A group of Lexington Muslims spent a portion of Monday in prayer. The mosque ceremony was a response to the solar eclipse.
About 30 Muslims gathered inside Masjid Bilal, in north Lexington just ahead of peak moon coverage of the sun. Among them was Nadia Hali who came to the US from North Africa 20 years ago.
“It’s called the Salaat-ul-kuosoof to remind us of the greatness of God. It’s in a solar eclipse.” Said Hali.
The roughly half hour melodic prayer of verses from the Quran was delivered by Iman Abdurrazzag Elmselati.
Part of his prayer is translated by Ashraf Fahmy. “Because of this great movement, we believe that there are other great things that could happen in the hands of God, or Allah in Arabic and that’s why we pray,” explained Fahmy.
Just as the sun was beginning to be covered over, Toqeer Omer entered the mosque with Ratul Ahmed.
Omer says there was a time when people worshipped the sun and got messages with eclipses.
“During that time they were praying to the eclipse, but we are praying in the mosque to God, not to the eclipse,” Omer said.
The prayer in the Lexington mosque occurred during the peak period of the solar eclipse between two and three o clock.