A synagogue, Jack the Ripper and a Masjid

 

When I first heard someone say Christian St Mosque, I was a little surprised. Surely in a road called Christian Street, you'd expect a Church. How can a Mosque be named after Christianity? Then I came to know it is called East London Markazi Masjid on 9-11 Christian Street, E1 but people refer to it with the road name. (Some Islamaphobes have an issue with the door number!)

The Masjid is based on the corner of Christian Street and Pinchin Street, an area with a lot of history. In 1889 the torso of a female was discovered in the arches of Pinchin Street (closer to Back Church Lane). Many had said that the serial killer Jack the Ripper was behind the murder, although others say it wasn't him. https://www.jack-the-ripper.org/pinchin-street-torso.htm read also https://www.casebook.org/victims/pinchin.html

In the same year, where the Masjid stands today, it was home to the Commercial Road Talmud Torah Synagogue or also known as the Christian Street Talmud Torah. This organisation is now based in Stamford Hill. The area had a lot of connections with Jews, with many roads consisting of Synagogues such as Cannon Street Road, Berners St (now known as Henriques St), Alie St and plenty more. There was also another Synagogue on 6-7 Christian St which was known as Matilda St too.

I remember seeing Hebrew inscriptions on the walls of the Masjid main hall. These were left untouched until major refurbishment work had to be done and the writings were plastered over.

A local man from Malta, named Lee (who passed away, some say as a Muslim Alhamdulillah) had once told me that he remembers the Markaz building before it became a Masjid. He said as well as being a Synagogue, there used to be a doctor’s surgery in the building too. Lee used to always reprimand me for being late to the Masjid and would even say 'hurry up boy!'

I have asked Brother Shafi Ahmed, a khadhim of the Masjid and a former councillor of the constituency the Masjid is in, about the Masjid. Alhamdulillah he told me a lot which I try to paraphrase below:

The Markazi Masjid, also known as Old Markaz or simply Markaz, was established in 1980. Local people say that the organisation behind the Masjid, the Tablighi Jamat (TJ) needed a premise for a Masjid and Da'wah efforts. A local man bought the building with a condition that his name isn't mentioned until he dies. He bought the building for £60,000, which was first built in 1856. He was a successful restaurateur, that even at that time, he run a halal restaurant in Soho which did not serve alcohol. His name: Haji Amtor Ali (Rahimahullah). His sons are huffaz and ulama, serving the community. What a Sadaqah Jaariyah!

Alhamdulillah the Masjid has run religious services since it opened its doors. Five daily prayers, Tarawih, Eid Salah, Children's classes and so on. The Masjid has produced many huffaz and many students have gone onto notable madrasahs in Bury, Dewsbury, Blackburn and others, to become 'Ulama and Huffaz.

The main Imam is Maulana Ashraful Islam who studied in Pakistan and Bangladesh and is a local homegrown product of the Masjid, who studied under Qari Siddique Ali sab and Maulana Abdul Majid (Rahimahallah).

Many notable individuals served the Masjid and are no longer with us. I mention a few below whom I was fortunate to interact with:

Maulana Rafiqul Haque (Rahimahullah):

Had been Imam since 1994 till his demise in 2021, used to travel from Edmonton ever to lead Salah in the Masjid. He is the 6th Khalifa to Hazrat Moulana Yousuf Motala (Rahimahullah) and a product of Darul Uloom Bury. Sadly Imam sab passed away in 2021 due to Coronavirus. A page is dedicated to him here.

Qari Siddique Ali sab (Rahimahullah):

Qari sab, as he was known affectionally, was a sincere figure of the Masjid and its community. He would pay the bills of the Masjid himself, without allowing anyone else to do it. He looked after the needs of the Masjid in many ways. He would stay in the Masjid at times and prayed in Jamat very regularly. He was such a kind man who was loved and loved anyone who met him.

Many people have fond memories of him (inshaAllah I’ll try to write a post dedicated to him with the testimonials of others).

Suroth Miah (Rahimahullah):

A great servant of the Masjid, he was known as Suroth Sasa or Suroth Nana to some. He was the Masjid Muazzin and loved by everyone. He had a small room in the Masjid where he slept too. He done a lot of service to the Masjid until his demise.

Maulana Abdul Majid sab (Rahimahullah):

He was a highly intelligent person with a lot of knowledge. He is the author of the famous Ahsan Qaidah (the one with the yellow cover), that hundreds of people, including myself, had learnt to read the Qur'an from. He was someone who had so much care for the local environment and helped to set up zebra crossings and other safety elements in the local roads. I once visited him in hospital, and he asked about Markaz and its congregants. The man had so many concerns for the community.

One key individual that requires a mention is Maulana Abdul Aziz (Hafizahullah):

A notable figure, a highly respected individual known for his demeanour, strict looking and loving and caring! He has also been an Imam for a long time but had given the responsibility to younger Ulama in the Masjid.

There are others who my own narrow mind and incapability of not recognising them has prevented me to mention their names.

May Allah reward them all and enlighten their graves, Aameen

One of the notable visitors to the Masjid was Shaykhul Hadith Hazrat Zakaria Khandhalwi (Rahimahullah), the author of Fazail E A'mal and Awjaz Al Masalik. He came and stayed in the Masjid in the early 80s.

Others include former amir Maulana Inamul Hasan sab, Maulana Sayeed Ahmed Khan sab, Shaykhul Hadith Tafazzul Haque Hobigoinji sab, Maulana Jubair Ahmad Ansari, and others (May Allah reward them all, forgive them and enlighten their graves, Aameen.)

There was also a visit by Shaykh Maulana Sa'ad Khandhalwi (Hafizahullah), the present amir of Tablighi Jamat worldwide, Pakistan university lecturer Mufti Kamaluddin Ahmed, former international footballer Shaykh Muhammad Jihani (who does regular lectures at the Masjid) and others. 

New extension and refurbishment:

The Masjid has served the community for over 4 decades. In that time, they haven't done any public fundraisers nor have done the traditional bucket collections, even on Jumuah days. Around 10 years ago they appealed to the community for some refurbishment work and now in 2020 they ask again.

Alhamdulillah the Masjid can maintain its upkeep from the generous donations of individuals in the community. After this fundraising appeal, the Masjid wants to revert to its choice of not collecting or asking for donations, rather accept from individuals at their discretion. 

 As the building was a synagogue, it was essential and the dream of Qari sab, to have a structure on the roof, to give the Masjid the identity of a Masjid to anyone who sees it, be they Muslims or non-Muslims. 

Due to leakage on the roof, after approaching the local council under the leadership of a former mayor of Tower Hamlets, it was suggested to build a mansard roof, with strong pipework to prevent rain and leaks. This brings up the opportunity to build classrooms and a space for women, in particular mothers to come and witness their children's madrasah events etc. 

The Masjid also needs to refurbish and relocate the washroom facilities to a more suitable location in the building. 

They seek your support and hope to complete the building works very soon. Although we are in the middle of a pandemic, it was essential to start the works due to the possibility of losing the planning permission.