Worldly comforts make it easy for the devout

Mosques across the city are witnessing a sea of transformation. Once termed just clean spaces for reciting prayers, worldly comforts including air conditioners are being provided.

Several mosques, especially those constructed after the turn of the century, are multi-storey facilities equipped with air conditioners, modern toilets, “Ghusal facilities” (body purification before burial). They also double up as Islamic learning centres.

Most mosques constructed in recent years are doubleor three-storey complexes with facilities for parking. “ACs are being installed by the faithful. Many mosques are equipped with ACs for the benefit of namazis. Mosque committees which have high revenue allow them to be installed for they have to pay the monthly power bills,” said khateeb Ilyas Shamshi of the Hari Masjid at Badi Chowdi, Koti.

There are about 1,500 mosques in the city and about half of them have two storeys or more. A few mosques taking into account the rise of apartment culture are constructing

Several mosques are multi-storeyed and equipped with air conditioners, modern toilets and ghusal (body purification before burial) facilities

People are donating for decorations and calligraphy

Ghusal Khana-eMayyat for washing and shrouding the dead. “With people staying in flats, there is no space to give ghusal, so the mosque managements have come out with the idea,” said Mr Mohd Muneerudddin, member of a masjid committee at Nampally.

Many mosques have added extra floor especially in the commercial hubs like Abids, Rastrapathi Road, Secunderabad, Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Begumpet and other areas. “The mosques brim with namazis during Ramzan and regular Fridays,” said religious scholar Mohd Mushtaq Malik.

The newer mosques are being constructed on the West Asia model.

“Earlier, the city had Qutb Shahi mosques. The new mosques bear some semblance to the eminent mosques in West Asia,” said architect Mohd Obaidullah.

People are donating for decorations including calligraphy on walls and providing chandeliers. Funds are channelled from the community.

“There is a belief that one who pools money for construction of a mosque will be rewarded in the world after. So people especially NRIs contribute a lot of money for construction of mosques in their neighbourhood,” said Mr Mohammed Akram, who raises funds for mosque construction.