The Imam/Shaikh
The term "Imam" is the normative title for the one who serves as the leader in congregational prayer. The religious requirements are very simple: the most pious among the community, the one who knows the texts for prayer in the best fashion ( as Quranic texts are utilized in communal worship), who possesses the most knowledge of the Prophetic Sunnah in the midst of the particular community. Note that the term Imam is a title that actually expresses being in front, a fitting title in light of the communal prayer structure (Jamaa'ah) in which the Imam stands in front of the Muslims, in lines, standing, bowing and prostrating with the Muslims following his actions.
Other terms that are used largely depend on the cultural background of the particular community. Terms such as Shaikh(ft.1) and even Maulana/Maulvi (ft.2) are also common. In the modern world, there are institutions, universities etc that train the Imams in fields of knowledge that are congruent to their role. In the Muslim world, the prayer leaders are typically just that! They lead the five daily prayers in the mosque, and occasionally teach a class, depending on the amount of knowledge and ability that they have.
The Imam in the West
The role of the Imam in the West encompasses the above and so much more. The Imam in the West takes on the pastoral role, which includes marriage counseling, personal counseling, media, teaching, translating, communal and (arguably) even political involvement (ft.3). It is a role not restricted to "work" hours. The Imam's phone is constantly ringing, usually dealing with situations as described above.
In the West, many Muslim communities cannot give sufficient financial compensation to the Imam, a situation totally the opposite of the Jewish and Christian clergy counterparts (ft.4), so the Imam has little option but to secure a career or means of earning income (known in street language as "hustling") outside of the role that he loves. Thus, I know brothers who are Imams in the United States, graduates of top Islamic universities, functioning as Imams in large communities, who also work in secular fields, teaching in high schools, universities, employed as drivers, factory managers, and so forth.
The financial burdens of the Imams, coupled with internal Muslim political pressures and the dynamics of their own role, cannot be denied. It creates pressures on the families of the Imams, and interferes with other aspects of the lives of the Imams! As of late, there has been rather unrealistic notions in the public space that assert that religious leadership should not get paid for their work, and that getting paid for teaching or publishing is something condemned by the religion itself. This notion is not only contrary to the historical pattern of the Muslim community, it is also a notion that is itself in violation of the Qur'an .(ft.5).
Thus, it becomes necessary for those who believe in the work of the Imam and support him to actually give him support because that will make him more effective in his role and gives some relief from the pressures he faces. (ft.6)
Role of the Masjid in the West
The term "Masjid" simply means a place of prostration (sajdah), the most distinctive part of the Muslim worship format. (ft.7) In the Muslim world, the Masjid has become largely restricted to this primary role. It is open for five daily prayers, and occasionally used for teaching (memorization and rote recitation ) the Qur'an. In the Prophet's time, when he himself was on this earth, the Masjid was the center of the community. It was where important meetings were held, where education was conducted, where the homeless found refuge (ft.8).
For Islam to survive in the West, for the sake of the next generation of Muslims, it is necessary to revive the function of the Masjid as it was in the time of our Prophet, Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam. Any Masjid that is run by dictatorial personalities, divorced from the social and political realities, is bound to-in the long term-make that Masjid irrelevant and nothing more than real estate waiting to be made available on the market! It is unfortunate that we have seen-more than once- a place that is supposed to be the House of Allah (Baytullaah) becomes transformed into a display of wealth or (perceived) power in which those who exercise that so-called power care neither for Islam, the community, or the future generations.
We have access to a wealth of testimony, both official and anecdotal, that shows that a true Masjid is effective in changing people's lives for the better in the West. People who have accepted Islam and found a healthy community therein, who have given up drugs, alcohol, and wrong living patters. Who have been rescued not only from Shirk, but from suicidal ideation. The Masjid in the West should be the sanctuary, the place of education, peace and solace. It is a place from which propagation (da'wah) emerges, and a place that should symbolize the truth of Islam. Thus, it should be clean. The grounds should be that which we are proud of. It should display the Qur'an in spirit and even written form !(ft.9) We should be able to bring Non-Muslims to it and not be an object of ridicule (ft.10). The staff therein should be, as the Imam himself, cognizant of religious, cultural, even political realities, and display that awareness at the appropriate times.
Reducing the Masjid to a Musalla (place of prayer) (ft.11) is very dangerous in the West. Indeed, it is impractical when we come to realize that prayer itself-in communal form- only takes a few minutes daily, and at most a couple of hours during the evenings of the month of Ramadan (ft.12). What should happen in the Masjid the other hours of the day? In this regards, I would like to highlight the voices of those who have seen the bigger picture of community longevity such as Imam W.Deen Mohammed (d.2008), who increasingly argued for schools, businesses and real estate to function as drivers for mosques. His followers in Atlanta, Georgia have established one such example in the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, which exists in a shopping complex complete with a high school and Muslim owned businesses.
