[Avaboormavoro]

for starting this topic, as it is a very real reality and happening everywhere. I have seen it happen with my own eyes on more than one occasion.

Here's a twist, don't know if anyone would agree... but I've found "Arab" run mosques to be more accommodating towards the needy than lets say "Desi" (Pakistani/India/Bangladesh) run mosques (I'm Pakistani). I used to go to an "Arab" run mosque for Jummah when I lived somewhere else, (I keep putting it in quotes because we know in the end it's Muslim but you know what I mean), it was Masha'Allah a huge, beautiful mosque, seemed like they Alhamdulillah had good finaicials, and they used to actually make announcements over and over before, during, and after Jummah khutba for anyone needy to come see them after salat and Insha'Allah they would help them. They even went into specifics such as "we will find a way to help with your mortgage, electric bills, phone bills, heating bill, groceries", etc, etc. And they didn't say this once, they repeatedly said this, they constantly said "please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you are in need, so far Alhamdulillah we have never turned anyone away". It was as if they were trying to make every single brother or sister who was in there and was in need but may have been shy about approaching someone.... to come up to them and tell them they needed help so they could help them. I was definitely pleasantly surprised to see that and then I noticed whenever I went to an Arab mosque the vibe of hospitality was definitely more alive than let's say a Pakistani mosque.

Currently I go to a Pakistani mosque near me and it's the same story, a few times Muslims have come who (at least to me) didn't even look like "bums" or "homeless" but they embarrassingly explained their situation after salat that they were out of a job for months etc, had kids to feed and what not, and Allah forgive us, almost no one got up to help. One brother went around and collected some money from everyone... people gave a dollar here and there and that was it, sent him on his way. Another brother was literally crying in tears asking for a place to stay, some sort of issue with immigration and him losing his home and his family being back in Egypt or something and him trying to find a way to get back home.. something like that, point being he didn't look like a "bum" who would rob the place overnight and seemed legitimate, but the answer of some of the "management" members sitting nearby was a very cold "we don't allow anyone to stay in the mosque overnight".

I even had this conversation with my Imam that why aren't we helping these brothers who are showing up? What are we there for then? A masjid is supposed to be for more than making salat 5 times a day. This masjid I'm speaking of Masha'Allah has good financials also and yet no system to even try to help needy Muslims... Subhan'Allah. I said to him can we imagine that during the time of the Prophet if someone showed up to his mosque and said he needed a place to stay, would the Prophet and the sahaba have told him "sorry we don't allow anyone to stay in the mosque overnight?"... far from it. They would have given them everything they had on them, a place to stay, food, and then some. May Allah help us our thinking is not anywhere near that these days even in most Masajid.

I know Imams don't have much of a say in how the masjid is ran and he understood where I was coming from and said that he would suggest it to 'management' to have some sort of a system to try and help any needy Muslims who may come by... but Subhan'Allah, no system has been setup yet that I know of (this conversation was a while ago).

In any case, sorry for the long post, I guess I just needed to get this out of my system and since I saw other brothers and sis's talking about I took the opportunity to do the same.

May Allah swt forgive me for anything I said wrong here, and may He give us the tawfeeq to watch out for our fellow Muslims as we watch for our blood brothers and sisters. Ameen.