In 2019 came the decades-awaited verdict on the Babri Masjid issue. After the verdict, a trend started on Twitter to showcase pictures of Mosques around India. Beautiful pictures started pouring in from all corners. They represented the rich Muslim cultural heritage of India.
After the verdict and now post-PranPrathistha of the new Ram Temple, The Gyanvapi Mosque issue has been opened up. Permission for Pooja in the basement was given, and with it, voices of demolition of some 40 thousand mosques, according to the narrative of Hindutva, have started to gain prominence. New books and write-ups are arriving to propel the Mandir-Masjid narrative. The latest book by Vikram Sampath, Waiting for Shiva: Unearthing the Truth of Kashi’s Gyan Vapi, attempts to rewrite the temple destruction narrative. He stands on the shoulders of academics like KoenraadElst and Sita Ram Goel, who have extensively written their Hindutva polemics.
The second important aspect of the narrative is the doubts in the minds of non-Muslims regarding the Masjid-Madrasa complex. For them it’s a breeding hub of terror, space where hate is taught, the reason for COVID-19 spread, loudspeaker issue, Namaz offerings on the road, especially on Juma when the devotees are higher in number, the Illegal destruction of mosques by the authorities in the name of encroachment and even to the extent in Delhi where against court orders centuries-old mosque was demolished.
Then comes the role the mosques play in a Muslim community life. The mosques are not just prayer halls but an exhibition of the complete social cohesion between different communities. These mosques have played this role for centuries in India. All these positive impressions about the mosque get hidden behind the propaganda machinery of Islamophobia in India. Then there are Muslims who love the places of their worship more than their life but have little understanding regarding their religious significance and role in the community and public life.
In this article, we will deal with all the above issues. We are creating positive Narratives and dispelling false narratives regarding mosques.
Mosques and their diverse roles:
A mosque is one of the most essential requirements for Muslim communities. It is one of the most visual expressions of Islamic identity. The mosque of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ, built in the 7th century CE in Madina, functioned as a place of public worship, a seat of government, education, and a refuge for any destitute émigré. The idea of mosques being community centres is in Islamic philosophy and theology. The Mosque is the primary, tangible religious institution in Islam. It is a fundamental establishment that plays a vital role in Islamic community development, education and knowledge exercise. It is a place for religious prayer in congregations where Muslims worship Almighty Allah.
India has more than 3,00,000 mosques. Muslims preached the unity of God and the Fraternity of man when they entered the Indian public prospect. They trust that all humanity was originally one, and humanism and charity became important. These mosques have sought to establish continuity with Indian cultures and traditions.
Mosques are not mere buildings; MOSQUES TELL STORIES if they can. According to the Islamic theology, Mosque is the place or piece of land which is the mosque. The building is constructed over it. Throughout the world masjid complexes represent the diverse cultures of the nation and society they are built in. We dive into the story of the Mosque, from spirituality to social cohesion to political contention. The diversity of Indian North from the South and East from the West makes these religious structures distinct in qualities, style, and history. They have captured the imagination of poets, artists, political leaders and ordinary people. Few have recorded the experience on sketch pads, in verse, travel journals, letters, and postcards. These records reveal the diversity of encounters, offering insight into a mosque’s spatial practices and spirituality.
In 1400 years, mosques have evolved as buildings, depicting the change in the outlook of Muslims regarding the space complex of a mosque. Notions of mosque architecture in the past had visible spirituality to it. The concept of a garden and the fountains has representations of Jannah with its gardens and rivers. Today, spirituality may be in a believer’s heart when going to the mosque, but the reciprocation from the structure looks different.
Muslim scholars are now writing about a mosque’s diverse roles in a community – the avenues of individual and collective life it covers. Mosques loom over us and persist beyond us. They have the perfect memory of materiality and spirituality. When we deal with mosques, we deal with decisions taken long ago.
