Historical Makhdoom Shahddaula Jame Masjid of Shahjadpur

The Dhaka Times Desk good morning Friday, 20 May 2016 Christ, 6 Jaishth 1423 Bangabd, 12 Shaban 1437 Hijri. Good morning everyone from The Dhaka Times. Happy birthday to all those whose birthday is today - happy birthday.

The picture you are looking at is the historic Makhdoom Shahddaula Jame Masjid in Shahjadpur. The shrine of Hazrat Makhdoom Shahdaula Shaheed Yameni (RA) is also located here. Orsh Sharif is held here annually.

According to history, Hazrat Makhdoom Shahddaula (RA) came to Shahjadpur with a group of missionaries from Yemen in Arabia in 1292 AD to spread Islam.

Most historians agree that Makhdum Shahddaula (RA) used to bring his retinue long before the arrival of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in Sylhet in the mid-thirteenth century.

Maulvi Abdulwali wrote in the first volume of The Journal Asiatic Society of Bengal Volume 70 (1904) that the governor of Yemen, Mu'az Ibn Jabal, had two sons and daughters. Among them, the eldest son Makhdum Shahddaula (RA) came to Bangladesh with the permission of his father to spread Islam. At this time they anchored in a barge boat at a place called Potazia. At that time, because of the monsoon season, the entire Shahjadpur was submerged in water. It looked like an ocean. Then they took a strong pigeon and released it. A pair of pigeons flew to the target and brought dry soil. However, this pigeon was brought from Jalaluddin Tibriji of Bokhara city in modern Uzbekistan.

Later he followed the pigeon and pitched his tent at Dargahpara on the banks of Karatoya river. They lived here temporarily and were engaged in the work of spreading Islam. In this place of Dargahpara, Makhdum Shahddaula (RA) used to perform Panjegana Namaz with his attendant and Ustad Shamsuddin Tabrezi.

A mosque was gradually built here. That mosque of that time is today's 'Makhdumiya Jame Masjid'.

It is known that the construction of this mosque began during the Muslim Sultanate period of Bengal in 1500-1576 AD. One of the Muslim architectural styles of the time was used in its construction. The 15-domed mosque has a north-south length of 13.19 meters and an east-west width of 12.60 meters. And the diameter of the roof dome is 3.08 meters. Each head of the dome has a brass carved mandit. That is why it fascinates the visitors.

This is known as the first or biggest mosque of Shahjadpur Muslims. Every Friday, hundreds of Muslims from different parts of the country come here to offer prayers. Be impressed by this historic mosque.

Photo: Courtesy of www.sangbadprotidin.com.