prayer time....mosque style

"you look really good in a head scarf"

I wasn't sure whether this was to be taken as a compliment, or a comment on the state of my fuzzy untamed mane that was now completely covered by a modest black headscarf i had recently donned in order to attend evening prayer at the Kilic Ali Pasa mosque.

Last night my friend Nuri invites me to attend mosque with him and with usual gusto that i almost always later regret i smiled and said "of course"

Thankfully my terrific friend Sara is very knowledgeable about Islam and speaks Turkish so i invite her to come with us and she agrees.

The process before you go to mosque includes washing...your hands, feet, face, mouth, and nose. You must be clean before you go into Gods mosque. And even if you break wind after washing...you have to go and do it all again.

It makes sense respect yourself and God enough to be clean...you don't go eating at your mothers table with mud all over...you wash your hands!

So we are walking to the mosque and Nuri tells me that i look good in a head scarf...and my first instinct is to be flattered at the compliment, but my second and more American instinct tells me i should be offended that he is saying i look good when he can see less of me. Now lets take a moment and try to think of why this is...why should i be offended that even with my head all covered, wearing a loose baggy sweater someone tells me i look good? The answer: I shouldn't be offended, it is my delicate American perception that tells me i should be uncovered to be beautiful.

So while we are walking to the mosque i am considering all the women i have seen who are covered....and it is true, even with a limited perspective of what they look like they have a glowing beauty about them, and an aire of pure confidence that you cannot find even from a woman wearing clothes that bare all. It is confidence that comes from within, and that is a beauty that everyone can see no matter how covered or uncovered you are!

The mosque and prayer were beautiful, when you step into a mosque it is like stepping into someones home. There is a peace and quiet and love about the place that makes you feel comfortable. It helps that the whole place is carpeted so your bare feet are nice and cushioned every place you step.

I take my shoes off and we all step into the mosque and Nuri, like the good host he is, shows me around the mosque and tells me about the Muezzin which is the man who calls out the prayer for the ezan; and the Imam calls out the prayer for the actual prayer time. Then he shows Sara and I to the womens section of the mosque for prayer.

Again my spidey sense is tingling and telling me that i should again be offended that i am seperated from the men like i am something less...is it my fault if a man cant concentrate during prayer, why doesn't he have the responsiblity to control himself...why do i have to go to the balcony section so that he can pray more comfortably? But once i push that initial knee jerk reaction away i feel much better. I actually can understand that the men inside the mosque are not trying to make me feel inferior, they are simply there to pray to God and if i am there also to pray then what does it matter where i am...i could be six feet under and God will still hear me.

Therefore i climb up the stairs to the balcony where some kind ladies show me how to correctly prostrate myself before God and pray...and since i do not understand the words of the Imam i simply think to myself about God and what i have learned about him through my church and i concentrate on being earnest and praying for myself, family and friends....which granted is slightly difficult when i had to watch the lady next to me out of the corner of my eye so i knew when to stand and when to kneel and touch my head to the floor.

I felt a sense of connection, coming out of the mosque...it is a meditation, a communion with God that people find when they pray and that is what really matters...if you really believe in God then he knows what is in your heart and in your head so all the gestures and cleansing actions you make are for show it seems, and to show respect for the religion and its traditions....In reality i doubt very much whether God cares if you are a clean person or a dirty person....as long as you are a good person.

However, a mosque to me, is much like a church...if you need somewhere to go where people will be quiet and respectful and clean and worshipping....it is the perfect place to be! No matter what religion you are...