Is solace discovered or searched?

To a Muslim sitting in a masjid before, during and after every prayer is a solace. Or even sitting in a masjid doing nothing is a solace. But in Malaysia there is a challenge to overcome wanting to sit in a masjid doing nothing or just ‘iktikaf’, most masjid are locked to prevent theft of masjid’s properties by bad elements in that area or passing that area, and in certain big masjid one cannot really sit at peace doing ‘iktikaf ‘as there are always other people walking about especially the masjid contract cleaners – they have a job to do. Unless one is really stubborn, ‘iktikaf’ is raely done. But one can always find solace at other time in a masjid. And one has to like the environment of that masjid before one finds solace.

In my few years in Kuantan, I have found only one masjid that I feel the solace when I enter it. (Maybe I have not visited enough masjid in the area to make the right choice but the one I shall describe is the nearest to my feeling of solace, and what I expect of solace). The masjid is a small masjid, old building and situated on the outskirt of Kuantan town, right on the verge of a very busy road – in fact there were evidence that some vehicles have hit the out wall of the masjid once or twice. And the noise of the traffic passing by outside can be overbearing sometime, especially of big lorries, but when one is in a solace one can hardly be disturbed by such loud vehicle noise.



As one enters the masjid, one can see that it was originally a building built away from the road, but the building had been extended right to the road edge.

One can see the pulpit clearly (by the side of the electronic prayer time clock)




as one nears the original entrance, and the ladies partition on the left. Some men can be seen waiting for prayer time.



One can see some people waiting for prayer time, especially if one views from the front. Normally very few will wait for such prayer times, and the call for prayers by the mu’azim. After that may more will walk in to attend to the prayers at the prayer time, and they walk out again after the prayers, leaving the masjid empty and most likely locked up.

But sometimes the masjid will also be used for teaching the readings of the Koraanic verses for the local children, so one may see a bit of activities inside the masjid especially in the afternoons. And such children such as these are enouraged to join the prayers in the masjid.




But the masjid sometimes is used as a place where marriage solemnisation ceremony take place,









and that is when one can see more people, the guests, and the ladies out of the ladies partition. But such occasions are far in between.


And in this masjid I find solace. Its small, few in the congregation, and has that rural feeling about it.