Misunderstanding at the mosque

One day, in search of opportunities to practice language and culture I went to visit the mosque opposite our house. I’d had no shortage of invitations from our neighbours, and the muezzin would always greet me warmly, although we had no common language besides the Arabic we’re trying to learn. His voice has become very familiar of late.

After washing, I entered the building to find my friend the muezzin alone – a good thing because I could double-check privately that it was ok that I, a follower of the Messiah, had come to pray for a while in their building. And here we ran into a problem. In trying to avoid the word “salat” which describes the Muslim ritual prayers, I told my friend that I wanted to “make requests of the Lord” – a phrase we’d learned during our lessons. His surprise as we struggled to understand each other was evident: “But you can’t ask the Lord for anything if you don’t do your salat first! That would be like asking for wages without working for them! Come and I’ll teach you the ritual prayers.”

Words failed me as I tried to explain how Jesus taught that God wants to give us good things, just like fathers taking care of their children. As the conversation ground to an awkward halt, the muezzin suggested that the Imam, the mosque’s preacher, could help us out, since he spoke French.

Arriving at the Imam’s house, the nice older man listened as I explained that I’m a follower of the Messiah and just wanted to pray in their building. What unfortunately followed was a half hour presentation on how to become a Muslim. He didn’t try to hide his disappointment when I eventually found the space to tell him that joining his religion really wasn’t my intention, though I have great respect for them. He then warned me against the dangers of living an ungodly life before letting me go. I’ve tiptoed past his house ever since.

The experience left me with some important food for thought. For one, fluent language is crucial if we want to present the Good News to our neighbours. In this country there are good Muslims and bad Muslims but earnest followers of the Messiah can be tricky to fit in either box. And finally, what a privilege to have a God who calls himself our Father and who genuinely delights in answering our prayers. If only our neighbours could know.