During this semester, I'm currently taking Mosque Management as my co-curricular skills. The class consists of about twenty people and conducted by Ustaz Faizol Haque. We meet up every Tuesday night from 8pm to 10pm to discuss about the most important institution in Islam which is the masjid or mosque.
As we know, the masjid was first built during the Prophet time and the structure was just palm leaves as roof and scorching hot sand as the floor but still, it succeeded in rallying the Muslims at that time who were very strong in faith. Many scholars were produced and Islamic teachings were being actively carried out. The masjid became a very important community development centre. As opposed to the sad reality of nowadays, where we have beautiful and statuesque mosques with granite walls, illuminated domes and polished tiles, built-in air conditioners, and very majestic structure overall. However, it only becomes a place where people 'rush in and rush out' to perform prayers. Its sole purpose is becoming a place where busy people perform prayers hastily before they resume their wordly grind. There are lesser and lesser people wanting to liven the masjid with additional ibadah. The masjid is sadly only full during Ramadhan.
As part of our getting to know the masjid administration, we visited Masjid al-Khairiyah in Seri Gombak. The masjid has coveted several awards, including the Best Masjid in Gombak and the Best Masjid in the state of Selangor. We interviewed the masjid secretary, Ustaz Sham, and he gladly shared the recipe of a successful masjid. First of all, it lays in careful planning. The annual activity for the masjid had already been laid out before the year started. The masjid will organise numerous big and small-scale events and everything had been set out in the planner, including the committees for each program. In this way, delays and inconveniences can be avoided. There are seldom ad-hoc programs that will arise.
Some of the large-scale events conducted by Masjid al-Khairiyah is 'Program Nikah Perdana' or 'Grand Wedding' which is set on 1 Muharram every year. It aims to encourage youngsters with financial constraints who wish to get married. The total cost of the wedding outfits, photography, dais and catering for 50 guests is only RM1000 per couple. About 10 couples will be selected for the grand wedding. On top of that, they also have Maulidur Rasul etc. Some of the small-scale events are being carried out on the regular which involves Subh Forum, Dhuha Talk, Tazkirah Maghrib etc.
The masjid has a never-ending source of funds from the jamaah who pray there and they manage to get thousands of ringgit of sponsorship every Friday. For Ramadhan iftar, they have already collected sponsors from charitable people which costs RM2000 per day. The funds go directly to activities and there is no such case of masjids hoarding funds. The committee is very transparent and they hold an election every three years to restructure their organisational chart whereas the votes are cast by the public.
According to Ustaz Sham, the most important thing in being a masjid committee is the ability to solve problems. Many people see problems, and they only criticise, when it comes to actually solving they refuse to do it. Being a masjid committee means you should be able to handle problems as they arise and specifically according to the needs. For example, there was a homeless man once who slept in his car, so the committee offered a room whereas the rent was paid by the masjid. It is significant to note that the masjid not only focuses on spiritual development in aspects of ibadah, but also on other societal problems. For the needy, the masjid is responsible for approving the list of asnaf around Selangor. There is also a supplies shelf where free household needs such as Milo, sugar and rice are open for the public to take. Muslimah Center is also established on the masjid to help single mothers as they produce a telekung under the label 'al-Khairiyah'. Next, Dar-al-Syifa' center is also located within the compound for those in need.
All in all, this course opens my eyes about how crucial the masjid institution is in developing our community especially nowadays where people are scared to go to masjid if they are 'sinners'. I believe that the religious community should not be judgemental to those whose faith fluctuate or going through a rough patch. People like these should be shown kindness and compassion. As Masjid committee, there is a heavy obligation of representing the religion of peace by offering peace to those who want to seek it, not just preaches of sins and punishments. I believe that the masjid needs to be closer to the community and everyone should feel safe to seek protection in it. Only in this way can masjids go back to its glory days.
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