In the previous articles of this 5-part series, I spoke about the duties of the imam at length. In this article, I cover what goes on behind the scenes at the masjid and how it affects the imam.

I should also state that issues of leadership are ijtihadi. Rarely is there is a perfect undeniable solution. But wisdom is the lost provision of the believer. Wherever he finds it, he seizes it. That could be for the imam and what dars he offers, when and how, or for the board and their decisions.

I finally decided to publish this series when a local imam was let go. This imam, from every time I saw him, seemed to be such a genuine individual. And on the night of that announcement, the community came together with a petition and “town hall meeting” demanding his stay in the community. They won his place back. These are the stories that are the envy of many burned out unappreciated micromanaged imams. This “chicken soup for the soul” is a story of optimism in uncertain times.

Prior to this by a couple of months, a man came to me mentioning a variety of issues regarding an imam. Every issue, one after the other, fell under the category of “whether or not he does this, and how frequently, depends on the contents of his contract, so I cannot comment on whether or not he should or should not be doing this,” or “He may be allowed by his contract to do that“. Each community has its own needs, based on its size and volunteer core. The needs for which they hired an imam to fulfill should be reflected in the contract. When needs evolve, so can the contract. And his own benefits may also be a part of the contract.

Not all masajid require an imam‘s involvement in the Sunday school. Not all masajid require an imam to be present for 35 jamaa`at a week (7 days x 5 prayers). And by “imam” I mean the religious director (RD) — as all prayers require someone to lead, and thus become an imam. And as for benefits, some imams will get a housing stipend or parsonage, health insurance, paid leave, and so forth.

When one looks at a community or an imam by what a single individual is not doing, one should first ask, “is that need being met by someone else?” If it is, then perhaps it is an understood arrangement. If not, then dig deeper. And before one accuses the imam of dereliction of duty, consider asking: might the imam need help?

Most Muslim communities I know of are bigger than most churches I know of, but the church could have an assistant pastor or lay minister to fill in for the senior minister when such need exists. And churches only have a service or two on Sundays. Masajid have five. Every. Single. Day.

The reality of working for a non-profit organization

As an imam, you are not expected to be a network IT specialist, but when the internet is down, and the board is conservative on budget, they may wait patiently until you lose your patience, before ordering a fix. No one else spends more than an hour in the masjid each day, at most, and that is praying. Who needs this xyz fix during prayer? It becomes easy to forget what the imam does and needs.

Unlike the big corporations, as an imam, you may replace the lightbulbs of Allah’s House, clean the toilets, vacuum the prayer hall and dust off the shelves. You will certainly set up tables and chairs and make sure there are enough napkins, plasticware, and of course food for events—but you will forget about the ice cooler for soda at outdoor events! And whatever you do, don’t forget to advertise. Graphic design is its own career. But if is difficult to find someone to design a masjid flyer on time, the imam simply has to do it himself. Alhamdulillah for PowerPoint. And as always, depending on the size of the masjid, and thus the community, colleagues and volunteers, some of these responsibilities could all fall onto the imam’s lap.

You, as an imam, may spend 30 minutes looking up stationary on Amazon and asking community questions before finally running to Office Max to price theirs for a set of certificates. But after all that, you may still end up ordering those certificates, because it’s 2022 and printers still suck!

All such aspects and more like them add up against the imam’s time. Thankfully, most masajid will have the gruff Arab handyman, along with some aunties that clean and assist in many ways, alhamdulillah. That is with the aging immigrant population. Recruiting youth is a different challenge. The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh is blessed to be on the campus of a huge university whose largest club is the Muslim Student Association. They provide an endless stream of volunteers. For masajid less fortunate, they may rely on busy professionals or the occasional parolee needing community service hours.

In some cases, the religious director may simply show up, say a few inspiring words, shake hands, and smile. He may then leave as quickly as he came while a large team handles logistics, everything from media to clean up.

But when you are part of an organization that has frequent events and programs, and you are that one individual that everyone wants to see present all the while, even if only to be friendly with everyone, it can drain greatly on an imam. Much non-profit activity includes a lot of hectic work. It is why asr prayer on Fridays (after jumuah) and on Sundays (after Sunday school) is the quietest time in the masjid all week. People need a break, and they take it, except the imam.

Other centers transform from being “Islamic centers” to “Imam centers”. This may be because the imam insists on personal involvement and oversight in all areas. It could also be because he founded that community. But in other cases, the rest of the community sulks away believing that one man can do the job of a community.

