As health professionals and elected officials released information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, masjid leaders hastened to coordinate the appropriate operational changes to reflect the new health and safety guidelines.
ADAMS Center, a Virginia masjid, assembled the Virginia Council of Muslim Organizations. “We created a task force, the VCMO, to follow through and provide guidance to all of the local masajid in Virginia,” said Syed Moktadir, president and board member of ADAMS Center.
Dar Al-Hijrah, Baitul Mukarram, Dar Al-Noor, and the Muslim Association of Virginia were among the masajid of VCMO.
“[VCMO] was helpful to bring all of the Imams and local masajid together to have discussions. Initially, it was an ongoing discussion where the Virginia Secretary of Education and the governor of Virginia participated in the forum to speak with all of the masajid about COVID,” said Moktadir.
Masjid leaders held virtual meetings to navigate the pandemic in accordance with health regulations.
“Some masjids had more insight into what the governor was thinking. Some people in Baltimore have close connections with the Maryland state government, and some people are more connected to the county, so that has been very useful. But, in the end, there is no unified official leadership. Every masjid is left to make their own decision,” said Minhaj Hasan, Director of Dar-us-Salaam’s Donor Care Office.
Muslim organizations transitioned to virtual platforms and expanded upon preexisting online services.
“People are seeking a lot more counseling. [COVID-19] really disrupted a balance in the family, in many instances. So dua and counseling is what we are providing. We are giving a lot more counseling sessions to make sure the community has their resources. Classes have been extended on Zoom, and we have expanded our live stream,” said ADAMS Center president Moktadir.
Masjid leaders remain eager to build and maintain relationships with community members.
“We [Dar-us-Salaam] had Zoom dinners where we broke people up into groups of 10 or 15 families, took dinner to their homes, and met over Zoom to see each other and exchange ideas. [Meetings] were one hour each, and we had about ten of them. Alhamdulilah, we were able to meet around 100 of our supportive families, give them dinner, and connect with them,” said Hasan.
Though Ramadan plans remain uncertain, masjid leaders confirm that operations will reflect CDC instructions and recommendations.
“We will follow whatever guidelines we see from the CDC and local health officials and experts, then decide,” said Moktadir. “Prayer is important and a foundational aspect of our deen. However, saving one life is more important than conducting prayer in the masjid. You can pray anywhere. It is saving a life that becomes more important than praying in congregation. One life saved by not praying together is way better than praying together in the masjid,” he said.
“We are still working through the plans, and we are hoping that by [Ramadan] time things will have improved and we can have Taraweeh in the masjid. But, we are putting together contingency plans just in case, including plans for outdoor salawat,” added Saif Rahman, Director of Public and Government Affairs at Dar Al-Hijrah.
While Muslims are anxious to return to the normalcy of indoor-salaat, masjid administrators maintain a justifiable concern and hesitance to resume pre-coronavirus operations within the near future.
“I think COVID has made a significant impact on general operations, and it will take a lot of time to get back to normal. Just being able to pray standing next to someone is going to take time to get used to. I don't know if we [Dar Al-Hijrah] will ever go back to what we used to be operating as,” said Rahman.
“Allah is the best of planners. This should not deter us from keeping Allah Subhaanahu wa ta’aala central in our lives, and the masjid a central place in our daily lives,” continued Rahman.
Hasan of Dar-us-Salaam encourages community members to embrace the silver linings of the pandemic.
“Keep the opportunities of the pandemic in front of you rather than the restrictions and the hardships, like having more time to devote to your relationship with Allah, and your close family members. Let’s not fill that time with more Zoom meetings. Allah is giving us an opportunity and it’s on us not to squander it,” said Hasan.
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