Masjid Al-Fajr
2846 Cold Spring Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46222
Phone: (317) 923-2847
Fax: (317) 923-8511
Institutional History
The Masjid Al-Fajr Islamic Center of Greater Indianapolis was
founded in 1971. Masjid Al-Fajr aims to develop Islamic character
within Indianapolis both individually and throughout the Muslim
community. Masjid Al-Fajr accomplishes this by serving the
community through its contribution of education, literature, and
public service. The masjid also achieves this through collaboration
with many other Islamic organizations in North America.
The Masjid Al-Fajr is also open for a wide variety of services.
These services not only include the typical daily
salat prayers, but also Ramadan extended prayers,
and the Eid prayers, for the two Islamic holidays of Eid
ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. The Masjid Al-Fajr
also services a full-time Islamic school, the
Madrasa-Tul-'Ilm (MTI) or School of Knowledge, and a
weekend Islamic school, the Al-Ilm. The full-time school
offers a full academic curriculum but it also emphasizes the
development and application of Islamic moral values and character.
The weekend school, however, complements an academic education
through the study and discussion of Islamic history and the
Qur'an, as well as the application of Islamic fundamentals
and behaviors. The masjid also has an extensive
library with several types of Islamic media. 1
Demographics
At the Masjid Al-Fajr there are about 50 attendees at the
jummah khutbah (Friday service). The congregation is
primarily of Asian and Middle Eastern descent. The ages of the
attendees vary from small children to full grown adults. Many of
the attendees come with their immediate family members: spouse and
children. The average family in attendance appeared to be from the
lower middle class and attendees were employed in a variety of
professions. There were also a small number of Euro-Americans at
the congregation, many of whom were converts to Islam after many
years of practicing a different faith.
Service Style
The Masjid Al-Fajr, visitors is a large facility with a round
dome at the top, white marble, and large windows. Images of God and
other important religious figures, such as Muhammad, Abraham or
Jesus Christ, are not present, because Muslims fear that some may
be led by such images to idolatry. People affiliated with the
mosque sit on the carpet, while those who are not sit near the back
of the facility. The Masjid Al-Fajr leadership will be happy to
answer visitors' questions about the faith or about how their
service is conducted. Guests who attend a Friday afternoon prayer
service will hear the mosque's leader, known as an imam, give a
message from the Qur'an, in English, for about 20 minutes. (During
this time, people sit quietly and meditate on what is being said.)
After the message is delivered, people will stand and face the
direction of Mecca and another person, known as a muezzin, will
call them to prayer, and the Imam will then lead them in prayer, in
Arabic. 2Called salat, the prayer always has a
set order, and is conducted in cycles (called rakat). Each
cycle contains several poses: standing erect, bowing with one's
hand on one's knees, kneeling with head up, and kneeling with one's
forehead on the ground. These poses are accompanied by ritual
phrases, among them the takbir (Allahu Akbar
-"God is Great") and passages from the Qur'an. Depending on which
of the five daily prayers they are conducting, Muslims will
complete 2-4 of these cycles and will end by turning to their right
and left and saying salaam ("Peace") to their neighbors.
Each cycle takes a few minutes to complete.
After prayers are offered, the imam will come forward and share
announcements with the people. Finally, after the service, people
will mingle among one another and talk about prayer concerns, as
well as life in general.
What to Expect
Anyone wishing to visit an Islamic mosque can expect to be
warmly welcomed by the community of the mosque. One will find that
many Muslims are excited to have the opportunity to educate others
about their religion. For many Muslims, it seems that telling the
story of their God and Prophet Muhammad is an act of faith in
itself. For this reason, visiting an Islamic mosque can be an
incredibly rewarding and enriching experience for those who wish to
understand Islam through a first-hand experience.
The Al-Fajr community is very open to visitors and is
enthusiastic about teaching people of all faiths about Islam and
their beliefs. There are two important Arabic phrases that one can
expect to hear repeated many times when visiting the Al-Fajr
Masjid. As-Salaam Alaikum is one of these important
phrases. The phrase means "Peace be unto you" (in Arabic). One will
witness many members of the Al-Fajr community greeting each other
with a firm handshake and these words. Many times even visitors
will be greeted with these words. It is also important to note that
the Al-Fajr community does not refer to their place of worship as a
mosque but as a masjid. Mosque, in fact, is a
French version of the word masjid ("place of kneeling")
and is thus not commonly used by Muslims.
There are many preparations that must take place before one can
actually enter the place of worship. There are rooms for both sexes
to wash themselves to gain symbolic spiritual purity before
entering the masjid. This is a requirement in the Islamic faith
because one is supposed to be as close to pure as possible before
entering. Upon entering the masjid, one will be asked to take off
one's shoes and sit with members of one's own sex. The males occupy
the front most region while the females are placed behind them. It
is also important to sit facing towards Mecca, which all the
members of the Al-Fajr community will be doing during prayer.
During the prayer services, it will be hard for visitors
unfamiliar with the Arabic language to follow along, for the
prayers are recited in their Arabic form as found in the Qur'an. A
visitor will also notice that members of the mosque take different
positions throughout the prayers- at one point they may bend over
with their hand on knees, while at another time they may be
standing or even prostrating in the direction of the
qiblah. Visitors to the mosque were not directed as to how
to participate in the service. Some, out of unfamiliarity, may feel
more comfortable sitting quietly and respectfully during the
service. Others may wish to participate in the prayers as best they
can.
Sources
1Masjid al-Fajr Website.
http://www.masjidalfajr.com/
2Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's
Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. 4th Ed. New York:
McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2008