Listening to Lectures and Sermons in Mosques

Most people appear to be unaware of the value of listening to talks at the mosques. We are all familiar with the terms ‘kuliah’, ‘tazkirah’, and ‘khutbah’ as it applies to activities in mosques. Essentially these are occasions when a learned speaks to an audience in a mosque, either on a religious subject or a subject having a bearing on religious life. Many who attend the Taraweh prayers, for example, leave the prayer hall when the tazkirah starts, and only come back when the tazkirah ends; some go off to a warong for coffee or even home for a very short break if they live very close by. Some choose to go to a mosque where they do not have a tazkirah session. If you live in places like Taman Melawati, i.e., at the border between Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, that would be easy to do.

It seems illogical to want to attend the taraweh prayers that is a ‘solat sunat’, but to purposely avoid listening to the tazkirah, which can be worth 500 ‘raka’ats’ or even 1000 raka’ats of solats. (Check out the Kitab Matla’ Al-Badrain [ مطلع البدرين ] under Kitab Fadhilat ’Ilmu. This was used as a basic text when I attended religious schooling in Johore Baru in the late 50’s and early 60’s. But be prepared to encounter a very peculiar type of Malay language. I understand a Romanised version is now available. A sampling: Barangsiapa belajar satu bab daripada ’ilmu supaya di ‘’amalkan dengan dia dan mengajar akan dia orang lainnya adalah terlebih baik baginya daripada lima ratus raka’atbyang diruku’nya akan dia, dan . . . .) All you have to do is sit quietly and listen for 20 to 30 minutes, or even slightly longer. You can even find a pillar or a wall to lean against sitting and stretching your legs; just make sure where your legs are pointed (not at the Qiblat and not at somebody’s face).

Granted, that occasionally you get a speaker who is not too nice to listen to. But most of the time the ustaz types are good speakers. And remember that even a fool may have something of value to say if you listen hard enough. As they say, if you look with the eye of a honey bee you will always find nectar, but if you look with the eye of a ‘langau’ (that specie of fly that always ‘keromon’ shit) you will always find shit. Listen and you are a winner twice over: once for listening and second for just being in a masjid, a House of God.