Amina Wadud leads prayer, part 1
...Suheyla Al-Attar calling congregants to prayer...
“Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar!”
She let out the first two in short bursts, immediately commanding the attention of everyone in the hall. Her head slightly tilted upward, she seemed to be calling on God for strength, and guidance. Tears want to flow out of my eyes, and a cold chill overtakes my spine as I remember it. Despite all of the flash photography, the snaps, and footsteps that come with the presence of hundreds of members of the media in one room, it wasn’t hard to detect the yearning in her voice, to see and feel the power of her words.
“This is just a publicity stunt.”
“They are too 'in-your-face,' they are turning more people away.”
These were the legitimate concerns of my friends who would have otherwise been very supportive of a woman leading prayer. I kept them in mind while participating in the Friday prayer in New York City led by Dr. Amina Wadud.
Nashat and I stepped off the 9 train at 110th street and walked to Amsterdam Avenue. Despite having just arrived from London, God bless her soul, she decided to join my trek up to New York City.
Nashat and I were willingly drafted into an army of volunteers, and we served as ushers as members of the media were led in one-by-one after getting wanded by Michael Muhammad Knight, and their bags searched. The media presence was unbelievable, and outnumbered the congregants. They appeared from all over the place, including BBC News, Women’s E-News, New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Public Broadcasting station, etc.
While receiving a tour of the building, we passed by Amina Wadud, and I wished peace upon her with an Assalamu ‘alaikum. I wanted to say so much more beyond that, since “Assalamu alaikum,” while it’s meaning is beautiful, has become little more than a “hello.” I made sure to pronounce it slowly, and directed at her, hopefully she would hear the difference between an authentic one and a run-of-the-mill, “salaaaaamz”
Around 12:30 the Press conference was well underway in the basement. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen a more frenzied press conference. During this time, the congregants slowly filtered through the security measures. I stepped inside the prayer hall for a few minutes, and as soon as I did so, a man yelling, “ALLAHUAKBAR” followed by some grunts could be heard at the entrance of the building. I ran with my camera, and watched as a man was escorted outside of the gates by a few police officers. While he wasn’t able to disrupt the prayer (Praise be to God) he did receive a significant amount of media attention from drama-hungry journalists.
...the man who was led out...
Apparently, one of Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur’s friends had heard the man and/or his female companions speaking in Arabic about disrupting the prayer. Before the police got a hold of him, it’s said that the women chided him for not waiting until he was completely in before creating a scene.
“Allahu Akbar, Allahu akbar!” This time it was longer, drawn out. She wore no veil. This was a woman praising God. She finished the call to prayer, and Saleemah followed up with an introduction, and provided some much needed advice. She confessed that she too was nervous, but to “close your eyes and forget the media.” She led the group in a dhikr, or remembrance of God.
We collectively recited al-Fatiha together a few times, followed with a section of Surah Yaseen, and finally calling upon God, with a repetition of “Ya Noor,” literally “Oh Light.”
Shortly thereafter, Amina Wadud stepped up to the microphone...