In Memory of Leeds!

Leeds Grand Mosque

Friday prayers have been something that I look forward to ever since I knew how to pray.  And in my almost half-century of life, I have had the chance to perform Friday prayers in almost one hundred different mosques all over the country and some overseas.  And where ever I prayed, the experience was always different as well.

I have prayed in so many different mosques in the state of Johor Bahru and of course some in Kelantan where I got my formal training as a teacher; not to mention the many mosques in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya where I was brought up and started work.  I must say that all these mosques have unique qualities and beauty of their own that draw people and me to pray within their vicinity.

But the most unique experience was performing Friday prayers in Leeds, United Kingdom where I did my first degree.  Not only was the building unique in structure and initial purpose but the people who went there to perform prayers were also both unique and varied.  Unique because they are quite different from the congregation that you would see in Malaysia and varied because of the different nationalities of people who perform prayers, who  have found the enlightenment to embrace Islam.

Praying in Leeds Grand Mosque was also a totally new experience because people did not wear sarong like us in Malaysia; they prayed in their daily clothes!  And, of course, the one unique thing that I will never forget was when I went to the mosque in heavy snow to perform my Friday prayer! 

Praying in different mosques does have its plus points but one must remember that wherever one prays, the main reason is always the same; that is to pray!