Mughal Masjid gets new Maulana to recite sermons

The Masjid-e-Iranian or Mughal Masjid, which has found a mention in the Limca Book of Records for the record set by the late Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar for delivering sermons annually for 58 years, has found a replacement for the orator who passed away recently.

The Masjid-e-Iranian Trust has roped in Maulana Mirza Mohammad Ashfaq, the younger brother of Maulana Athar to deliver sermons during the first 10 days of Moharrum. According to the trust, Maulana Ashfaq was the obvious choice as he is the brother of Maulana Athar as well as a non-controversial figure and also the chairman of the All India Shia Personal Law Board.

Speaking about the vacuum left in the wake of the demise of Maulana Athar, Ali Namazi, one of the trustees of Masjid-e-Iranian said, “The loss of Maualna Athar is irreplaceable and due to his stature and non-controversial nature we had to find someone who would continue in the same vein. As the Moharrum sermon of Mughal Masjid is heard not only by Shias but by mourners of Imam Hussain from other Muslim sects and non-Muslims too we decided to invite Maulana Ashfaq,” said Mr Namazi.

Justifying the decision of inviting Maulana Ashfaq, Mr Namazi said, “He has been delivering sermons in Mughal Masjid since the past 30 years on occasions apart from Moharrum and his sermons are very similar to those of Maulana Athar. He is very learned but at the same time steers clear of controversial issues. Hence in the interest of the mourners, we decided to invite him,” said Namazi adding that it was difficult to convince Maulana Ashfaq to accept but coaxing him to continue the legacy of Maulana Athar got him to consent.

After the demise of Maulana Athar on February 26, there had been a debate as to who would replace him for the Moharrum sermons at Mughal Masjid in the Shia community. Haji Parekh, a close aide of Maulana Athar and resident of Mazgaon said, “No one can replace the scion but Maulana Ashfaq is the obvious choice due to his stature and oratory skills that are very similar to Maulana Athar.”