My husband and I started going to this mosque one Ramadan for taraweeh because it was convenient to our West End apartment. We really loved it. The prayer space is relatively small but beautifully decorated - the mihrab is carved wood, the space is softly carpeted. Men and women pray in the same space with sisters praying behind the brothers. The imam spoke in Albanian so we could not benefit from what he said but from the reactions to what he was saying he seemed to be saying relevant and moving things. And also seemed to have a sense of humor. Taraweeh was a real workout as the congregation did the maximum amount of rakats. The sisters were very welcoming to me even though I am clearly of another ethnicity and don't speak their language. Even sisters who only spoke Albanian made an effort to make me feel at home by smiling, touching my arm, etc. My husband said that the brothers were just as friendly. One of the teenage boys even ended up helping him sometimes by translating. We were even invited to their laylat ul qadir night in the second floor masjid hall and once again people were very warm and welcoming and there was a lot of food. I remember this community very fondly and if it were closer to where I live now I would continue to go there language differences notwithstanding.

ruhafsa

2005-06-14