The segue…

When I look to the Prophet’s seerah, it is not just the biography of one man. It is the story of a community, and how each helped. Also, how he delegated so much to his companions and sought their counsel.

Even looking at the biographies of scholars of Islam throughout history, you would be surprised to learn that very few of them were masjid imams. You may have assumed they were but most were not. Rarely, in Imam al-Dhahabi’s Siyar A`laam al-Nubalaa’ will he be able to tell you of a scholar also being a prayer leader. None of the four imams habitually led the prayers in their local masjid. None of them were qadis judges. They were researchers and teachers. Because they did not have those extra burdens, they were able to be better at what they did focus on. The best in fact.

The two companions who spread the madhab of Abu Haneefah, one was a judge, and the other a writer, each spreading the school of the original researcher – Abu Haneefah. Abu Yusuf the judge did not lead the prayers of the caliph Harun al-Rasheed. That was done by al-Kisaaee the recital teacher and grammarian. These are multiple positions from multiple individuals. Masjid imams in the West are often assumed and expected to be and perform all these roles, on top of others. We forget that the Prophet ﷺ even had dozens of scribes, or you could say secretaries.

The Board, staff and volunteers

“Keep your distance though Chewie—but don’t LOOK like you’re trying to keep your distance… I don’t know fly casual!”   –  Han Solo Return of the Jedi

Imam: *delivers khutbah from the heart that he spent many hours planning, researching, composing, and rehearsing*

Worshiper #1: *tears coming down* that was sooo inspiring, I’m so happy to be a Muslim.

Worshiper #2: Thank you so much for addressing this, I really feel a sense of healing now.

Board member #1: the timing was off.

Board member #2: some of the words chosen were inappropriate, you should not have mentioned _________.

Board member #3: Our previous imam would say ________________, you may want to borrow from his playlist.

Board member #4: is there any oxygen left in the room for me to suck out?

Imam: *crawls into fetal position and waits for death*.

Quiet gentle board member #5 who follows the Sunnah: ** does not want to say anything for fear of breaking his neck**

Alhamdulillah, I have been blessed with excellent relationships with the boards of both masjids I worked for. This is why I feel comfortable describing scenarios based on what I have learned about other imams and masajid, for better or worse.

But there are plenty of exceptions that warrant the general call out. In some cases, a masjid board is more concerned about looking good in front of an imaginary group. The general connectivity of the imam’s message with the greater community may be forgotten. Consistent critical commentary stifles the imam’s creativity. He becomes a burned-out dispassionate cookie cutter khateeb who enjoys hanging out with rabbis and pastors more than his own board. In time, he is fired because, *surprise*, he is not inspiring others anymore. I wonder why.

The most successful imam-board relationships I have seen were where each entity respected the grounds of the other, only assisting when necessary to help them, respecting the expertise and position of one another, and all worked to serve the message, not shape it. There are masajid where the imam works there for a decade, or even two, because the board, no matter who is on it, reveres what the imam says, as if it were law. Many African American and Salafi masajid have that deep respect for religious knowledge and the Sunnah, without a cult of personality. Such masajid would only let go of an imam if there was a serious breach of trust.

The masajid where imams are burned out are those where the board treats the imam like a corporate employee. They are more concerned about the rate of donations, or semantics, than the many other intrinsic signs of benefit. Their illusory knowledge of Islam is confined to what they’ve learned from popular speakers. Those masajid also micromanage the imam, trying to exert influence upon every word and action he puts out, or filter everything the imam does through them. This conveys a lack of trust.

The imam should actively work to have a friendly relationship with all members of the board, as rare as it might be that he sees them. Some may be frequent worshipers, while others are weekly attendees, and others you wonder if they live in the same state or not. When the imam rarely sees board members, and they only meet among themselves, there is a risk of group think mentality developing. They forget the humanity of one another.

Along that note, it is important for the board to meet each other in friendly context as well. Let them empathize and recognize the good intentions of each other. Too often, there may be “backroom agreements” that leave others feeling sidestepped and neglected, or in the dark at best, betrayed at worst. Having an organized annual retreat, even if it be for one day, allows them to appreciate perspectives, strengthen relationships, align goals, and brainstorm methods.

As for other masjid staff, no one wants to work at the masjid except those who love the houses of Allah. More staff contribute to the mental and emotional well-being of each other. They distribute the general load, and provide a work-social life for each other. They help stave off non-profit burnout. The masjid can truly become an Islamic center. Otherwise, the imam teeter totters between the monotony of come-and-go worshipers and stories of bad marriages!

