Masjid Monday: My beloved Kumamoto Masjid

June 18, 2017

*I will make another post regarding specific/objective information regarding Kumamoto Mosque, so stay tuned ^^

Kumamoto Mosque (Kumamoto Masjid) was a very special place for me while I lived in Kumamoto prefecture and still is.

As soon as I got that email notifying me of my placement in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, one of the very first things I did was google if there was a Mosque nearby. Fortunately, there was a Mosque in the capital, about 1.5 hours away from where I lived. I emailed the contact number given on the website, and received a reply from one of the *brothers that there was a *sisters' yahoo group (sisters and brothers is how we refer to our fellow Muslims ^^). I was put in contact with an Indonesian sister. She told me that there were a number of sisters at the Mosque, including a Malaysian sister, and that they were looking forward to meeting me. All of them lived close to the Masjid and Kumamoto University, where many of them went to school. From the original brother, I was also told that there was a Muslim family in Yatsushiro. Eventually, I came to learn that the wife was a Japanese Muslim who was an English teacher at a Junior High School in Yatsushiro. It turned out that she was a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) at one of my senpai JET friend's JHS :)

All of this I learned prior to arriving in Yatsushiro.

That year, 2013, Eid-ul-Fitr was the day after I arrived in Yatsushiro. Although I was not able to make it Eid prayers that day, after I work I rode my bike to the Japanese sister's place. It was the first time meeting her, but I immediately felt at home and was grateful and happy that I got to celebrate my Eid evening with her and her family.

That weekend I believe, she took me to Kumamoto city. It was my very first time going there. First, she brought me to Kumamoto Mosque, and after to the Halal shop which is very nearby. There, we met an Indonesian brother in charge of the halal shop, and his kids, who are Indonesian/Japanese :). After that, she took me to downtown Kumamoto, where we looked around and had some food to eat.

Some products inside the Halal fod shop

Outside the Halal Food shop, with my friend, August 2013

A Halal restaurant in Kumamoto, 2013

Downtown Kumamoto

A month later, I got to meet the sisters of Kumamoto Mosque. I was touched that they held a welcome party for me, and I got to eat some familiar home-cooked meals as many of the sisters were Indonesian (some Indonesian and Malay cooking is similar).

Some of the delicious home-cooked food for our welcome party ^^

These sisters are really what the term "sister" really means in Islam. They have supported me, guided me, and always shown me their hospitality, generosity, and kindness.

We all come from different places. At the Kumamoto Mosque, there are people from Indonesia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sudan, and so on. Connected by faith, strengthened by being minorities in the country, and fostered by the close-knit community at Kumamoto Mosque, we were a beautiful sisterhood, brotherhood, and Muslim community. The beautiful thing about the community in Kumamoto is that community is big enough to have activities and events, but small enough that we all somehow know or atleast recognize each other more-or -less - very much a family-like community. Many of the people that attended Kumamoto Masjid are students at Kumamoto University - many Master's and PhD students. The Mosque is very close to Kumamoto University. Although our Mosque may not be as big or as famous as some other Mosques in Japan, or in the world, the sense of community there makes up for it. There is something very special about this bond, and I felt not just comfortable, but my heart sought to seek the presence of such sisters.

There is a hadith (record of the Prophet ﷺ ) that reminds us of the importance of who we spend time with: “A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.” [Bukhari, Muslim]

Just some of the lovely sisters at Kumamoto Masjid (Nigeria, *PanAsian, Sudan, Indonesia), 2015

This bond was further strengthened during Ramadan. Living 1.5 hours away meant that it was only feasible for me to go to the Mosque on the weekends. But I would stay from Friday night until Sunday, thanks to the sisters that generously opened the doors to their home for me. Alhamdulillah (thanks to God), I was never made to feel that I was a burden, and in fact, was always warmly welcomed. As much as I loved my students, I always looked forward to the weekend when I would be able to meet my sisters in Islam. They were like the perfume-seller mentioned in the above hadith - I felt happy in their presence, felt happy after meeting them, and looked forward to the next time I would see them again. Despite us having different upbringings, lifestyles, and cultures, I did not feel like they judged me and were there to support me through my ups and downs in Kumamoto.