Teraz Islamic Revolution Mosque; A bastion that came to life again

Hamedan- Going beyond the traditional function and turning mosques into bastions for solving social and economic crises is the focus of a new project in Hamedan, which is being solved by the local people themselves.

Ambassador Arjan of the Provinces Group: In the Islamic history and civilization, the mosque has always been defined as more than a place for religious rituals, and at the beginning of Islam, the mosque was considered as the beating heart of the Islamic society, but with the passage of time, the functions of the mosques in the mind were limited over time and were reduced to holding daily prayers and special programs.

In today's complex cultural and social conditions, where the society is facing various challenges such as family injuries, livelihood crises, and the density of court cases, rereading and revitalizing the comprehensive mission of mosques is considered an undeniable necessity.

The mosque should be a dynamic base for the activism of elites, experts and local trustees, and they play a strategic role in reducing social harms, removing deprivation and solving people's problems.

Hojat-ul-Islam Mehdi Sharanjani, the guidance guide of Hamadan province, in an interview with Mehr reporter, while explaining the transformational approach in mosques, stated: 9 key functions are considered for mosques, under each of which there are several subcategories, so that if the details of these functions are fully opened, we will reach more than 380 types of activities and minor functions.

Stating that the realization of 60 to 70% of the functions can bring a mosque closer to the "level mosque", he clarified: the beating heart of the mosque is the religious and spiritual function, and if a mosque has all the other eight functions, but is not a house of worship and congregational prayers, supplications and retreats are not held in it, it is not considered a level mosque from our point of view, and holding congregational prayers is the first and most necessary function of a mosque.

People's capacities are the driving engine of mosques' activities

Hamedan province's guidance counselor emphasized that in this model, people do not play a role as listeners but as main actors, adding: In mosques, we seek to use the capacity of local people, for example, in the service and support function of the mosque, which is defined under "Beit al-Rahma", worshipers who are skilled in technical jobs such as installations voluntarily provide free services to needy families with problems.

He pointed to one of the successful examples in the province and said: In one of the mosques, a team of 9 people, including a doctor, dentist, family counselor, midwife and engineer, was formed, and by attending the mosque, they provided free specialized and medical services to the residents, and even with the coordination of the pharmacies, medicines were also provided for free to the needy people, and this action is exactly using the capacities of the people of the neighborhood to solve the problems of the people.

Referring to the classification of the functions of mosques, Hojjat-ul-Islam Sharanjani pointed out examples of specialized names for mosques and added: The house of worship is the religious and spiritual function and the main core of the mosque.

Pointing out that one of the functions of the mosque is Baitul-Mal, or livelihood base, he continued: By entering into economic activities, the mosque generates income for the mosque itself and creates jobs for the worshipers and the people of the neighborhood, and an example of that is the mosque that created employment for seven families from other neighborhoods by setting up a sewing workshop.

Stating that Baytul Qadawt or Center for Peace and Compromise is another function of mosques, he added: This function is very important and Bayt Qadawt is currently active in about 70 mosques in Hamedan province, and in these centers, family disputes, bounced checks, and disputes are settled before they are taken to court with the presence of the Imam of the congregation and local trustees.

The peace of 195 complaint cases in one of Hamadan mosques

He added: For example, in only one case, 195 local complaint cases in a mosque ended in peace, which, in addition to reducing the burden on the judiciary, prevented further damage to reputation and legal conflicts, and in this area, mosques use the capacity of their own neighborhood lawyers without imposing any costs on the organizations.

Hojjat al-Islam Sharanjani continued to mention education and training as another function of mosques, and stating that this function includes education of students, families, skill training and education, he continued: Some imams of the congregation are also in charge of managing their neighborhood schools, which has connected the circle of mosques and schools, and holding training courses to reduce aggression, parent-child disputes, and prevent divorce and addiction are other programs of this department.

He further considered the cultural and artistic functions and support management among the other functions of mosques, and pointing to the necessity of changing the view of the mosque, he noted: Even the president emphasized that if the neighborhood mosques come to work, many economic problems will be solved, but unfortunately, some people's view of the mosque is still limited to a superficial and purely congregational view.

Rahyar Hedayat emphasized in the end: In July of this year, we organized special training courses for the imams of the congregation to present their operational plans while discussing the 380 functions of mosques, and we are witnessing that this transformation is taking place in the mosques of Hamedan province, and we hope that with this model, the mosque will return to its true position as a bastion of solving people's problems.

Undoubtedly, the key to the success and dynamism of mosques is to transform them from closed and one-dimensional structures into multi-purpose centers, and when the spontaneous capacities of the people come to the fore, the complex knots of the society such as judicial disputes, unemployment, and livelihood services will be opened without a heavy financial burden on the shoulders of the governments, and the objective realization of the "Balanced Mosque" depends on the continuation of the training of the imams of the congregations, a forward-looking view, and the modification of the traditional mentality of the society towards the functions of this sacred institution. is

Synergy of the mosque with the schools that shape the future generation, along with the specialized use of philanthropists and technicians, guarantees the success of this new model, and if this road map is followed seriously, the mosques will once again be established as the real refuge of the people and the main bastion of solving the daily problems of the society.