The mosque honours Muslim volunteers who sacrificed their lives during the recent floods, bridging communities across faiths
NEW DELHI – In a remarkable demonstration of religious tolerance and communal harmony, villagers in Raizada, a small settlement in Amritsar’s Ajnala tehsil, have handed over a long-abandoned mosque to the local Muslim community. The mosque, deserted since the 1947 Partition, was restored in the presence of Punjab’s Shahi Imam Maulana Muhammad Usman Ludhianvi.
Under the leadership of village sarpanch Sardar Omkar Singh, the initiative brought together members of different faiths—Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, Dalits, and Muslims—standing side by side during the first Friday prayer in over seven decades. The mosque, located near the Ravi River, had become a ruin with overgrown grass and crumbling walls. “This mosque is not just for Muslims; it is our shared heritage. In Punjab, we are connected not by faith alone but by heart,” said a local resident.
The restoration also pays tribute to two Muslim volunteers, Shamshad Bhagwanpuri from Uttarakhand and Zakriya Mewati from Rajasthan, who lost their lives while distributing aid during the devastating 2025 floods. “They did not just carry supplies; they carried a message of love and brotherhood. Punjab will never forget their sacrifice,” said Maulana Usman Ludhianvi.
In honour of their memory, the mosque will now be named ‘Masjid Shamshad Bhagwanpuri’, with its foundation laid this month. A second mosque, ‘Masjid Zakriya Mewati’, will be built in Fagan Majra village, Patiala district, with the families of both martyrs invited to participate in the ceremonies.
This event reflects the wider spirit of humanitarianism seen across Punjab during the recent floods. Volunteers from Mewat, Haryana, traditionally allies of Punjab’s farmers, sent over 300 trucks of relief supplies to affected areas in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir. Organisations such as Khalsa Aid have been active since August, providing water and medical aid in flood-hit areas like Gurdaspur and Ferozepur.
The restoration ceremony coincided with evening prayers, where the call to prayer from the mosque echoed shortly after Gurbani was recited at the local gurdwara, symbolising Punjab’s harmonious heartbeat. Villagers distributed sweets to celebrate the occasion, while the Shahi Imam prayed for the spread of love and brotherhood throughout India.
According to media reports, over 30 mosques in Punjab have been restored through collaborative efforts, with Sikh communities often leading in financial aid, labour, and land provision. Shahbaz Ahmed Zahoor, head of the Punjab Mosque Authority, said, “Around 200 such initiatives across the state show that Sikh families have provided land for mosques and cemeteries, reinforcing Punjab’s unity.”
Examples include:
• In 2018, Sikhs in Moum village, Barnala district, funded a mosque that shares a wall with their gurdwara, while Brahmins provided the land.
• In Bhaktgarh, Barnala district, in 2022, farmer Amandeep Singh donated 250 square yards for Noorani Mosque, with other Sikhs and Hindus covering most construction costs, benefiting 15 Muslim families.
• In Malerkotla district, January 2022, former sarpanch Sukhjinder Singh Noni and his brother Ovinder Singh donated valuable roadside land for a mosque, with other community members contributing funds.
• In Ludhiana’s Malla village (2016) and Sangrur’s Nathuval village (2015), non-Muslims repaired mosques and provided over 65% of construction costs for extensions.
Through these efforts, villages across Punjab have transformed long-forgotten mosques into symbols of faith, memory, and shared identity. Maulana Usman Ludhianvi said, “This is Punjab’s true strength: Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims have stood together for centuries. India’s greatest beauty lies in its unity within diversity.”
