Meriden Mosque Opening

"Allah is the greatest," Haseeb sang four times. "I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship save Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Come to prayers." Led by Yahya Luqman, an imam from Rochester, N.Y., two adults, two teenagers and a little boy went through the prayers to be said after sunset and late in the evening. Isha is the word in Arabic for the late evening prayers - it is also the word for dinner. Heads covered and hands clasped across their stomachs, the men went through a series of stylized motions, standing, bowing from the waist and then a deep bow on their knees, touching their foreheads to the ground. Luqman recited prayers and the others responded quietly.

During silent moments in the prayer service a few of them raised a solitary finger - a quiet demonstration that there is only one God. "You have to conceive of yourself standing before God. You have to be in a state of humility. Prostration is the greatest form of humility," Luqman said. After their evening prayers, the men settled down to eat together.



The sect's motto, "Love for all, hatred for none," will be prominently displayed in the mosque. "This was a place of worship before we have taken it and it will continue to be a place of worship. We don't see this house as belonging to one particular group. It is a house that belongs to God," said Dr. Sohail Husein, the group's information secretary. "Our doors are open and that is why we are so interested in reaching out to other religious communities."

The move represents a new step for the 150-member congregation - it is the first time they have been able to have a permanent meeting place. "It will allow us to congregate in a central place. It will allow us to have a proper mosque," said Dr. Muhammad Qureshi, president of the Connecticut chapter and a Storrs resident. Up to this point, the worshippers met in members' homes, using the Hungarian Club hall in Wallingford for special occasions. With a permanent home coming in several months, mosque leaders are now considering how to engage their community. Ahmadiyya communities across the nation have been involved with food, clothing and blood donation drives, health fairs and making contributions of time, money and talent toward local civic organizations. "We have members from all walks of life. It is a very diverse community," Husein said.

Islamic extremism is everywhere in the news today. The rantings of the men who destroyed the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 and the religious strife tearing up Iraq contrast sharply with the moderate, peace-loving faith of the Ahmadiyya sect. "It is very painful to see how other Muslims hear the teachings of the Quran and have twisted the teachings to hurt Islam," Qureshi said. "Unfortunately, it has been taken hostage by fanatics. The purpose of our community is to take the religion back," Husein said.
Difficulties in the Islamic faith seen throughout the world derive from an ignorance of proper teachings, Luqman said. Extremists, who have killed themselves and others in the name of their faith, have misinterpreted even the word jihad, which is now seen as a call to holy war. The word actually means struggle. "The prophet said the greatest struggle is that struggle that goes on internally. It is the struggle to do good in the face of evil," Luqman said. "The greater good is when you can forgive a person."
"To go to heaven you have to work very hard. It is not that easy," said Raza Ahmad, Haseeb's father and a North Haven resident.

The basic tenets of Islam include belief in a single God and his angels, and in the holy scriptures revealed to the faith's prophets, and in the inevitability of a day of judgement. The ways one outwardly manifests this faith are to proclaim the unity of God as taught by the prophet Muhammad, to give alms, to fast during Ramadan, to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one's lifetime and to pray five times a day, every day.

The teachings of Muhammad forbid acts of war, except when one's ability to worship freely is hindered, Lugman said. Suicide is expressly forbidden. "In Islam there is no such thing as aggressive warfare," he said, quoting directly from the Quran to support his points.

Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community do break from the faith as a whole in one area - they believe that their founder was the Messiah of Islam, the reincarnation of Jesus Christ who would preach Islam. Mainstream Islam rejects that claim, believing the next prophet has yet to come.
Ahmadiyya Muslims profess moderation.

"The voice of moderate Islam is not being allowed to the surface," Luqman said.

What is the purpose of the life of a Muslim? It was a question asked centuries ago, posited again during dinner. The key to answering that question, Luqman says, is an understanding of the meaning of the Arabic word abd. The word has a double meaning - the primary meaning is worshipper, but the word also means servant. The Meriden congregation embraces that nuance. In their minds, one way to submit to God is to serve others. "We cannot love God until we serve his creation," Husein said.

sscarpa@record-journal.com
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The state chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, of which they are devout members, plans to move into the former Jehovah's Witnesses' Kingdom Hall at 410 Main St. in South Meriden. No exterior renovations will be done, although some work is necessary to make the interior conform to the group's worship needs.