Looking for a light

Day out to the mosque

Alright I have lots of interesting stuff to say, but I shall break it down into two seperate posts. The first is about friday prayers yesterday. Anytime one is in a new place and a new country, you always look for that familiarity, something u can tie yourself and associate yourself to. You look out for something singaporean, maybe an eating place, maybe even that familiar whiny singaporean voice complaining bout something or being overly enthu at something they've never seen back home before.

Well for me yesterday was good cos I managed to take a bus down, and go for Friday prayers at the Perth Mosque. Those who know me well know that Friday prayers is super important for me and I would do pretty much anything to make sure I don't miss it (e.g. that 2 hour commute to the Kowloon Mosque in HK). So when I discovered the mosque was nearby, I was super happy and made my way down.

When I first arrived, the door was actually closed, so I thought I wasn't at the right place! I waited outside cos I did see ppl on the inside just that din dare go in, I dunno why also. So i waited to see if there were other ppl going in, and soon enough I did see them. The mosque was realli quaint with a courtyard and all, very old school. When to take my ablutions and when I came out I heard the prayer call. Usually in Singapore the person uses a mike and does it from somewhere enclosed. But this time I heard equally loudly and really nearby. Imagine I looked up and saw the person (known as a muazzin) making it right there, live and loaded! haha, first time I see someone just do it there in the middle of the mosque courtyard.

The sermon was simple, and it was all about faith, or iman, and its correlation to the religion, which is Islam. It realli spoke out to me and more than that the imam realli reached out to me. Cos like in Singapore, all sermons are standard word for word, and there is no variation or personality it if you know wat i mean. So when they speak from their heart, you as a receiver can realli feel it. And i realli felt it and the msg stuck so was realli grateful for it.

Another thing which struck mne was the unity and oneness I felt with strangers which I saw for the first time and some whom i will never see again for the rest of my life. There was such a mix of blacks, arabs, indonesians, caucasians and malays. The oneness was something hard to explain and comprehend but those of you who pray with your own congregations will know what I mean. Its just there. Just that feeling it with a whole group of ppl i din know was such a great feeling and realli made me feel proud and super grateful to be a follower of a religion like Islam. So many people, from all over the world, pray to God as one in the one way we were all taught somehow even though we are seperated by so much distance and time.

Anyways forgive me for that also, i wanna keep this content here as generic as possible, but yeah just had to say it lar cos it has been on my mind.


Here are two pics from the mosque trip, wished could have taken more but then not very nice to keep taking pics where ppl are praying also.


This is the outside of the mosque, as you can see its small and simple, and its foundation stone was laid in 1905, so its been here relatively longer than most mosques in Singapore I think. Also, the door is closed, unlike in Singapore, where there is no door in the first place, so I was a bit in doubt as to whether it was open.

As I mentioned, many races, one religion, this the courtyard outside, and it was hearening to see all the people actually socialising and talking outside, instead of just rushing off to work in Singapore (which is perfectly understandable). But yes the cultural mix and diversity and the unity in the midst of it was something I realli appreciated.

Alright that is all for now, I will write more about my adventures today (saturday), and sunday, tomorrow, as I am going to watch the Women's leagues in the vicinity. It has been an interesting week, and I have had a good time exploring around.

Missing all,
Az

posted by Me @ 9:59 PM