Not Just Any Masjid

Kay recently started going to masjid on Saturday mornings. Her father and I had decided when she turned 5 we would start sending her. My husband’s initial suggestion was to have someone come to our house and teach her. I was a little against this idea because that was how I was taught Quran, and only Quran. I didn’t learn anything else specifically about salah, duas, or our Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all). My neighborhood has several masjids all within walking distance of my home, but I still wasn’t satisfied. I was going to go through this process very carefully.

I didn’t want to send Kay to any masjid. One night my husband and I had a discussion about this and I laid out three options. I think he was surprised, maybe a little annoyed, at how specific I was being, but I had my reasons based off my experiences as a child. My husband leaned towards the third option, a weekend program in a masjid run by someone I know closely. Before I said yes I spoke to the director and she explained all the details about what my daughter would learn. She even suggested coming in for a trial run to see if Kay would like it.

We went that Saturday and my gut told me this was the place for her. I watched Kay as she repeated the duas the teacher was reciting and as she did her lesson work. I also noticed she was taking in a lot of information, particularly when her teacher told the class about putting on your clothes and shoes starting with the right side of your body. I had a feeling Kay was hesitant, but I wanted to wait until we got home to talk about it. When we got home she said she liked it “a little bit” and left it at that. Later that day, we were getting ready to go outside to play when she put on her shoes and said “Oh, I forgot to put my shoe on my right foot first”. That was the answer I needed. She was going to go back.

She’s been going for a few weeks now and she looks forward to it. My husband and I laugh and say we’ll be learning along with her. I’m glad I was specific about which masjid would be good for her. I think little decision like these contribute greatly towards where she will wind up on the Deen scale.

Miriam Mahmood

Miriam Mahmood is a wife and mother to an almost 5 year old girl who is on her way to kindergarten. Miriam is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree and lives in Brooklyn, NY.