On the 72nd Independence Day, hundreds of people trooped into the Jama Masjid at Begumpet called Spanish Mosque to have a look inside the mosque and also to understand the routine of Muslim prayer called namaz. Planned as a Muslim outreach programme, Visit My Mosque, word of mouth publicity and social media was enough to draw a huge mass of people from all sections of the society who began reaching the venue by 10 a.m.
Descendants of Paigah nobleman Vicar ul Umra, who built the masjid, as well as a large number of volunteers welcomed the visitors and showed them around. After sticking a small replica of Tricolour on the visitors, daubing their wrists with ittar (perfume) and gifting them a cut rose, visitors were led to the wazoo a place for ritual ablution before being ushered into the masjid.
Incidentally, the mosque has a running water arrangement instead of the traditional ablution tank at the entrance. Among the visitors were Vighnata and Atufa who left feeling a little underwhelmed.
“We came expecting it to be a very big mosque with a lot of history. It is beautiful but a small masjid. And we liked the ambiance and the explanation about the routine of prayers,” they said.
For people who glanced at the unique mosque as they zipped on the Metro or passed it by on vehicles, this was the opportunity to know how it is inside. “I pass by this masjid everyday and always saw it from outside. This is the first time I entered a masjid. Those are some really noble thoughts hope all the people follow them,” said Debika who teaches at the Shri Shakti College of Hotel Management.
A number of volunteers and demonstrators were at hand for both men and women to show people around and also to explain the procedure of prayer.
A side room with posters having extracts from the Koran showed the faith in its true light. The visit ended with refreshments being served to the guests.
Among the hosts who welcomed the visitors was Faiz Khan. “During last Ramzan, I saw a young couple at the entrance during the taraweeh (night) prayers. They were pleasantly surprised when I showed them around the mosque and that is one of the reasons we are having this programme here,” said Mr. Khan.
At the end of the day, the Visit My Mosque programme drew in over 2500 people of all faiths to the masjid.