How Can We Be of Service?

Salaam Minara Family,

How are we finding you today?

We’re feeling a lil’ bit of reflective with a sprinkle of sentimental!

Alhamdulillah, after three challenging but wonderfully-educative years, Minara has reached the periphery beyond which ideation becomes creation, a scent, sound and sight oriented anchor, by the Permission of Allah.

Cue our LaunchGood appeal you might have read about in our Tuesday email. [If you missed it, take a look here 🙏]. Minara was designed to serve you, our magical Muslim community, and to stay in service, it needs a slice of this wonderful community too. At the risk of sounding like a questionable secret service organisation in a cliched high-octane thriller, Minara’s future depends on it. [Insert: eye roll emoji] 🙄

Jokes aside, we’ve been reflecting a bit though on this idea of community and its Islamic importance. Listen to this:

Upon migration to Madinah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) graciously declined the many invitations he received to stay in residing families’ homes, explaining kindly that Qaswa, his camel, was under Allah’s instruction - wherever she stopped, that would be home.

Qaswa walked south until they reached a large courtyard owned by two orphans, Suhail and Sahil. Here, Qaswa stopped and knelt and the Prophet declared, “This is the home.”

The Prophet purchased their land after consultation with the orphans’ guardians and under his guideship, the Companions began the construction of what we now know as Masjid-e-Nabawi, the world’s second most sacred space to which millions and millions of Muslims flock every year. 🕌

You see what he taught us right?

When our Prophet set out to locate a site, a shared space for the Ansar (Madinah’s residents) and the Muhajireen (companions who migrated), he taught us that our worlds exist within the masjid too, this communal sphere in which a deeply personal conversation between Allah and an individual materializes in a shared public space.

Islam has designed a world for us where one to five times a day, we connect with one another. The worshipper with the biggest stress in the world and the worshipper with none at all, both come together within a compassionate community and are reminded of their shared purpose.

Shared values, purpose and path. What magnificent impetus to build our own communities and to contribute in any way we can.

Community really is the end goal. All of our acts of worship (think: sawm, zakat, hajj, nikah, janazah, aqeeqah… and of course salah!) are designed to allow us to thrive on social interaction. And Allah’s word confirms this.

1. There are approximately 200 cases in the Qur’an where Allah uses the word ‘an-naas’ (in Arabic: ٱلنَّاس) to address us. This word can refer to a group of people, a community, a society or mankind. Sometimes, He says ‘Bani Adam’ meaning the Children of Adam. Aside from direct addresses made to our noble Prophet (and remember he too is the means through which Allah speaks to us), Allah is really conversing with whole communities and societies.

2. We recite Surah Fatiha in every unit of prayer right? Think about what we say.

‘You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help.’

See the plural form? Even in our private prayer and in requests for guidance and assistance, inclusion is encouraged.

3. Salah remind us of what really matters. The oneness of Allah, our dependency on Him, His guidance of us, our permanent abode. So when we make salaam to exit the prayer, first to the right and then to the left, and share the peace that salah has brought, we are reminded that the brother or sister who stands with you, s/he really matters too. What a stunning fostering of kinship as our hearts empty of hatred and are filled instead with gentleness and empathy.

You are one building brick.

I am a building brick.

S/he is a building brick.

Our togetherness is the cement that welds every precious brick until we have the blueprint for our community. 🧱

We love this hadith:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) interlaced his fingers as he said this to indicate our closeness and our capacity and duty to educate, support, console and comfort one another.

Our collective presence, our ability to foster connections, enjoining what is good, cultural, societal and financial empowerment, collating a resource bank brimming with Muslim talent and creativity, caring for the needy, civic responsibility, conflict resolution, lifting up those healing and healing those who are broken, sharing wins and losses, spreading love and joy - all of this? It really does depend on me, you and the joining of the two.

 🫂Our community. Our Ummah. 🫂

So how are you really friend? Let us know what we can do to be of service to you. Perhaps its a question you have about prayer, or a confusion that needs clarification. Perhaps you want to belong to a community. Or your request is a shared prayer. Just shoot us an email, leave us comment below or give us a nudge on Insta.

And if you ask how am I finding Minara today?

Well, blueprints all laid out, prototypes designed and a team bursting with anticipation. This is Minara in the here and now and we’re just trying to soak it all in! 🙂 

And of course Minara will be eternally grateful for your support by sharing our campaign with your loved ones, perhaps a shout-out on social media or if budget allows, a financial commitment over on LaunchGood. We have different bundles of donations for different needs and budgets. Every backer will be at the epicentre of revolutionising Muslim tech and making Minara possible. 

We are working so hard to serve you and help you build a prayer practice that helps you thrive. Our longing is to continue to do so.

Until next week then my friends. And thank you for being here. 💗

With prayers and duas,

The Minara Team