Peran Pengurus Masjid Nurul Iman Desa Rimba Samak Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ilir Dalam Pemahaman Fungsi Masjid Terhadap Masyarakat

Abstract

Mosques serve not only as places of worship but also as centers for religious education, Islamic preaching, social development, and community empowerment. However, community understanding of the broader functions of mosques remains limited, with some people primarily perceiving mosques as places for ritual worship and the celebration of Islamic holidays. This condition is also found in Rimba Samak Village, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, indicating the importance of mosque administrators in strengthening community understanding and participation in mosque activities. This study aims to analyze the role of the administrators of Nurul Iman Mosque in enhancing community understanding of mosque functions and to identify the supporting and inhibiting factors affecting their role. This study employed a qualitative field research approach. Data were collected through interviews, participatory observation, and documentation and were analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis with an inductive approach. The informants consisted of mosque administrators, active worshippers, and members of the surrounding community. The findings indicate that the administrators of Nurul Iman Mosque play a strategic role in strengthening community understanding through four main functions: worship, religious education and preaching, social activities, and community deliberation and empowerment. These functions are implemented through congregational prayers, regular religious study sessions, Islamic lectures, children's religious education, social assistance, mutual cooperation, and community deliberations. Supporting factors include the support of religious and community leaders, cooperation among mosque administrators, adequate facilities and infrastructure, and regular religious programs. Meanwhile, inhibiting factors include limited financial resources, uneven community participation, limited managerial and human resource capacity among administrators, and insufficient innovation in developing mosque programs. The study concludes that strengthening the capacity of mosque administrators and developing more innovative and inclusive programs are essential to optimize the mosque's role as a center for community development.