It seemed like the entire winter had come in one weekend with a perfect mix of low pressure, high winds and extreme moisture. In 36 hours more snow fell than in an entire season during historic Snowzilla 2016. Mohamed Omar, 16 years with Dar-us-Salaam as the Building Manager say, “This was the worst blizzard,” in all those years.
Muslim social media erupted with photos of Winter Wonderland: children sledding, teens shoveling elderly neighbors’ driveways and lots of Blizzard delicacies as people cooked up a whirlwind and spent time with their families.
Federal offices were closed on Monday, as were state offices in Maryland and Virginia, but masajid and Islamic Centers were ready to spring back into action to accommodate worshippers.
“Alhamdulillah, I tried to plan ahead a week before the blizzard,” said Omar. In planning he had the blower for clearing up the sidewalks sent for repair and maintenance, and hooked up the snowplow on to the truck that had recently gone through maintenance.
He lives in Virginia, and cleared his car and driveway so he could head out to Maryland to the Dar-us-Salaam campus earl Sunday morning. Snowplows had been out in his neighborhood and his car was covered with snow gain. After digging out his car, he made it to College Park by 7 a.m. The drive was treacherous, as many of the inner streets had not been cleared. In College Park, from 7-11 after the gas station down to Edgewood was a mess. After picking up his crew they made their way to campus. The path was slippery. With snow shovels in hand they were able to make it into the building.
Omar checked the pipes and the roof. “All were good,” he says.
“Allah made it easy for us on Sunday- I started and got stuck seven times with the truck,” Between the wind and the snow, it took 3 1/2 days to clear the entire campus. The sidewalks were ready for worshippers on Sunday by 11 pm. The parking lots were ready to receive people for salah.
Originally from Somalia, Omar learned how to deal with storms after experiencing many snowstorms in the DC Metro. Watching his neighbors and city crews. “When you [are] stuck you have to learn something [because] people waiting [to] pass [through so it's an] added responsibility. [This time] we were ready [but] we may need one more blower [for the next storm],” he said.
Omar’s crew of three salted the sidewalk and the parking lots the week before the storm, which he says helped his team.
After the storm, generosity of community members warmed hearts too. A brother who owns a construction company brought his bobcat to remove all the snow, as the truck could not go on the hills surrounding the school. Omar was concerned about the safety of the school children once the school opened again. “He lifted the snow which gave us space to work and donate 37 bags of salt. “He didn’t even charge us,“ shares Omar.
Omar has some advice for administration of Islamic Centers: Give whoever is in charge flexibility and authority to do what they think is right for the building and grounds so they can plan. Giving them access gives peace of mind as any building managers worry if the administration or board will allow them to do critical preparations.
Islamic Society of Frederick (ISF) was closed immediately after Jumu’ah prayers through the weekend until Monday. ISF had two Jumu’ah salahs on January 29, as parking was limited due to the piles of snow. They issued warnings that people be careful walking to the building. Additional parking was arranged in the McCain parking lot. Day care at the Islamic Society of Germantown (ISG) was closed ISG combined Maghrib and Isha at January 22, 2016 and the masjid closed after that allowing their snow removal contractors to perform their job.
Many masajid such as PGMA combined Asr salah with Jumu'ah salah so worshippers could get home to safety before the storm started. Dar al Noor in Manassas advised the community that due to the weather, police officers that normally are available for traffic control.
The Al Firdaus Cemetery was also closed during inclement weather.
But one brother got stuck at dhuhr time on Sunday, Omar had to push his car out. Omar and his crew ask please don’t leave cars on site before a snowstorm as that makes it hard for crews to clean up the parking lot.
The centers make great places for families looking for a safe place to enjoy the snow. He cautions families to not bring to the masjid to play in the snow in blizzard conditions until paths have been cleared. “It was kind of scary when I was [clearing up] our neighborhood kids [and a mother] were coming to play. I couldn’t see behind me due to the snow; the whole path was slippery and the truck can lose control. I had to stop and wait from them to go away.
“Please for your own safety wait until an email comes from the masjid that the place is safe.”
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