,'merican #oalition for ood oernment" +t produced the first

Muslim -udge appointed and elected for the state of Mar%landshighest courts of record" The communit% of Masjid Muhammadproduced the first -udge for the 7tate of Mar%land, who was recentl%appointed, then elected to the @rince eorges #ount% #ircuit #ourt ina position representatie of Mar%lands highest courts of record"

The communit% of Masjid Muhammad is a role model in its teachings andcommitment to uilding indiidual and famil% life, and in uilding asociet% rich in diersit% and rooted in mutual respect, and it hasseeral memers engaged in the productie life of seeral citiesthrough olunteerism, social serices, %outh actiities, senior citiBensupport, communit% and usiness deelopment, jo creation and josills training, and it is reflectie of its national association which iscomprised of millions of hardworing lo%al Muslims who are in eer%field of pulic serice and the priate sector, and are maingsignificant contriutions to the cit% and Gnited 7tates of 'merica"

The Washington Masjid, Masjid Muhammad of the Nations #apital ma% not ecomparale to the great mosques of the +slamic world in architectural

1


5/5

elegance or magnificent decorations, ut the pure faith and spiritualdedication upon which it was uilt and which continue to permeate itswalls ear ample testimon% to the significance of this uilding to notonl% the Washington Muslim communit% ut also to the communit% ofMuslims across 'merica" +t is located just off of New -erse% 'enue,

northwest, on +slamic Wa% (a strip of 1th

7treet NW), where it has andcontinues to e a pillar in the neighorhood, the cit% of Washington,!"#", as well as a leader in an association of hundreds of Masjids and+slamic #enters nationwide"

a short history of masjid muhammad - muhammad mosque no. 4

Documents