After praying Fajr in the nearby Islamic Association of Sault Ste Marie, Brother Yaser Garwan drove the short distance to the Howard Johnson’s hotel and dropped me off in front of the Greyhound office.
It’s still a couple of hours until Greyhound opens. Time flies by quickly enough doing Dhikr.
The office opens something past 6 a.m. The computers say the bus to Sudbury is sold out. I and an elder Francophone gentleman go on stand-by.
A couple of hours later, once the Eastbound Greyhound bus arrives from Thunder Bay, the driver assures us there will likely be seats.
He’s right. Turns out there were five seats available once everyone else boarded. Greyhound reservation computers don’t always tell the truth.
A few hours later, we arrive in town. There is plenty of time to make Jumah Friday Prayers at the Islamic Association of Sudbury at 755 Churchill Avenue in the east side of the city.
After walking from the station into downtown Sudbury trying to find WiFi, time is running short.
I eventually spot a Tim Horton’s and log in from outside the building. There’s not enough time for me to walk to the Masjid. For only the second time this Ramadan, I have to catch a cab.
The taxi driver kept cracking jokes for most of the ride. It almost completely took me out of my Ramadan-Jumah mindset.
As I step into the Masjid for the first time, the first Adhan is being called. Yay! Alhumdulillah, I made it. The cab trip was definitely worth it.
Before I can get a bearing of where to go for wudu, where to place my shoes, or park the travel bag, a big bear of a brother strongly invites me to enter the Masjid office and sign the guest book.
It’s obvious everybody here knows the regulars and strangers or visitors are instantly recognized and greeted.
I sign the guestbook, then head downstairs.
The Khutbah, or Friday Sermon, was a mix of complaining about U.S. Foreign policy during Ramadan, and not wasting time as Ramadan was already suddenly half over.
I cannot help but think that complaining about U.S. Foreign Policy is wasting time during Ramadan.
The Imam provided a number of reminders of where we should be spiritually by now, and if we had been getting the best of the beginning of the Ramadan that was now gone forever?
There is no physical barrier between the men and the women present who are here to pray.
However, with the “L” shape floor plan of the prayer hall, sisters who want some further privacy, may find enough space closer to the wall obstructing any line of sight views beyond 45 Degrees from the brothers area.
The carpeting comprises overlapping Persian or Turkish rugs.
It is easy to feel comfortable here as the carpets remind me of praying inside the Bosnian Islamic Centre (née Croatian Islamic Centre) in South Etobicoke when I was a child or six or seven.
When I was little, I wondered if Muslims in Canada’s north prayed in Igloos?
Hey, I was six years old, gimme a break 😉
I look up.
I am directly underneath the skylight illuminating the Prayer Hall.
The skylight is in the shape of a dome.
From this vantage point, it does looks like an Igloo.
Great post. I love the skylight-igloo connection. 🙂