On our way to the Mosque, we stopped by a kiosk to purchase the mtn recharge card Jude needed for his monthly subscription and then proceeded together to the Mosque. When we arrived the mosque, because the congregational Salaat had already been performed at its prescribed time, I had to pray alone. So, I crossed over to the other side to purchase a sachet of pure water at a shop adjacent the mosque for ablution,while my friend busied himself with loading of the card and subscription.
Iya Mary is the name we call the shop owner and she is a Christian. After collecting my balance of 10 naira, I asked her to do me a favor by allowing my friend to sit on the empty bench in front of her shop. No problem, she said, as she rushes to pick a neat rag to clean the bench. Thereupon, I beckoned at Jude to come over and have a sit while I observe my prayer.
To my surprise, he stood still as if to say he wasn’t comfortable with my offer. His countenance changed, so was his mood. So I walked up to him and said to him again, “bro, you should go and sit over there while I observe the Salaat.”
Jude: Why can’t I enter your mosque, is it because I am not a Moslem?
Me: Ore, why don’t you just sit over there and we can discuss this after Salaat?
Jude: (reluctantly) Ok., alright. (he proceeded to the other side and sat on the bench with his eyes fixed on his phone, as he struggled with the keyboard.
After Salaat, I came out from the mosque and whispered to him. Immediately, he got up and said some kind words to Iya Mary for her hospitality while I also did same from where I was standing. As if Jude was waiting impatiently for me to finish my Salaat, he said, “San, I demand an explanation over all that transpired today. I may be a Christian, but you know that I have so many Muslim friends and I do visit them. None of them has ever treated me this way. Is your own Islam different?
Here was my response:
Jude, my religion commands me to relate with you righteously, kindly and justly. (Q. 60:8) because, so long as you’re God’s creature, you deserve utmost respect and honour. However, there are certain aspects of my religion that requires your understanding and acceptance because they are statutory ethics that must not be compromised.
(On why I didn’t ask you to wait inside my house while I was away)
Read Also:
* As a Muslim, my religion forbids that a man, other than the Mahaarim (father, brother, nephew, etc cetera *cousin* not inclusive) of a lady enters upon her in her home without her husband’s presence. This is not because Islam suspects that they may commit any act of indecency, but rather it seeks to protect them from harassment and temptation. Q. 33:53
(On why I asked you to wait for a minute to inform my wife about your arrival)
* Our women are permitted to remove their hijab and wear their *skimpy* & *sexy* wears like top and Jean, armless, short sleeves and even singles when alone in the house. Again, Islam forbids that a third party, other than their husbands sees them in such tempting attires.
Q. 24:31. It is in order to avoid Exposing my wife as against this injunction that I needed to make sure that she is in a state “seeable” to a 3rd party before I allow you into my house.
(on why you cannot enter the mosque)
* I will tell you the least of the reasons why you can’t come in and that is because you’re not pure. Don’t get me wrong, there is a ritual bath in Islam called the Janaabah. This is a shower taken after having sexual intercourse with one’s spouse (the husband & the wife must take it) or when one ejaculated either through wet dreams or some other means. It is the same bath taken by menstruating women after their menstrual circle as well as after post natal bleeding.
Even as a Muslim, if you fall into any of those states of impurity and you have not taken the Janaabah, there are certain acts of worship that you cannot perform and one of them is entering the mosque and sitting therein Q. 4:43. As a Christian, you have no such thing in your religion and therefore, you cannot come into the mosque.
So, Jude, even if your name were Muhammad and you haven’t taken your Janaabah, I will prevent you from coming into the mosque,not because I have anything against you, but because we just have to respect the injunctions of each other’s religion.
To cut the long story short, Jude has visited me more than 3 times since then and I have paid him equal number of visitation in his house too. Whenever he calls, his first question is, “Ore, you dey house?” And if my answer was, No, he would simply say, “Holla me when you enter house.”
And if he came to meet me in office and we reached my place, he will simply stand at the gate and say,” I understand, go and inform madam.”
Not every Muslim/Christian is a fanatic. Be a fundamentalist and not a bigot. Understand and respect the other person’s religion and live in peace.
Islam is beautiful . Let’s show its beauty to the world.
