Not Exactly As Usual

The last time I found myself in a mosque for Friday Prayers was back at the beginning of April, so it was a delight and a relief in roughly equal proportions to get back to Masjid Darussalam this afternoon. I was also fortunate to get the opportunity since we are restricted to just 100 worshippers at any one time, distancing being very strictly observed. Fuad helped me apply on-line for a place and it'll be another three weeks before I'm allowed to try again for a booking. So we're not exactly back to normal.

And the prayers themselves didn't feel quite normal, despite the comforting familiarity of the experience. Not praying shoulder to shoulder and wearing a mask feels odd - but completely right, given the circumstances. I was also lucky in that the khutbah was in English, as were sections of the prayers normally said in Malay. At one point we were praying for those who'd lost their jobs, more specifically that they'd find something better. It felt sharply sad to do so.