The word Imam has many different meanings in the Shari’ah, but the most common usage of the terms refers to the one who is appointed to lead congregational prayers and most importantly, the Friday sermon.
The Imam of a Mosque carries out the responsibilities of messengers, that of discharging religious duties to the community, educating them and guiding then in their religious affairs. The main responsibilities are: to lead the five obligatory prayers, deliver the Friday sermon, teach the community of the fundamentals of their faith, answer religious queries and questions, give counselling to those who come forward, establish community ties with other faith groups and leaders, and generally carry out the duty of enjoining the good (khayr) and preventing evil (munkar) in the society.
With the grace and bounty of Allah I have been blessed to work in various capacities. I tried my hand in establishing a business in the past. I have taught and lectured adults at an Islamic College, teaching the fundamentals of Islam such as Aqidah (Islamic Theology), Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Sirah (History) and other Shari’ah subjects. I have also taught children at secondary level – that is high school for American folks. In addition, I have been involved in the running and teaching of various evening and weekend supplementary schools.
All of the roles I have taken in the past have had their advantages and challenges. For example, those who teach at secondary schools will be all too aware of its demanding nature. It is often draining, not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically. While teaching adults has its own unique peculiarities, it, too, requires an energy we often don’t simply have. As for my business acumen – well let's just say I’m no Alan Sugar!
It has been approximately three months to date that I have been appointed an Imam at Masjid Ibrahim & Islamic Centre, London UK. Whilst I have been delivering Friday sermons and lectures at various Mosques on a part-time basis, this role has now become my full-time concern.
| In these series of blog posts I will be posting every fortnight (maybe moving to every week later on) on various aspects of the duties, challenges, and everyday happenings in my position as Imam. |
A Mission More than a Job
For me, being an Imam is a great blessing and I am grateful to Allah that He has facilitated this opportunity for me to develop myself and where possible try and assist others to become better Muslims and human beings. This role combines most of the roles I have taken in the past. The Imam teaches Islam and everything that is beneficial to all who are in the community, young and old. It also provides opportunities to develop one’s leadership and managerial skills. I guess the only role that is not incorporated here is my business endeavours. Well, that is unless if I get into to issuing ta’weez (amulets) and charging people, which, in my case, will not happen.
In these series of blog posts I will be posting every fortnight (maybe moving to every week later on) on various aspects of the duties, challenges, and everyday happenings in my position as Imam. The purpose is to inform the readers and give an insight into the exact nature of the role of an Imam according to the Qur’an and Sunnah. Many of us think the job of an Imam is to simply lead the daily prayers and give a khutbah (sermon) but I assure you there is much more to it than that, as you shall soon see Insha’Allah.
We will also tackle various issues pertaining to Islam and current affairs and relate them to the responsibilities of an Imam in the western context. These writings will not be essay type posts but rather thoughts on some issues that arise in my daily interactions.
Another important aspect that will be dealt with in these series, Insha’Allah, is to show to the general readers the life of an Imam – our likes and dislikes, how we have fun and generally chill out, and so and so forth. We should remember that Imams are human beings just like everyone else - unless you’re from the Indian subcontinent where many do think Imams should be super human! And I how can I forget my ‘battles’ with the uncles?! All will be explained soon, Insha’Allah.
I hope and pray this series of reflections will be beneficial and request everyone to make dua this project by onislam is successful.
