I had an amazing moment the other night with The National readers and staff. When I told the group that my team and I were heading over to the mosque, a reader approached me. "Ali, I am not a Muslim," he said. "But I find your passion for Islam fascinating. I would like to thank Allah, and, out of curiosity, see what goes on in a mosque." This is the most beautiful thing a Muslim can hear, but it is also the most difficult. Most expats know non-believers are not allowed in a mosque, but we can offend people if we don't do a good job of explaining why. It is not because we want to exclude people: the more potential Muslims the merrier.
I have seen Christians praying. The simplicity - kneel, hands together, close your eyes - is beautiful. Islamic praying is more ritualistic. We must do a certain form of ablutions, then there are certain Quranic verses we must recite and certain actions we must do. To teach a non-Muslim these things would be like showing a layperson how to do surgery; it distracts from the task at hand. This is why I had to tell this dear man that he couldn't accompany us. If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure most non-Muslims would find the experience a lot less precious than they think.
In America, spelling bees are a big thing. There was even a movie, Spellbound, made about these brilliant kids. Well, here in the UAE, we have our own version of the spelling bee competition, but with an Islamic twist. For the past 12 years, Dubai has held the International Holy Quran Award, in which participants recite the holy book. The great thing about this competition is that anyone can participate, even non-Muslims from places such as Switzerland. Of course, being Muslim helps: you've been reading and reciting the Quran since you were old enough to speak. One competitor from Saudi Arabia said he had studied five parts of the holy book every day since he was 10. His goal is to become a PhD in Sharia, and something tells me he will make it. The importance of recitation in Islam harks back to the very first word in the Quran, which was revealed during Ramadan. The angel Jibrael (Gabriel) came down to the Prophet Mohammed and revealed the Quran to him, commanding him: "Iqra!" The word "iqra" is a command. It means "Read!" or "Recite!"