MASJID: PLACE OF PEACE AND SECURITY
Post-Partition Riots:
Partition is arguably the defining event of Indian history. Over a million people lost their lives. The legacy of Partition has become a well-known, even axiomatic aspect of Delhi’s past. The arrival of refugees transformed the city’s civic and commercial culture. It precipitated rapid urban expansion – refugee occupation of two types of places in Delhi: spaces of Islamic devotion, shrines and masjids.
[Masjids, monuments and refugees in the Partition city of Delhi, 1947–1959,published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 January 2022 Deborah Ruth Sutton]
Gujarat Riots:
ASI Vaghela, one of the cops who rescued 2002 Gujarat riot victims, offers namaz at mosque. Vaghela visited the Noorani mosque in Ahmadabad’s NarodaPatia – the locality that witnessed the single largest massacre during the riots. He is a Hindu and follower of Ambaji Mata and Shiva but with the help of his Muslim friends learnt Namaz and offered it in the Noorani mosque. He was the officer on duty during the riots and it was a homage to the people killed in the riots here.
He said, “Today, on 20th anniversary of the incident that changed my life forever, I wish to start afresh by offering Namaz.”
Such cases highlight the beautiful role mosques play during and after riots and communal strife. During the incident, they are safe shelters for victims and after that a spiritual place to ponder on our social belongings.
Image with caption:ASI Vaghela at the Noorani Mosque to offer namaz. Photo Credit: The India Express
Reference: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/asi-vaghela-among-cops-who-rescued-victims-offers-namaz-at-mosque-7795439/
Disasters:
Victims and survivors of disasters require relocation to a safer place. The availability of safe and comfortable temporary shelters can ensure health, promote traumatic recovery, and provide access to food. Earthquakes, Floods, Heatwaves especially in north India are few such examples. Masajid have served as a space of social security and peace in tough times and continue to do so.
A mosque in Tamil Nadu gives shelter to 30 Hindu families during December 2023 floods. As south Tamil Nadu struggles in the aftermath of devastating floods, the SeydunganallurBaithulmalJamath mosque, situated en route from Tirunelveli to Thoothukudi, has emerged as a symbol of compassion and religious harmony. Approximately 30 Hindu families who lost their homes to the floods have found refuge in the mosque for the past four days.
Reference: https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/a-mosque-in-tamil-nadu-is-offering-shelter-to-30-hindu-families-affected-by-floods
Video Link: https://youtu.be/7vYXyfKDqBY?si=pdXXlrYI4TrvuvKi
Such a phenomenon is not just restricted to India but can be seen globally. We share the example of Japan where major earthquakes are quite common and mosques have served as evacuation shelters, soup kitchens, and rest areas for volunteers.
A paper titled, “Activities and roles of mosques in Japan after the recent major earthquakes: A comprehensive study”, by HitomuKotami, Hirofumi Okai and Mari Tamuri, discusses this.
Reference:https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Hirofumi-Okai-2205094936
Mosques Constructed by Non-Muslims:
Punjab:
Today, at a time when many parts of the country, particularly those that have been governed by divisive politics and plagued by communal conflict and hostility, Punjab is serving as an example of communal harmony and fraternity. In contrast to Hindutva forces’ attacks on mosques and churches in the rest of the country, Sikhs and Hindus are cooperating to restore abandoned or illegally possessed mosques in Punjab.
Image with caption:Sikh residents of Khunan Khurd village in Muktsar district of Punjab present siropas to Muslim residents. Photo Credit: The Times of India
Recently, a mosque was constructed at Khunan Khurd village in Muktsar district by Sikhs and Hindus for the sake of Muslims living there. The village’s Sikhs and Hindus raised money to build the mosque. Every villager attended the mosque’s opening ceremony and watched Muslims perform namaz there.
