Banani Central Jame Masjid inaugurated

The long-awaited new building of Banani Central Jame Masjid was inaugurated on Friday, March 3.

Freedom Fighter Dr H B M Iqbal, chairman of The Premier Bank Limited and ex-member of Parliament, took the initiative in 2019 as chief khadem along with a board of 31 khadems of Banani Central Jame Masjid, according to a press release.

The inauguration was carried out through unveiling of the foundation plaque. Mr Mahbubul Alam Hanif, MP, joint general secretary of Bangladesh Awami League; Mr B H Haroon, MP, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Religious Affairs; Atiqul Islam, mayor, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC); Essa Bin Yousef Essa Al Duhailan, Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh; Abdullah Ali Al Hamoudi, UAE ambassador to Bangladesh; Nazrul Islam Mazumder, chairman of Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB); Md. Jashim Uddin, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI); Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed, chairman of Standard Bank Limited; Lieutenant general and the former director general of Directorate General of Forces Molla Fazle Akbar, Banani Society president Shawkat Ali Bhuyian (Dilan), Al Hajj Mawlana Hazrat Syed Jakir Shah Nokshbondi Mojadedi Kutubbagi, spiritual leader, local eminents and many others attended the ceremony.

Chief Khadem Freedom Fighter Dr H B M Iqbal gave a concise but enlightening speech after Salat al-Jumu'ah. He expressed his gratitude to the Almighty Allah for helping him overcome the many challenges he faced while constructing the Masjid and enabling him to stand for the first Salat al-Jumu'ah of the new Banani Central Jame Masjid. He spoke about the long-term effort that went behind the project from his side and from others which made everything possible.

Mr Maulana Abul Kalam Azad led the first Namaz in the new Banani Central Jame Masjid prayer hall. At the end of Namaz, a short prayer session was held wishing for the peace, prosperity and well-being of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, President Mohammad Abdul Hamid, fellow countrymen, students and Muslims across the world.

A congregation of almost 5,000 Muslims had gathered even before the Namaz and speech session to join the first Salat al-Jumu'ah held at the new Banani Central Jame Masjid prayer halls. Afterwards, many Muslims came forward to converse with Chief Khadem Freedom Fighter Dr H B M Iqbal to thank him and then prayed for him for his initiative to build such a beautiful and capacious Masjid.

The newly constructed eight-storey building (including mezzanine floors) is completely air-conditioned, contains separate Wadu and Namaz halls for men and women, a separate prayer hall for the elderly, an Islamic library on the top floor and 2 extensive basements.