With enough helpful and sincere staff, board and volunteers, the masjid can quickly become the most beautiful place to work, full of respect and low on ego.

Security

During times of great tribulation, religious leaders are often the first ones picked off. Islamic history has witnessed as much over and over. As imams and scholars can be rallying points for the faithful, leading them in prayers and wisdom. They represent identity and continuity between the past and present, giving hope for the future. Whenever anyone wants to erase the identity of a people, religion must go first.

I had just started talking with the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh when I learned of the Tree of Life synagogue massacre that took place within one mile of the ICP on October 27^th 2018. I’ve since met all three rabbis of that former center and heard the perspective of each on that day, and what they witnessed. Rabbi Perlman showed me a copy of the torah with a .38 caliber bullet hole.

A few months later—while I was still in St Louis—an Australian man would make 50 martyrs in New Zealand, and another 50 wounded between two mosques in the city of Christ Church. The day after, a minister greeted me and asked to join me for a private moment of prayer. We had coffee together and he told me about his colleague who was gunned down while giving a sermon in Maryville, Missouri. He also shared a story of a mentally unstable man who, for years, has been stalking him and leaving him ambiguous threats.

Many converts to Islam come to the faith with mental health issues. I pray they get the solace that I received from Islam. But I’ll be honest, many of them leave me wary with creepy behavior and sudden movements. I tell my staff that if anyone wants to speak with me and they “fit the description” that they need an appointment, or to meet in the lobby or be nearby. I have several cameras in my office, posted warnings there and throughout the masjid, along with other forms of safety and protection.

Imams in America have gone missing, been shot, stabbed, and assassinated. They are few, but they exist. Some of these incidents are of a personal nature or over money matters. Some are just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Others are for delivering the message. Shaykh Ibrahim Dremali was threatened at gunpoint to leave Florida after he had given a talk about the end times. I’m still waiting to hear of an imam assaulted or worse for granting a khul`ah or refusing to do a wedding.

Masajid and houses of worship used to be open to travelers and sleepovers. 9/11 was a general watershed moment for American Muslims and masajid. From that point on, many masajid remained forever locked, only open during events or to those with a key. It was a protection against non-Muslims and mentally unstable Muslims.

Do I worry about my personal safety as an imam? It’s not my number one concern, but it’s not off the radar.

And have I ever experienced any threats to that safety as an imam? The worst experience I had thus far was the first night of Ramadan in 2021. A 30-ish white man (fitting the description) came to the masjid to take shahadah. The people treated him well and I invited him to my office to give him some introductory materials and for more formal introductions. The next half hour was filled with a bizarre tirade and vague threats. He said maybe I would no longer be an imam within 24 hours. The tensest moment was when he told me to remove the clock from my wall and held his hand up in a very firm countdown if I refused to do it. I did refuse. I watched him go from 5, to 4, to 3, to 2, to 1, with rigid shaking fingers. I asked him to leave several times. I texted my team to “get this nutcase out of my office!” No one came, all busy with Ramadan prep and front door security.

Throughout the meeting, he even prostrated to me on the floor a couple of times and would tell me that I am God, and that God is in everything and everyone, and then ask me to teach him. And then it would go back to more threats and baited questions, “do you follow God’s Laws or the laws of the land?” He would ask in an accusatory voice. He talked about going to Kashmir. So I’m wondering if this is some Hindu lunatic like the ones who killed Gandhi. At one point during one of his prostrations, he slammed my desk as hard as he could. I’m surprised no one else in the building heard it. I guess Hani did a good job installing the door. At one point, he took his mask off for a few seconds, gave me a cold stare, and then put it back on.

Ultimately, I do not know if he was armed. I think what helped me most in that encounter was all the security measures I had in place. The glass door that he kept nervously looking out of to see if other people were in the hallway. The Amazon cloud cam. My clear sign on the wall warning visitors of threatening behavior. The fact that I never took my eyes off of him.

As Matthew finally got up and left, he said, “Now I’m going to leave, and I will behave the way that I did earlier and I will not be like this.” Like he was an actor going into character. Shortly after, I ran out, told my staff, and then spent the first night of tarawih giving an interview for the police. The cops later found him but I declined to press charges. He showed up at other Muslim establishments that week but was, in no uncertain terms, declined business.

In any case, I’ve tied my camel. Religious figures are often magnets for the mentally unstable. Make duaa that Allah protect your imams. 

This concludes part 4 of my series entitled “What does the Imam do in his office all day!?” There will be one final installment inshaAllah.