Ayodhya’s mosque ‘grander than Taj’ will be named after Prophet’s father, not Babar; Imam of Mecca will offer first namaz
Can a religious place born out of a bitter religious dispute be made a center of brotherhood and an inclusive environment? The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) is expecting the same from the mosque being built in Dhannipur, Ayodhya. While giving its verdict in the famous Babri Masjid dispute of Ayodhya, the Supreme Court had ordered to provide a separate place for the mosque. After this, IICF is working on the construction of a hospital, old age home and school along with a mosque in Dhannipur, 25 km from Ayodhya. The Foundation has decided that this mosque will not be named after Babar but after Prophet Mohammad’s father Muhammad bin Abdullah.
Preparations are being made to convert an 11-acre site in Dhannipur village into a multicultural site of ‘Dawa’ (medicine) and ‘Dua’ (prayers). For this the Mosque Board had received 5 acres of land from the government. Sunni Waqf Board has added a 6-acre plot to it. IICF is working on a plan to build a cancer hospital with 500 beds, 2 colleges, 1 old age home and a full vegetarian kitchen, besides a grand mosque amidst gardens and fountains.
People of all religions come
Haji Arfat Sheikh, the newly appointed chairman of the Mosque Development Committee, wants it to be a place where people of all religions want to come. He said that vegetarian canteens, hospitals, colleges are all right decisions. With this, people of all religions will get food here. No one will return hungry. This place will also be a center of modern education and medicine with adequate subsidization. Shaikh, a Mumbai BJP leader and former chairman of the Maharashtra Minorities Commission, said the IICF will raise funds for the grand mosque in Dhannipur, which will “surpass even the Taj Mahal in grandeur.” He also plans to launch a QR code-based crowdfunding operation this month.
He said that we do not want people to stand on the streets and ask for donations for the mosque… Every Indian will be able to contribute in this… Complete transparency will be maintained in how and where the money is spent. Donors will also be able to donate one brick each for the construction of the mosque. He said each brick will be given a number and donors will be informed where their brick is kept in the mosque. Sheikh said that the cost for this has not been decided yet.
Marble Mosque and the Great Quran
The mosque will have five minarets that will represent the five central principles of Islam – Kalma, Namaz, Roza, Zakat and Hajj. Its prayer hall will have space for 9,000 people at a time, making it possibly the second largest mosque in India after Delhi’s Jama Masjid. Jama Masjid has seating arrangements for 25,000 people simultaneously. One topic of discussion regarding the mosque is the 21 by 36 feet Quran bound in saffron colour. This color is associated with Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer who was known as ‘Chishtiya’ among Muslims. Sheikh told that if you remember, the shawl and turban of Garib Nawaz (Chishti) are Chishti.
Mosque will be grander than Taj
The design of the mosque shared by Sheikh shows a completely white marble mosque. However, other stones will also be used in building the mosque, he said. The design is being changed because some people have demanded changes. Despite this the mosque will be worth seeing. This will be more beautiful than the Taj. Sheikh wants people of all religions to come here. A large aquarium is planned for tourists and fountains will come alive with the last prayers of the day.
He said that there would be a place to pray for all those innocent people who were killed during the clashes that took place during the demolition of Babri Masjid. Regarding colleges, Shaikh said that students of all religions and backgrounds will get admission here. However, they have not decided on a lower cutoff for Muslims. He said that we want to encourage older Muslim students, especially girls, to pursue higher education.
Don’t want Babri controversy again
Although the government itself has allotted land for the mosque in Dhannipur, the mosque committee wants to ensure that it does not get embroiled in any controversy. Sheikh said that before starting the construction work of the mosque, we would like the state government to give us a certificate stating that the ownership of the land is clear. We would not want a repeat of Babri Masjid here. The design of the project is being finalized and the proposal to the UP government for approval is also almost ready. “We will open our construction office at the site in February this year and start construction after Ramadan in May,” he said.
Will be ready by 2030
The first brick of the mosque will be laid in a grand ceremony. Shaikh said a big brick with the name of the mosque and ‘Dua’ written on it would be brought to Dhannipur in a procession after blessing it in mosques across the country. Sheikh said the first brick for the foundation will be brought from Mumbai by a descendant of Sant Sarkar Pir Adil, whose tomb is in Bijapur. We all will go to Ayodhya by train and brick puja will be done at each station.
He said the construction of the mosque could last for five to six years and the trust would call an Imam from Mecca for the first prayer in the mosque. Asked whether he believed mosques could bring people of all religions together, Shaikh said that was a commitment he and the IICF had made to themselves. I hope we are able to heal old wounds and move toward a brighter future.
