Mumbai: The Naya Nagar area of Mira Road had recently grabbed the headlines for the wrong reasons. However, the Jama Masjid Al Shams has once again come forward to set an example of brotherhood and peaceful co-existence in the twin-city.
On the occasion of the ongoing holy month of Ramadan, managing trustee of the mosque and former legislator-Muzaffar Hussain extended invitations to people from various faiths and religions to visit the mosque.
Responding positively to the invitation, scores of people irrespective of their caste and religion visited the mosque as a gesture of goodwill on Sunday. The guest list included-Gujarati’s, Jains, Marwari, Christians, Maharashtrians and even office bearers of local Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav and Navratri Utsav mandal’s.
The revered clerics personally welcomed and felicitated the guests by offering them the customary shawls before accompanying them on a tour of the mosque while explaining about the practises and rituals which are observed during the holy month like roza (fasting), salat (prayers five times a day) and iftar (breaking of the fast).
To emphasize the fact that all are children of One God, the clerics stated that fasting in Ramzan is for Muslims, Navratri is for Hindus, Lent for Christians and other holy days for people across all religions-all aimed for common reasons- spiritual purification and self-discipline. “Humanity is the biggest religion.
Our sole intention behind this initiative of bringing members of all religions on one platform was to break the communal barriers through an interactive session in a healthy environment which will promote brotherhood and spread the message of communal harmony.” said Hussain.
Notably, the Jama Masjid Al Shams was the first religious institution in the state which set an example by reducing the sound decibels to permissible levels during azaan.
The mosque has voluntarily adhered to the Supreme Court guidelines related to permissible sound levels in accordance with the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules by installing special sound systems with in-built software which is designed and programmed to ensure that the sound does not exceed the permissible decibel limit in and out of the mosque premises.