Reference:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/sikhs-hindus-join-in-to-build-mosque-in-muktsar-village/articleshow/98167358.cms
Mosque Man of Kerala:
This sense of rootedness and belonging is also reflected in the modern and elegant structures of mosques in Trivandrum, many of which were designed by a Hindu architect, Govindan Gopalakrishnan, also known as the “Mosque Man.” Gopalakrishnan worked with his father in the reconstruction of Trivandrum’s famous mosque, Masjid-e-Jahan Numa (commonly known as Palayam Pally or Palayam Mosque), and designed by himself another beautiful mosque in Beemapally. The designs of both mosques are exquisite examples of the Indo-Islamic architectural style.
Image with caption:After devoting a lifetime to building shrines, Gopalakrishnan says he still has one unfulfilled task: founding a religious thoughts school. Photo Credit: Govindan Gopalakrishnan via Al Jazeera
Reference:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/13/hindu-architect-kerala-mosque-man
Having grown up in a society that fails to appreciate beauty and often condemns its expressions as an act of evil, I am amazed by the dazzling history of Muslim civilisation. I always wonder how Muslims, such as the scholars I have encountered in New Delhi and many other parts of northern India, can claim today to be the heirs of their predecessors if they do not value beauty as transcendent and divine with the same vigour and enthusiasm.
A mosque in Kerala’s Kollam city designed by Gopalakrishnan. Photo Credit: Govindan Gopalakrishnan via Al Jazeera
Reference:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/13/hindu-architect-kerala-mosque-man
Appreciation of beauty stimulates imagination and innovation, and historically, Muslims excelled at its expressions. They produced the finest architecture, music, calligraphy, and other crafts. It all began with Muslims setting their feet on the fertile soil of the cradles of ancient civilisations: Egypt, Persia, the lands between the Tigris and Euphrates, etc. They mingled old traditions with the new spirit of iḥsān, a comprehensive concept, writes OludaminiOgunnaike, denoting the “sense of beauty and excellence – at once aesthetical, ethical, intellectual, and spiritual.” Their understanding of iḥsān drew from the verses of the Quran that give a big picture of the metaphysical beauty of God and a scenic view of Jannah (Paradise) with its palaces sculptured from gems, surrounded by gardens, where streams of milk and honey flow. As many traditions, including Islam, assert, ‘God is beautiful and loves beauty.’
Ogunnaike defines Islamic art as ‘silent theology’ that successfully holds the picture of Islam intact against contemporary virulent propaganda. He further says, “To many, the silent theology of Islamic art can speak more profoundly and clearly than the most dazzling treatise, and its beauty can be more evident and persuasive than the strongest argument.”
Reference:
https://renovatio.zaytuna.edu/article/the-silent-theology-of-islamic-art
Decibels of Hate or Love?
It was not the muezzin’s call to prayer alone, which was broadcast by the loudspeaker of a Juma Mosque in Thattuparambu near Muvattupuzha in Kerala. The loudspeaker will announce the News of death in the area. At midnight in June 2023, the first such announcement was made by a Hindu: ThattumparambilKuttappan – a message of communal harmony amplified through a Kerala mosque’s loudspeaker.
Image with caption:The death of ThattumparambilKuttappan (Left) was relayed to the community from the loudspeaker of ThattuparambuJuma Masjidnear Muvattupuzha in Kerala. Photo Credit: On Manorama
Not just death, but the committee and other senior functionaries of the mosque would make announcements if there were other emergencies too, like accidents, blood donations required for someone, medical emergencies, etc.
Reference: https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2023/06/16/communal-harmony-kerala-mosque-loudspeaker-relays-death-news-hindu-neighbour-muvattupuzha.html
Masajid as Places of Education, Help and Humanitarian Aid:
We speak of the lives of just 44 million inter-state migrant workers who come from their towns and villages so that the metropolitan can run 24×7.
In Mumbai, which was a centre of the migrant crisis, owing to its large population of migrant workers (roughly 40% of the total population), the migrant workers’ problem had hit catastrophically. Despite a strict lockdown, some masjids in Mumbai took on the task of feeding thousands of these people who were suffering. The motto was, “No one should go to sleep hungry.” However, this humanitarian upsurge in Mosques did not stay limited to the boundaries of Mumbai.