Pray Wherever You Are

Before I set foot in the United States, the thought of praying in places other than the masjid or house never entered my mind. Sure, there were occasions when the time for prayer has come in, and I was pressed to find a place to pray, but in a Muslim country like Malaysia, you can find one quite easily. Just ask and you'll probably find one.

You do need to get out of the box and see the bigger picture at least once in your lifetime. I stepped out of the box when I took that flight to the United States with my colleagues, headed for Ames, Iowa.

I didn't know my life was going to change that drastically, but I knew I was in for some major changes. It was not the weather, though that does play a part in how we had to change our lifestyle, but mostly it was the exposure to other Muslims from around the world.

Hubby would always press us to hurry if we're out anywhere, just so we could go home and pray. Or else, he would ask me, "Do you want to go home and pray or do you want to pray here?" And going home to pray would mean leaving everything as is (in the middle of something most of the time) and going home, only to go out again at another convenient time. It always used to irritate me so to be rushed especially when shopping. So we would always try to go out of the house, either way before prayer time or right after prayer time, so we don't have to worry about finding a place to pray.

Nevertheless, there were circumstances where we had to pray wherever we were. On campus, my roommate and I found this spot under the stairs, adjacent to the basement of the library. Every Zuhr time, we would make ablution, grab a paper towel, enough for us to lay our foreheads on, and head for the secluded spot. It smelled musty and damp, just like a basement and occasionally, people would come down the stairs, probably surprised to find two Muslim girls bowing and prostrating in the musty, damp spot beneath the staircase. There was also the time when a note was put on the wall within view, calling for us to believe in Jesus. Heck, we already do believe in Jesus alaihis salam. They're the ones who should believe in Muhammad Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam.

We have prayed on the sidewalks, at gas stations, in the parking lot and even in the park on slightly muddy ground. When it was just the two of us praying, it was pretty simple. Either we would pray together, or we would take turns so as not to leave the kids by themselves in the van. However, when S started praying, I gave her a choice to choose one prayer out of two as a start. She started with Asr. When we go out, most of the time, Asr would be the prayer we would do on the road. It seemed quite a hassle to me to make her pray with us, but before I could tell her not to bother, it struck me. That was the perfect time to teach her that we observe prayer when the time comes in, WHEREVER we are. When we went camping, we made her pray Asr and Maghrib with us. When we took a road trip, we made her pray Asr and Maghrib with us. On an in-town road trip, finding a place to pray proved to be more difficult, more so because the tendency to delay it until we get home is stronger. That was how we handled prayer when I was growing up: wait until we get home. It is only now in my adult life that it came to my attention, that we should pray on time. And Alhamdulillah, the realization came before I taught my kids how to pray.

It's logically easier to just let her sit in the van and not pray, but I suppose making her pray with us would have long term benefits insyaallah. Now, N has started praying, and pretty soon, H will start praying insyaallah.

It also made sense to me to pray in whatever it is you're wearing because that would mean that you are covering up really sufficiently so as not to need anymore hijab or garb over yourself. If I had to wear another layer of prayer garment outside the home when praying, that would mean I'm not covering myself enough leaving the house itself. I can still remember the nagging lady who went after my stepmother in a masjid in Kuala Lumpur for praying with her attire without putting on the white prayer garment over herself. Sometimes you do need to see beyond the normal mundane things and take a breather out of the box. You really do.