Comments on: Slice of Lemon Presents: Can I Get a A-Men? The Basics of Learning How to Pray http://sliceoflemon.com/2009/11/16/slice-presents-learning-to-pray/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:33:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Slice of Lemon http://sliceoflemon.com/2009/11/16/slice-presents-learning-to-pray/comment-page-1/#comment-8980 Slice of Lemon Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:18:35 +0000 http://sliceoflemon.com/?p=5472#comment-8980 Hi Lauren. This is from an e-mail I got about the prayer area at Tysons. Hope it helps! PRAYER AREA AT TYSONS: As you enter the mall area coming out from Nordstrom on the main level there is an alley to your right hand side that has signs for “Security, Elevators and Restrooms”. Go into that alley and down all the way till you see the Elevators on your right hand side. (You’ll pass the Restrooms on your right and security office on your left.) Directly across from the Elevators is an area underneath the stairs behind the glass wall where there is ample room to pray even with a small congregation. Currently there you will see some extra furniture and other small items laying around, please ignore that. You will probably need the prayer rug or something to put there for prostration. Currently there is marble flooring and no carpet in this area. (You may also ask the information desk as to the location of the prayer area and/or security office and they’ll provide you directions to it) Please be considerate and not leave any trash and any other items behind which cause any problems for the cleaning crew of the mall. Qibla Direction: If you are behind the glass wall area and facing the Elevators. Turn to your right about 30 degrees and that is the location of the Qibla. www.qiblalocator.com WUDU INSTRUCTIONS (prohibited acts): There are restrooms close by the prayer area. It is very important that we DO NOT WASH OUR FEET in the sinks there. We must make Masah. Regardless of the weather (winter/summer), we must abstain from putting our feet in the sink as this is a public mall restroom and federal health regulations prohibits this act of placing feet in the sinks for any reason. We don’t want to lose this place due to our non-conformance with Federal and Mall regulations. Some people may not understand these restrictions, in which case it becomes incumbent upon us to remind them politely if we see them violating these rules in the restroom area. It is our duty to remind the person that due to his/her actions in violating this rule, all local Muslims may suffer at his/her hands by losing the place of prayer in Tysons Mall. It is natural to have some water spill on the sink counter while washing our arms, hence it is very important that once you wipe your face and hands with the paper-towels, please use it to clean/wipe the area around the sink. It is better to grab a few paper towels ahead of time and keep them with you while making wudu, because once you leave the sink to go get paper-towel, someone else might take your place and have a very bad impression of you. This is a courteous act in which others looking at the Muslims making wudu will have respect for our action. Please repeat this action after each person makes wudu, even if you have someone behind you who will be using the sink for the same purpose. So, the cleanest sink in that restroom should be the one you have just made wudu in because you have just wiped it down. Cleanliness is half of Iman, and all this should become second nature to us. I would also go the extra mile of wiping down someone else’s place of wudu next to us in case they forgot or didn’t pay attention to it. Hi Lauren. This is from an e-mail I got about the prayer area at Tysons. Hope it helps!

PRAYER AREA AT TYSONS:

As you enter the mall area coming out from Nordstrom on the main level there is an alley to your right hand side that has signs for “Security, Elevators and Restrooms”. Go into that alley and down all the way till you see the Elevators on your right hand side. (You’ll pass the Restrooms on your right and security office on your left.) Directly across from the Elevators is an area underneath the stairs behind the glass wall where there is ample room to pray even with a small congregation. Currently there you will see some extra furniture and other small items laying around, please ignore that.

You will probably need the prayer rug or something to put there for prostration. Currently there is marble flooring and no carpet in this area.

(You may also ask the information desk as to the location of the prayer area and/or security office and they’ll provide you directions to it)

Please be considerate and not leave any trash and any other items behind which cause any problems for the cleaning crew of the mall.

Qibla Direction:

If you are behind the glass wall area and facing the Elevators. Turn to your right about 30 degrees and that is the location of the Qibla. http://www.qiblalocator.com

WUDU INSTRUCTIONS (prohibited acts):

There are restrooms close by the prayer area. It is very important that we DO NOT WASH OUR FEET in the sinks there. We must make Masah. Regardless of the weather (winter/summer), we must abstain from putting our feet in the sink as this is a public mall restroom and federal health regulations prohibits this act of placing feet in the sinks for any reason. We don’t want to lose this place due to our non-conformance with Federal and Mall regulations.

Some people may not understand these restrictions, in which case it becomes incumbent upon us to remind them politely if we see them violating these rules in the restroom area. It is our duty to remind the person that due to his/her actions in violating this rule, all local Muslims may suffer at his/her hands by losing the place of prayer in Tysons Mall.

It is natural to have some water spill on the sink counter while washing our arms, hence it is very important that once you wipe your face and hands with the paper-towels, please use it to clean/wipe the area around the sink. It is better to grab a few paper towels ahead of time and keep them with you while making wudu, because once you leave the sink to go get paper-towel, someone else might take your place and have a very bad impression of you. This is a courteous act in which others looking at the Muslims making wudu will have respect for our action. Please repeat this action after each person makes wudu, even if you have someone behind you who will be using the sink for the same purpose. So, the cleanest sink in that restroom should be the one you have just made wudu in because you have just wiped it down. Cleanliness is half of Iman, and all this should become second nature to us. I would also go the extra mile of wiping down someone else’s place of wudu next to us in case they forgot or didn’t pay attention to it.

]]> By: lauren http://sliceoflemon.com/2009/11/16/slice-presents-learning-to-pray/comment-page-1/#comment-8979 lauren Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:05:46 +0000 http://sliceoflemon.com/?p=5472#comment-8979 Where do they offer a place to pray at Tysons?? I've often times found myself in that predicament there. :) Where do they offer a place to pray at Tysons?? I’ve often times found myself in that predicament there. :)

]]> By: Lucy http://sliceoflemon.com/2009/11/16/slice-presents-learning-to-pray/comment-page-1/#comment-8910 Lucy Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:58:50 +0000 http://sliceoflemon.com/?p=5472#comment-8910 Fatima: I can't believe you posted that; I came to the comments section to do the exact same thing! I have the book on my bedside table as I am re-reading it. Its an engrossing book and he writes so eloquently about a world that has disappeared. In all my years of being taught prayer from childhood, I found the focus was always the movements. It wasn't until much, much later (in my late twenties!!) that I fully realized the mental part of it. They way I pray before I read this is nothing like what I do now. When I teach my 7 yr old son to pray now, I'm so much more concerned with him connecting with what he's saying as set forth in the M. Asad's explanation, than praying all five prayers, for now. Its worth noting here also that his translation of the Quran is the most spiritual and beautiful one (IMHO), and is called, "The Message of the Quran". Fatima: I can’t believe you posted that; I came to the comments section to do the exact same thing! I have the book on my bedside table as I am re-reading it. Its an engrossing book and he writes so eloquently about a world that has disappeared.
In all my years of being taught prayer from childhood, I found the focus was always the movements. It wasn’t until much, much later (in my late twenties!!) that I fully realized the mental part of it. They way I pray before I read this is nothing like what I do now.
When I teach my 7 yr old son to pray now, I’m so much more concerned with him connecting with what he’s saying as set forth in the M. Asad’s explanation, than praying all five prayers, for now.
Its worth noting here also that his translation of the Quran is the most spiritual and beautiful one (IMHO), and is called, “The Message of the Quran”.

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