TayoBlog

In my next visit, the Imam of the mosque was one of the best reciters of the Qur’an in Cape Town.  And the city has some world-class reciters who can move hundreds and thousands to ecstasy and tears. The imam this night lived up to the reputation.
In the small selection recited, a popular one that many Imams read, beauty and threat were intimately intertwined. He recited it in the most melodious and enthralling fashion. Does one enjoy the rendering, or feel the shiver down the spine at the threat? Or are they both together combined in an overwhelming experience.

Moreover, the selection recited declared the power and God and the worthlessness of man and woman. It addressed man and woman before they were something. “Were you not a mere drop of semen gushing forth?” In that state, can one speak of a person? Who and what was being addressed?

Before the tarawih (prayer of rest), the Imam  gave an introductory talk. The talk was bit of a ramble, with a few noteworthy points. He was here and there, and everywhere. However, the most remarkable thing was the Imam opened up an Apple Mac from which he spoke. Now this was an updated and modern Imam!

It is interesting how this gesture might actually impress. It signifies the desire to keep up with the times, or at least to be doing so. Most Imams, we often complain, are so outdated. They are still busy with the yellow books (as they say in Nigeria and Indonesia). They need to be relevant and speak of the world! They must not shy away from technology! Opening his Mac, has the Imam caught up with modernity?

What was the substance of the message, though? All the right buttons were pressed.  References made to the world, recession, and materialism. Religion, methinks, was lost. There was little spirituality; hardly any of the direct address to the self before it was something. Maybe the Imam should simply have translated his recitation.

This is not criticism of an Imam. In fact, this is a difficult BLOG to write. The desire to modernize and become relevant often leads to a bargain with modernity. The problem is that one is not always sure which of modernity to take up, and which to leave behind.

If I may be permitted my own ramble, let me close with another observation. Like many mosques in Cape Town, this one was adorned with some beautiful reading of dhikr (praises to God). After every four cycles of prayer, one person from the congregation led the rest. His strong voice shook the mosque for a few minutes, followed by a chorus that filled the nooks and crannies of this beautiful space.

Now this was something worth setting aside time for…