Footnotes
(1) Shaikh literally means an elder or "one with grey hair", which denotes wisdom. Arabic culture uses this term in various contexts, for the religious scholar, the clan leader, an older person or a person deserving respect. The leadership of the gulf countries are also called this term.
(2) While Maulana ("Our Master") is an Arabic word (used in the Qur'an for God- for which see Q 2:286), it is more commonly used in the Indian subcontinent milieu. "Maulvi" is an Urdu rendering of Maulawi. Also of note is the term Mulla, which has taken on the meaning of an ignorant clergyman, denoting a person undeserving of respect, which occurs within certain modern cultural usage.
(3) While U.S. laws prohibit state endorsement of particular religions, and seeks to maintain a strict distance between politics and religion, on an individual and institutional level there are allowances for religious communities to have an impact on the political scene, a reality which has certainly been utilized by both Christian and Jewish communities respectively. However, for clergymen, especially Imams, political and social interest should ideally be channeled through other avenues beyond the Masjid institution and facilities, so as not to be accused later on of violating the divide between church and state, opening up the Masjid institution to have its tax-exempt status being removed.
(4) See the following link which discusses a particular Pastor's agreement with his church for the latter to make his monthly car payment, which amounts to $2100. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdHVOUWDoRn/ . This highlights the gap between Muslims and their Jewish/Christian counterparts in the West, the latter recognizing the needs of their clergy (even if in an exaggerated fashion) whereas the Imams are expected to pay their bills with the rhetoric of "Fee Sabeelilillaah"!
(5) Qur'an 58:12 actually says that when in a private consultation with the Prophet, he should be paid. Without doubt the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave in Charity from such funds, but nonetheless this text shows that giving a certain amount of money is appropriate, a practice followed today by doctors, lawyers, therapists and a host of other professionals. Admittedly, it is widely asserted that the application of this verse has been subjected to abrogation ("Mansookhah", I.e. the object of Naskh). This writer does not accept the premise of Naskh with regards to Quranic commands, for which see our Engaging The Qur'an pp 100-103. But even if Naskh was deemed acceptable, the issue of payment for the religious leaders is apparent in the Hadeeth literature, which reports the Prophet as saying " the thing for which you most deserve payment is the Book of Allah" (Saheeh Al-Bukharee, 5737). Common sense dictates that the teachers have their own expenses that need to be covered, and that the religious scholars who put their teachings in book form require funds to pay for the production costs and to continue teaching in a professional manner.
(6) An analysis of the supplication for blessings on the Prophet and his followers (known by titles such as Salaat 'alan Nabi, Salawat, and Durood Sharif) shows that the division of the supplication (traditionally recited in the final sitting posture of daily prayers before the prayer's conclusion with Tasleem- salaam to the right and left) between "Allahumma Salle 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aali Muhammad" (Salaah) and "Allahumma Baarik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'alaa aali Muhammad" (Baarakah) shows that the first part is asking God to grant to Muhammad and his followers what they need or what is sufficient, whereas the latter part, invocation for baarakah, is asking for addition. When we have additional or extra, our mood becomes better and our sense of security is better built. A detailed discussion on this is found here . If applied in a financial sense, the Imams are deserving of not only that which is sufficient, but also extra, as is any other human being, particularly in a world where inflation and financial worries are real issues.
(7) The word Masjid is from the pattern of nouns of time and place (Ism Zamaan wa Makaan) in Arabic grammar.
(8) Those displaced by poverty and religious persecution were often housed in the Prophet's mosque, known as As-hab us suffah.
(9) The Muslim tradition has it that mosques are not decorated with statues or photos, but rather by Arabic calligraphy, which writes out particular Quranic passages, meant to inspire awe and respect for God. Most mosques have this tradition in display on both outer and interior walls.
(10) Whenever this writer travels, regardless of primary reason and location, I always make a visit to a local mosque, and it is with sadness that I report that even in the United States, I have seen mosques which were poorly maintained, particularly in the bathroom area. Islam is a faith that asks its followers for external and internal cleanliness, especially in the context of worship. so having dirty mosques runs contrary to that lofty goal and presents a bad impression to Non-Muslims.
(11) Musalla means place of prayer, also from the pattern of Ism Zamaan wa Makaan.
(12) Sunni Muslims observe the Taraweeh prayers at night, in which usually an entire section (para/juz') of the Qur'an is recited. This prayer is an entirely voluntary session, and can last an hour or two.
