Jusuf the Janissary’s Friday Khutbah at the East Vancouver Mosque of Justice
“Brothers and sisters,” Jusuf began, standing under the flickering fluorescent lights of the modest but proud Mosque of Justice in East Vancouver. “We are not rich in dollars, but we are rich in time, strength, and trust.”
He paused, letting the silence settle on the congregation.
“The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: ‘The best of people are those that bring benefit to others.’ So today I bring you a simple plan, from the wisdom of the poor and the logic of the just.”
He held up his old flip phone.
“This device, this humble phone, is your tool. Each of you has one. Text your brothers. Text your sisters. Exchange hours. You know plumbing? Offer an hour. You know drywall? Offer an hour. You need help lifting? Offer an hour in return. This is not charity. This is not welfare. This is justice through mutual obligation. This is barakah.”
The crowd murmured. Some nodded. A few pulled out their phones already.
“The world wants us to wait for grants. For permission. For bureaucracy. But the Mosque of Justice does not wait for politicians. We do not beg. We organize. We exchange. We move.”
He pointed to the cracked walls and stained carpets.
“We will renovate our mosque, not with credit cards and government loans, but with the strength of our backs and the hours of our lives. Use cash to buy the screws, the wood, the paint. But pay each other with time. With honor. With dignity.”
Then he added, with a smile:
“And if you cook well, don’t be shy. Feed the workers. Feed the sick. That hour is worth as much as an electrician’s. Because justice includes the stomach.”
Jusuf’s voice lowered, almost like a prayer.
“Text each other. Build a network. Every hour worked is a brick in our mosque. Not just of stone—but of brotherhood. And if the government ever asks where the money came from, say it came from the people. Because time is the currency of the righteous.”
The mosque was silent for a moment.
Then a young man in the back stood up and shouted, “I have three hours of painting to offer!”
Another raised his phone: “I can teach carpentry!”
The quiet mosque became a beehive of buzzing texts and eager voices. Jusuf the Janissary nodded and whispered:
“This is how justice begins.”