Today, Aman and I trekked out to Madina Masjid. It’s located in the heart of the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
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The masjid sign outside reads, “Islam Is The Way. Read The Quran The Final Revelation.” An interesting sign for a predominantly upper middle class white neighborhood.
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Similar to the 29th st. masjid, we were filed into the basement to break fast. Everyone sat shoulder to shoulder waiting for the adhaan to be called. Food was served before the prayers. The arrangement seemed odd at first, but it made logistical sense.
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Everyone was sitting on top of one another in the small basement. One would think the congregants would get irritated fairly quick, but people seemed to laugh at the arrangment. Jolly sardines packed in a tin can.
A Pakistani man searched for rice in uneaten plates and left everything else untouched.
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Eating food prior to prayer naturally leads to a large queue for wudu.
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Thankfully, the prayer area easily accommodated all of us. The majority of the congregants are either passing by the neighborhood or work in proximity to the center. Many of the lectures that take place in the center are in Bangla. The masjid is also Tablighi Jamat friendly. In fact, I once ran into an uncle here from my hometown masjid in Houston.
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As I left the masjid, a man stopped me and said, “Salam akh, I’m giving out free kufis.”
“Oh yeah?” I replied.
“Yep” He quietly examined my head and continued, “you know, the golden one would fit you perfectly.”
I was intrigued to see this golden kufi. Inside the prayer area a lonely stool sat with two kufis.
I asked myself if I could rock a golden kufi, maybe in a decade.
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