Today, 26th September, we were on our way to find a masjid for Dhuhr Salah when we stumbled across the Bangladesh Islamic Education Centre Mosque in Oxford. It’s a small masjid, and I assumed there probably wouldn’t be a separate space for women. Nevertheless, there was no harm in asking.
I walked in while the women waited outside and asked the first person I saw. A group of brothers were talking amongst themselves. I was initially told there wasn’t a separate space, but they spoke to the Imam.
Without any hesitation, the Imam said the men would leave the Masjid so that my womenfolk could come inside and pray.
I was shown the wudu area and even shown how to lock the masjid door when we eventually left.
After finishing my Salah, I got speaking to the Imam, Maulana Abdul Aziz. While the women were praying, he respectfully waited at the far end of the prayer hall so they would not be disturbed.
As we spoke, I discovered that he knew of my father-in-law, Maulana Numan (Rahimahullah), and had also attended the Janazah of Maulana Abdul Shahid Golmokaponi, a relative of mine in Bangladesh.
I thanked him for accommodating us and allowing us to pray.
His response touched me.
He simply said it was his duty to do so. He was also really happy to hear that I had come to Oxford for a days visit and, while exploring the city, had made the effort to find somewhere to pray.
I was deeply touched by the gesture of the Imam and the brothers.
It reminded me that even when a masjid doesn't have dedicated facilities for women, there can still be ways to accommodate those who simply want to worship Allah.
And this wasn't the first time I had experienced something like this.
Back in 2020, I visited the small town of Dorking. Once again, I went to the local masjid, a small one too, and asked about a women's prayer area. They didn't have one.
But the brothers did exactly the same thing.
They left the entire masjid for us, showed us the facilities, explained how to lock up afterwards, and left us to pray.
Moments like these make me proud to be a Muslim.
What ties us together is the Kalimah, our submission to Allah, and the realisation of our obligation to our Lord through the message brought to us by Rasulullah ﷺ.
May Allah reward these brothers, the Imams and their families with the very best of rewards in this Dunya and the Aakhirah. Aameen.
The Masjid may be small, but has a big heart mashaAllah.
I left Oxford today very happy and with immense gratitude. And, I must add, the people I encountered around the city were lovely too!
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