Dr. Ramadan: The mosque is a place of gathering, from where we defend ourselves and our rights!

The mosque radiates spiritual, intellectual, and social dimensions, as well as the current moment of society, and all of this is very important for our lives, says Dr. Tarik Ramadan, reports the BH News Agency Patria (NAP). In the 24th installment of Ramadan Chronicles, Dr. Ramadan talks about how the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), when he left Mecca and arrived in Yathrib, today's Medina, first built a mosque.

- That step of his has great significance and messages. First, wherever you can say "La ilaha illa Allah - There is no god but Allah" without being persecuted and harassed, it means you are at home, you have a home where you can live. Building a mosque in a certain country and city means creating a center for believers to gather, not people who want to convert others to Islam, but to protect ourselves and our religious rights, as well as our religious principles - he emphasizes.

Sometimes this need, as he states, is not understood or is misinterpreted by both non-Muslims and Muslims.

- It is necessary to understand the Quranic message that it is not our job to convert people to Islam, because if Allah had willed, He would have made us all Muslims and guided us. Our job is to gather and protect each other. This is exactly how it was at the very beginning of the spread of Islam - he adds.

The mosque was a place of gathering, emphasizes Dr. Ramadan, where both men and women prayed, men in front of women, all in order to preserve the modesty, moderation, and chastity of both.

- So, it was not a "male space" but a community space. Also, the mosque was a place for the educational process, because religious knowledge was acquired and spread there. There, where hearts are as one, a spiritual and intellectual community was built. The mosque also had a social role, as social networks were built and people helped each other in that way - he explains.

We must establish this role of the mosque, established by the Prophet (pbuh), says Dr. Ramadan, towards our Muslim brothers and sisters, but also towards other people, whoever they may be.

- The mosque is not just a place where we come and perform our prayers. It has enormous positive and noble values of solidarity, purity, humanity, and dignity. May Allah help us to follow the footsteps of the Prophet (pbuh). Don't forget to tell those you love that you love them! - concludes Dr. Ramadan.