Jummah Masjid (Mauritius)
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The Jummah Masjid is a mosque in Port Louis, Mauritius dating from the 1850s, with substantial additions built through the 1890s.[1] It is located on the Royal Road, and is described by the Ministry of Tourism's guide as one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the country.
Throughout the year, the Jummah Masjid is visited by Islamic personalities, scholars, naatkhwan, etc. One of the visits which the Masjid receives is that of Maulana Shah Abdul Aleem Siddiqui Madani and his son Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani Siddiqui and grandson Mauana Shah Anas Noorani Siddiqui every year, during the month of Rabi' al-awwal. Muhammad Owais Raza Qadri, the naatkhwan from Pakistan has also made various Naat Programs in the Masjid. Maulana Syed Ahmad Ashraf Jilani, Maulana Syed Kaleem Ashraf Jilani, Maulana Ibrahim Khushtar, Maulana Ghulam Jilani, Cheikh Rabbani Siddiqui, Cheikh Abdul Hadi Barkaati, Taajush Shariah Allama Akhtar Raza, have also visited.
The Jummah Masjid houses the Mazar Shareef of Syed Peer Jamal Shah(;a waliullah from Cutch Naliya,India) in the backyard of the mosque. This is a dargah where people come & pray.
The Jummah Masjid is known for live broadcasts of Jummah Prayers every Friday, taraweeh prayers during the month of Ramadan, Eid Prayers, and spiritual programs like Majilis for the first 10 days of Muharram, the first 12 days of Rabi ul Awwal, Mehfil e Ashurah & various 'Urs Shareef held throughout the year.
History
In 1852,members of the mercantile community of Port Louis( Haji Joonus Allarakia, Casseem Hemeem,Joosub Satardeenah, Elias Hadjee Hamode, Hajee Abdoollah Essack, Hajee Ab doorahim Allanah, Ismael Ibrahim and Omar Yacoob)formed a co-operative endeavour and purchased, in their own name and on behalf of the Muslim community of Mauritius, two properties situated in Queen Street, Port Louis, for the aggregate sum of Rs 6,800.00. The deeds of purchase, dated October 20, 1852, stipulated, among other things, that the Muslim traders had made the purchases:
(… jointly and severally, in their own names as well as on behalf of the entire Muslim congregation of Mauritius from which they hereby declare having received special powers. The purchasers declare that the sum of money paid for the present purchases does not belong to them personally but to the whole Muslim congregation of Mauritius.)
On one of the properties stood a house which was converted into a temporary prayer house pending the construction of a Mosque. However, the foundation of the future Jummah Mosque was thus laid. Ismael Jeewa, who was a trader and also knowledgeable in Islam, led the prayers at the temporary prayer house. The following year,1853,saw a Mosque of a limited size built and consecrated. Hajee Imam Bacosse Sobedar, who was Imam of the Camp des Lascars Mosque, was called upon to trace the Mihrab (prayer niche) of the new Mosque, which came to be known for many years as the Mosquée-des-Arabes – after its founders, who were mistakenly called Arabs by the general public. The new Mosque, which could accommodate some two hundred worshippers, was the original Jummah Mosque. However, it was to undergo extensive expansion and improvements over the years and become the focus of Islamic cultural and religious life in Mauritius and become the Ja'mi or Jummah Mosque (Grand Mosque) of Mauritius and the symbol of “the faith, zeal and selflessness of those early pioneers of Islam, adequately versed in religion and high minded enough to think that no community could live without religion and no man without prayer.”
The steady increase in the Muslim population in Port-Louis soon made it evident that the Mosquée-des-Arabes was too small to satisfy the growing congregation. However, the need for a bigger Mosque could not be satisfied easily and sooner. More space meant more land had to be acquired. And for the next twenty years (1857–1877), that would be the main concern of the Managing Body of the Mosque. During that period, the properties around the Mosquée-des-Arabes that formed the quadrangle of about three-quarter acre were successively acquired by groups of generous Muslim traders in seven different lots for the total sum of Rs 134,260.00 and donated to the Mosque. All but one of the deeds of purchase it was mentioned that the purchases were made on behalf of the whole Muslim community of Mauritius. So it came to pass that the entire block around the Mosquée-des-Arabes – bounded by Royal, New Little Mountain (now Joseph Rivière), Queen and Little Mountain (now Jummah Mosque) Streets, came under the ownership of the Muslim community. Soon plans for the expansion of the Mosque were drawn and work on the project began.
The expansion project of the Mosque generated interest among Muslims everywhere in the island. “We should see here”, wrote Issac and Raman in their history of the Jummah Mosque, “not only a mere human effort crowned with success but rather the unravelling of a divine design showing that those who have the fulfilment of His will at heart verily not only deserve His blessings but are also helped as promised by Him.”
Aqeedah
The Jummah Masjid is a Sunni (Barelvi) masjid. The faith & practices of the musallis are based entirely on the teachings of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi, the great Mujaddid (reviver) of the 20th century.
Imaam & Khateeb
The Imaam of the Jummah Masjid is Hafiz Qari Muhammad Fakii Ali from Kenya. He has a melodious voice for reciting the Qur'an & Naat Shareef - Praises on Muhammad. He is also the head of Madrassa (Islamic School), where hifz lessons (memorisation of the Qur'an) are given. While he has been a teacher for many years, many Haafiz ul Qur'an have been made. The graduation ceremony is held every year on the 27th night of Ramadaan, where a special program is done on the occasion of Laylatul Qadr.
However, the Khateeb of the Jummah Masjid is Allama Mufti Muhammad Ishaq Qadiri Razvi from Pakistan. He is a scholar guide of the Rizvi order. Since his arrival, the Jummah masjid has been progressing in the propagation of Islam in Mauritius. He is one of the founders of the Jummah Masjid website (www.jummahmasjid.org) & many other projects, for example the SMS Service, Halal Committee, Daarul Iftah. He also gives aalim courses.
The Managing Body
The managing committee is elected on a three-year basis by the members of the Sunni Cutchee Memon Society of Mauritius. After every three years of management, a new committee is voted or renewed.
The actual Mutawalli (President) is Nissar Ahmad Ramtoola, one of the most successful president in the history of the Jummah Mosque.
The Halal Department has been renewed and revived by his effort and the Jummah Masjid has certified many slaughter houses, manufacturers, industries, food outlets, restaurants etc.
The masjids affiliated to the Jummah-Masjid
The institutional role of the Jummah-Masjid make that many Masjids (mosques) throughout the island are affiliated to it. They are under the authority of the Jummah-Masjid.
Hereby is the list of Masjids affiliated to the Jummah-Masjid, along with their co-ordinates:
Sources
See also
References
External links
- "Jummah Masjid". Archived from the original on 3 October 2012.
Coordinates: 20°9′35.5″S 57°30′17.5″E / 20.159861°S 57.504861°E