Nur-Allah Islamic Center
2040 E. 46th
Indianapolis, IN 46205
Phone: (317) 251-9796
Friday Service: 2:00pm
Email: nurallah-ic@juno.com
Institutional History
The Nur-Allah Islamic Center was found in the late 1950's as a
Nation of Islam mosque. Nur-Allah was originally known as
Muhammad's Mosque No. 74 and established as a place for African
Americans to come and learn about Islam. In 1983, the name was
changed to Daniel Mohammed Islamic Center. In 1997, the name was
changed to Nur-Allah Islamic Center.1
Nur-Allah reaches out to people of all religions, races, and
beliefs, and seeks to develop a unified and balanced community.
Nur-Allah has recently purchased just over an acre of land (located
at 2514 N. Arlington, Indianapolis, IN) so that they can build a
new masjid to allow their congregation to grow and
flourish2. This new location will also include a school
that will begin with 1st and 2nd grade and is built to allow for
the development of more grades as the funding allows. The Center
intends to carry this school through 12th grade as the fiscal
opportunity grows.
Demographics
At the Nur-Allah mosque there is usually a congregation of
around 35 for the Friday service, but for other days of the week it
is much smaller. The ethnicity here is primarily African American
with a little more variation, including Chinese-American. The
attendees tend to be primarily lower middle class and have a
variety of professions. There tend to be many younger families with
children, but people of all ages attend.
Service Style
When first entering the Nur-Allah mosque, visitors will notice
that it looks like a small house. It also features the Clara
Muhammad Weekend School and a bookstore for further study.
3Images 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.
Although the service begins at 2:00 P.M., it is acceptable for
members to enter throughout the worship time. But everyone is
expected to perform a prayer before they sit down. People
affiliated with the mosque sit on the carpet, while those who are
not sit near the back of the facility. The service here is very
laid back, straightforward, and family-oriented. 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. 4Called
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.
Although you can expect to be greeted warmly at this mosque,
there are a few basic regulations that everyone visiting the
Nur-Allah Mosque should be aware of. One of the most important of
these rules is that upon entering the mosque, one should take off
one's shoes. Males and females enter the worship area from
different sides and pass through a small hall where they may hang
up their jackets and leave their shoes. For this reason, although
not mandatory, visitors may want to wear socks when visiting the
mosque. As for the rest of one's clothing, male visitors should
wear a nice shirt and long khaki or dress pants. Female visitors
should wear nice, modest clothing, and are given the choice of
whether or not to wear a prayer shawl.
Males and females each have a separate seating section during
the service, with males in the front closest to the imam and
females towards the back of the mosque. For this reason, it is
important for visitors to sit with members of their own sex during
the prayer service. The imam of the mosque makes it clear that this
practice is instituted only to show the complementary roles of
males and females, thus celebrating both sexes equally. Therefore,
the separation of sexes is a visual reminder of the equal
importance of both sexes within Islam. During the prayers, the
people form straight lines within their section of the room in
order to show their order and respect as well as to have someone
next to them when they say the salat. Although the two sexes are
generally separated, one can expect the whole mosque congregation
to face in the direction of the qiblah, or the direction
of Mecca, during an Islamic prayer service. A visitor should do the
same out of respect because this is the custom in all Islam
worships centers throughout the world. There is also a strong
relationship between the Nur-Allah Islamic Center and the Christian
community. There are often events that unite the two religious
groups and the imam encourages the members of the congregation to
participate in these and also to respect believers of this similar
faith.
Sources
1Imam Michael Saahir of Nur-Allah Islamic Center.
Email interview. 26 Nov. 2007.
2Nur-Allah Website. www.nurallah.org
3Nur-Allah Website.
www.nurallah.org/WeekendSchool.htm and www.nurallah.org/Book
Store.htm
4Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's
Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. 4th Ed. New York:
McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2008