This my second Taraweeh at The Straight Path Islamic Center in Brampton.
On Night 11 of Ramadan 2019, I also came here for Taraweeh Prayer.
A nice, cozy, small single prayer hall neighbourhood musallah serving the surrounding mixed residential, industrial, commercial, and retail zoning that is a signature of Brampton’s urban use planning.
The single prayer hall is curtained into brothers’ and sisters’ sections with a small wudu area and kitchen area.
This multi-purposing of this single prayer hall inside echoes Brampton’s multi-use zoning outside its doors.
The Straight Path Islamic Center is its English name, using American spelling for the word Centre.
It is also known by its Arabic name Masjid Sirat Al Mustaqim.
Their address, unit 13 at 105 Kennedy Road in Brampton, is literally around the corner from Dean Street.
Dean, when pronounced Dīn or Deen while speaking Arabic has numerous meanings for Muslims.
One meaning of the word Deen is Way.
So if you’re looking for The Straight Path in Brampton, find Dean Street, it’s on Kennedy.
Arrived right on time for Isha Prayer, moments before its 9:30 p.m. start.
Worshippers numbered about 25, first line was full, not exactly shoulder-to-shoulder but close enough that it felt pre-pandemic.
I opted to pray in the second line, with my portable red prayer mat spread atop the masjid carpet before me.
We numbered about six in the second line.
Each Masjid has its own COVID-19 protocols.
On this night I observed maybe one in four of us chose to wear masks, and only a handful chose to bring their own prayer mat, I am among them.
They understand their own congregation best.
From youth in their teens to elders needing folding chairs, every age group were present in tonight’s Taraweeh, with worshippers numbering about two dozen.
This is a neighbourhood Masjid, hardly a destination masjid drawing people from all over the Toronto Metropolitan Area on a regular basis.
A few people left having prayed 8 Rakats of Taraweeh.
A few more left after praying 12 Rakats.
That’s when I stopped too via some kind of reverse peer pressure, that it’s okay to pray more than 8 and leave before 20.
This Ramadan more than any previous, I am comfortable with praying random numbers of Taraweeh.
Random isn’t the exact word, perhaps number-of-Taraweeh-Rakats-not-decided-in-advance is what I am trying to express.
Perhaps more fellow Taraweeh worshippers are doing the same nowadays.
Now to what drew me back to The Straight Path Islamic Center for another 30 Masjids in 30 Days of Ramadan visit…
From the outside of the building, it’s a regular side door entrance on a retail complex.
No dome, no minarets, other than the sign above the door, you wouldn’t even notice there was a place of worship inside.
No Islamic Architecture whatsoever outside this rental prayer space.
Inside however, there are two minarets, with tiny domes atop a small roof designed as Islamic Architecture.
I only noticed it when on a random Jumah I prayed here and looked up before I exited the prayer hall.
InshAllah this video helps you immediately appreciate just how cool this is !
Minarets inside the Masjid !
When I first discovered these Twin-Inside-the-Masjid Minarets, on that random past Jumah, it brought to mind Masjid Quba in Central Edmonton, Alberta.
During my 30 Masjids in 30 Days of Ramadan Canada,
I discovered Masjid Quba put their dome inside their prayer hall instead of on top of it :
Sometimes creativity means thinking inside the box.
You can hear the full story about Edmonton’s Masjid Quba and its unique Dome on the podcast we recorded.
In other masjids, you enter to exit the World.
At Masjid Sirat Al Mustaqim in Brampton, it also works the other way around, you exit the prayer hall by entering a Masjid.
During Ramadan 2022,
Come for the Islamic Architecture, stay for the Iftar.
The Straight Path Islamic Center is hosting free Community Iftars on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
