Mumbai, Feb 7 (IANS): Symbolising reconciliation and religious harmony, the first brick for the foundation of the proposed grand mosque in Ayodhya arrived here on Wednesday after a consecration pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The brick, baked in a Mumbai kiln, was sent for a ‘gusl’ (wash) with the holy Zam-Zam water in Mecca and in perfumes in Medina before it was brought back here.
This brick is scheduled to reach the new upcoming Masjid Mohammed Bin Abdullah mosque - named in honour of the Prophet Mohammed - at Dhannipur Village in Ayodhya around mid-April, most likely after Ramadan and Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrations.
The brick’s auspicious journey will commence from the home of Haji Arfat Shaikh, Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation member and Chairman of the Masjid Mohammed Bin Abdullah’ Development Committee, who is overseeing the preparations.
“The new masjid and the institution around it would be an important centre of prayer and healing in India… Its construction and renovation, by the grace of Allah will be magnificent, majestic and would prove to be as aesthetically important a monument as the Taj Mahal globally,” remarked Shaikh.
Terming the upcoming mosque as “special”, he said it is the first masjid coming up in India that would be built on the basis of the 5 Tenets of Islam, for which 5 symbolic minarets, that would be visible for over 11 kms, shall be constructed.
“Also, the world’s largest copy of the Holy Quran, that will be 21 feet long, will be placed in this mosque,” said Shaikh.
The brick is crafted from Mumbai’s black soil, adorned with inscriptions from the Holy Quran, and was brought to the city in a solemn ceremony after a sacred pilgrimage undertaken by five Muslims.
On its journey from Mumbai to Ayodhya, there will be grand spectacles and processions, starting from Kurla suburb to Mulund, and then it will go to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, with breaks for prayers and people to pay their respects every 300 kms en route.
A descendant of the Sufi saint Sarkar Peer Adil shall have the honour of carrying the first brick along with representatives of multiple and diverse Islamic sects, symbolising inclusivity and unity within the Indian Muslims.
The new mosque will launch its new website on February 29, along with a QR code for complete transparency and will accept donations for the projects inside the mosque complex.
These would include a cancer hospital, a college, a senior citizens’ home and a vegetarian kitchen flanking the new mosque, which would be four times bigger than the erstwhile Babri Mosque that was razed in December 1992.