Thinking Anew: Where is the Muazin?published in Tri-State-Muslim Media
Last year working as a Muslim chaplain at Rutgers University, I came across Muslim students with many concerns and questions. As an "Imam" on campus, I used to write these questions in my journal to see some sort of a pattern of recurring problems.
My intention was to collect these questions, formulate a list of FAQs for the students and send it over to different community leaders and imams so they can have a better grasp of "problems with our youth". I do not plan to write about these specific questions here in this article however, I may suggest an answer to the recurring issues on college campuses and mosques.
In order to provide a solution to any problem, one must understand the problem at hand first. A person must study different cases and analyze the situation to formulate a solution. For example, a doctor looks for signs and symptoms on his patient. Thereafter, he issues his diagnosis. But that's not the end of his work. Nobody will pay the doctor for a diagnosis without any treatment work. The doctor has to do more than simply to issue a fatwa (opinion) about the nature of the disease. Rather, he has to prescribe medicine, special diet, therapy, run test reports, and frequent checkups to make sure that the disease is healed properly. In addition, the doctor may offer advice and recommendations so in the future the patient doesn't suffer from the same disease again.
In a similar way, Muslim community needs to provide good soul management not disease management for the future of Islam. Nobody likes to see the sign "Welcome back to the Hospital" no matter how welcoming it is. To be honest, How can we put the bumper sticker "Islam is the Solution" and find ourselves enveloped in problems? How can we heal humanity while we bleed especially while our youth suffer daily crying "losing my religion"?
Where is the specialist when we talk about youth issues? Where is that doctor?
Muslim student and youth issues are a serious dilemma that we face as a community. We need to have a deeper sense of urgency about the plight of our youth.
From my days in Karachi's Jam-e-Masjid Bab-e-Rahmat, I remember the Imam, old person who didn't mingle with people much but the muazin (the one who makes the call for prayer) was a young guy who the youth loved. He would sometimes play cricket with them in the evenings. Some even suggested that it is makruh (disliked) to play cricket meaning it is a total waste of time. Yet, when he would return at sunset to call the azan, he would return with scores of youth with him. They would listen to the muazin because he acted as if he was one of their fellow cricket players. Come to think of it, the muazin had more success than any Imams, scholars, parents, or chachas on the street in bringing youth back to the mosque. The youth related to the young man very well. He was knowledgeable and very supportive of the youth.
Similarly, we have an urgent need for young homegrown "muazins" on college campuses and mosques. If the Muslim community is going to do long term planning, we will need youth coordinators, chaplains, young imams who understand the pop culture and concerns of the Muslim youth. Young people like Chaplain Khalid Latif who is working with students to build a multi-million dollar Islamic Center in the heart of the city at New York University.
Here I would like to add that I am not talking about starting another youth halaqa or basketball tournament at the local mosque or a summer program. Rather, long term planning dictates that the Muslim leadership gives a priority to institutionalization of youth coordinator position. For this reason, every community needs a 'muazin', a permanent youth coordinator hired and paid by the mosque to relate with youth and bring them back to the straight path. Many colleges and universities in the U.S. have Muslim chaplains who have filled in this role of 'muazin'. Can our mosques and Islamic centers do the same?
There are many lists of top ten favorites. Musicians and song writers have their top ten. Radio stations play their top ten count downs. Comedians have top ten jokes. Show Biz has top ten models. etc. As a Muslim reflecting on the Quran, I could not ignore the list of top ten mentioned therein. The top ten qualities of those who will receive forgiveness and a great reward are mentioned in Surah al-Ahzab, ayah 35 (see last post for the translation). The past khutba was about these ten attributes and how we fare as "Muslims" in LIVING these attributes of people of forgiveness and jannah.
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