First English sermon gets good response

The inaugural sermon in English at Ajman's Abdulla bin Rawaha Mosque last Friday attracted a huge number of worshippers, and the numbers today are expected to rise even further, Sheikh Abdul Majeed Ali Hassan, the mosque's Imam, said yesterday.

"The first Friday sermon attracted many Asian worshippers, and some other Muslims from the Western community," he explained.

"Five minutes after the sermon started, the number of worshippers from the Asian community increased rapidly; in 15 minutes the mosque was filled to capacity."

The Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf earlier approved Friday sermons, or Khutbah, to be held in English in Ajman. The emirate is the second in the UAE to officially announce English Friday sermons.

The Imam said he delivered the sermon in simple English to ensure getting the message across to the worshippers. While last week's sermon dealt on the merits of the Friday (Jumma), today's will be on the importance of attending Friday prayers.

He added the non-Arabic Friday sermon has the opening speech, Quranic verses and Hadith in Arabic, with the explanation then being delivered in English.

Sheikh Abdul Majeed Ali Hassan has delivered more than 16 sermons in the UK and written eight books on different religious issues, four of which still in print.

He has also studied a number of books on Islamic understanding, and holds a BA degree in sociology from the University of Calicut in India.