Perseverance — Page 24
24 – the story of al-haj Rashid ahmad american every man for himself. Simply put, the missionaries and I came from two very different worlds. The missionaries were confused how an unemployed man like me, with no home, could show up multiple times every day to the mosque, always dressed in expensive clothes. They held a meeting to determine if I should be allowed to participate in the mosque activities and even be a member. The president at the time, a converted African-American, N u r-ul-Isl a m 8 , stood up in my defense saying, “If Rashid was that determined to come to the mosque to say his prayers, then one day he will become our teacher. ” Still, the missionaries weren’t satisfied and investigated me further. When they asked me where I lived, I responded with, “On 39 th Street. ” One missionary, Ghul a m Yas i n, insisted on seeing the place where I lived. When I brought him to 39 th Street, I showed him a square where there was a park with benches. He asked where I specifically resided, and I pointed to a park bench which I considered mine. I actually had no place to stay and I made my rounds throughout the day visiting my various friends. Having no place to stay, I would routinely show up at the Mosque for the daily Fajr prayers at 4:30am. Quite frequently, my knocking on the door would earn me the blessings of waking up the others for prayers, and on the occasions that no one answered the door, I would offer my prayers on the Mosque porch alone. 8 N u r-ul-Isl a m is the father of Sister Nycema, who is married to Brother al- Ha j Dhul Yaq u b, both of whom are highly respected members of the Milwaukee Jamā‘ah today.