18/05/2025
| ๐๐๐: ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฌ
by Allysa M. Malidas
There was a place inside a Catholic institution โ a four-cornered room where you could find a community like no other. Whether you are a student, professor, alumni, law student, or just a visitor, inside that room, everyone is equal. The honorifics Sirโs and Ma'amโs are replaced by endearments Kakaโs and Aliโs. No matter what title someone has after their name, everyone comes there with their head bowed down, prostrating to the Almighty who gave them those privileges.
It has a gloomy and pitiful facade. Despite its seemingly bleak atmosphere, once you enter, the faces of sorrow and despair are superseded by teasing and laughter. In fact, once the call for prayer is up, you will be overwhelmed by the number of shoes piling up at the doorstep. No matter what department they are from or how far it can be, they will always choose that four-cornered room as their go-to place. Not just because it is spacious and away from the beeping noise of the streets, but because of the people they often met there.
You will never leave that room without shaking hands, doing fist bumps, and giving hugs and kisses after every Salam. You will never cease to hear Islamic lectures and deep talks after every obligatory prayer. It was the long queue for ablution and even rivalry in the mirror. It was the students who were doing homework, taking their lunches, and even napping on the floor mat. It was the broken fluorescent and the ceiling fan that was not spinning. All these, among others, were just normal everyday scenes witnessed by its walls. It was and has always been what the heart misses and the memory remembers.
Anxious whenever there is a heavy downpour of rain. Students would express, "ngin den guna i betad na MPR" (How's the MPR now?) or "swimming pool na naman ang MPR ngayon" (The MPR becomes a swimming pool again today). After that, a general cleaning brigade is called. It has been a cycle for many years. However, unfortunately, bizarrely enough, that cycle came to an END THIS YEAR.
How beautiful that community was. That four-cornered room that served as a comfort place for many, despite its flaws yet blessed location, holds a very special place in every aching heart of these tired souls. It is more than just a worship place, more than just walls and roofโit was a refuge, a sanctuary where weary souls found solace.
Perhaps, some might be wondering whatโs with this four-cornered room called MPR and what is so special about it. Well, the Muslim Prayer Room (MPR) was located at the Technical Building which was given to the Muslim community (students, teachers, etc.) of Notre Dame University as a place for worship as per efforts and requests of the Muslim Student Organizations. Being inside a Catholic institution did not prevent Muslim students from practicing their religion. As with the core values of F.I.R.E.S., โFaithโ always comes first.
Earlier in September 2024, it was demolished to facilitate the construction of the new Senior High School building. As of the moment, the only remaining official MPR inside the University is one at the Nepomuceno Building โ a single classroom for both men and women with a curtain as a divider, lacking to accommodate the majority of the students. Moreover, the administration assured that there will be an MPR on the new building to be constructed.
Months may have passed since its demolitionโlong after its doors have closedโits memories will remain. The echoes of whispered duas, the rustle of pages from worn Qur'ans, and the gentle hum of heartfelt conversations will live on in the hearts of those who once found peace within its walls. More than ever, MPR is the center of the Muslim community. It is the soil where the seeds of brotherhood are planted and watered by the remembrance of Allah (๏ทป). For indeed, it is a humble abode for tired souls.
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