In a significant move, a women-only mosque is coming up in Jharkhand, in the Jamshedpur district’s Kapali Tajnagar area where the entry of men would be banned. All the authoritative roles like Imam, guards etc will be fulfilled by women only in the mosque. The Masjid whose construction is slated to be finished by December 2023 will be India’s first women-only mosque.
According to the reports, the Masjid will be named after the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Sayyeda Zahra Bibi Fatima. The mosque is being built by social worker Dr. Nuruzzaman Khan. He has been running a high school for poor girls for almost 25 years by forming Al-Imdad Education Welfare and Charitable Society. He says that if Muslim women can perform Haj along with men, there is nothing wrong with women going to the mosque and performing the rituals.
Dr. Nuruzzaman Khan said that women will learn new aspects of life by learning new things together and following religious rituals without any restriction in the mosque. Apart from this, superstitions will also be eliminated, he claimed.
However, several Muslim scholars and other people from the community have already begun voicing their protest against the concept of a women-only mosque. Islamic clerics say that women cannot do Imamat, the act of standing in front of others and offering Namaz. It is believed that Fatwas are being issued against the women-only mosque.
Local Muslim men commented on the issue saying that they have never heard something like a women-only mosque and that women in Islam can never become an Imam.
“In my 60 years of life, I have never seen a special Masjid for women, not even in Mecca and Madina. Muslim women can read Namaz, Hadith but cannot take over the role of an Imam. This initiative is nothing but a stunt to become a hero for Muslim women. But the Masjid will hardly have any religious importance as it is against Muslim law,” one of the locals said while talking to News18.
Another one meanwhile said that the value of women in itself is not justified in Islam. “This is something new we all have come across. The value of Islamic women is not justified in our religion. They cannot become Imam and lead the roles just like that. The Masjid is going to have no importance as per our law,” the man could be heard saying.
Also, one Maulana Narul Hudda said that women in Islam are meant to stay within the four walls of the home. “Women going out in public is looked at as a problem in Islam. So women must stay at home and offer Namaz at home,” he said.
Another Maulana Shamshul Kamar Kaazi stated that it was the worst thing to accept. “This is against the Islamic laws,” he added. Further, several other Muslim scholars also could be seen opposing the idea of women-only Masjid. They said that the objective of this Masjid was to create a new trend which will never be accepted in Islam.
महिलाओं के लिए मस्जिद का निर्माण.. मौलाना परेशान ! #Satta | #JharkhandNews | #Jamshedpur | #WomenMasjid | @RahulSinhaTV pic.twitter.com/y7XhfuvgSB
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According to reports, the mosque is being built for Rs 1 crore on a site spanning over 1 acre. At the mosque, more than 500 women could come together to offer Tarivah (during Ramadan) prayers and deliver group discourses. Additionally, the women would receive guard training so they could protect themselves and the devotees visiting the mosque. The Masjid’s foundation was officially laid in January 2021. In addition, the mosque will contain a playground, computer lab, and electronic library.
