My Daily Prayers 

               I am a young Muslim, and I come from a traditional Muslim family. In Mali my family, friends and I learned how to practice Islamic culture to be a better Muslim. In Muslim countries, people must learn how to practice Islamic culture correctly. As a Muslim I have five pillars to follow, which is a traditional custom. When I used to live in Mali, I always started my prayers on time in a calm place, but in the United States I have not found a place to focus on my prayers. It is impossible for me to pray in the noise. Since I moved here, I have a hard time practicing my religion, especially prayers. 

 

                In the past, I always used to pray at the right time in Mali, but now due to my schedule in the United States it is hard. When I am in class, it is always time to pray. I am not able to perform my prayers when I am at school or other places, because of the noise around. I could mix the set of verses constituting chapters in the Coran, which is called suras. Some Muslims say:  when a person mixes his suras while he is praying, his prayer will not be accepted, so he must restart, and this is true.  I must pray no matter the circumstance, and there is no excuse for not praying. Before praying I must perform my ablutions, and then I pray. Every Muslim has an obligation to pray five times a day. A part of being a Muslim is completing all the Islamic cultures. When Muslims pray, it is a sign of devotion to Allah, which means God in Arabic. Sometimes when I see my family or just little kids praying, I am very happy for them, especially the kids. At the age of seven, all children must start praying. That is why parents learn some easy suras at the kids before the age to pray. 

                  In addition, I don’t feel comfortable praying in public areas. Currently, it is not easy for me to pray around people in public places.  I cannot pray in an area full of people who don’t really understand this part of the Muslim culture. I would feel judged by people because of the stares even though some of it is just out curiosity. Sometimes I feel that just because I wear a scarf, other religious stares at me strangely, which feels extremely uncomfortable for me. As a Muslim, I must wear long clothes and a scarf on my head to cover my body when I am praying. Women and men must not pray in the same area, which means that they cannot be next to each other while they are praying. It is a custom for men to lead women during prayer. That is why the women are always behind the men. I would not like to pray in public with all the judgment, and that is why I feel comfortable praying in a calm place without noises and stares.

                    Furthermore, in Muslim countries, there are specific places to pray in calmness. There are carpets in the mosque. The prayer carpets are usually used by Muslims during prayers, it allows the believer to isolate themselves from the outside world to better focus on the action while praying. There is one person who prays in front of the prior, and that person is called an imam. He directs them when they are praying. In Mali, I used to go to the mosque, so I could focus on my prayers. By always praying, I must head in the direction of the (QIBLA) which can be the north or south, it depends on the location I am at. According to traditional sources, the prophet Mohamed was ordered to pray toward (QIBLA) of mecca which is a sacred place. There must not be any noise in the mosque when Muslims pray. Making noise is disrespectful. All Muslims pray next to each other with the noise they cannot concentrate. There are some rules to respect. When the imam starts the prayer there is no noise. People must only hear the imam’s voice, and Muslims who are praying must recite their suras inside of them. The person who makes noise during prayer will be quiet out, those are the rules. Muslims must not bring kids under the age of seven to pray with them because some of the kids could make noise and confuse the prior suras.

 

                     Since I left Africa and moved to the United States, I have forgotten how to practice my Islamic culture. I have realized how difficult it is for me to continue to fulfill my duties as a young Muslim. Even though I came to Chicago for college, I really miss Mali. At least I had opportunities to learn how to be a better Muslim there. Under all the circumstances, I know how difficult it is for me and other Muslims to pray on time in the United States. I think it might be better if there were at least some mosques in public places for Muslims to pray on time without noise or stares from others.