The Ayodhya Mosque is being constructed in

Dhannipur Dhannipur is a village in Faizabad district (officially Ayodhya district) of Uttar Pradesh, India. In February 2020, the government allotted of agricultural land at Dhannipur in Ayodhya municipal corporation to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Wa ...

, Ayodhya,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, at the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

designated site following the verdict related to the

Ayodhya dispute The Ayodhya dispute is a political, historical, and socio-religious debate in India, centred on a plot of land in the city of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The issues revolve around the control of a site traditionally regarded among Hindus to be the ...

case. The construction of the Mosque and associated complex is under the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) trust. The Dhannipur Mosque is almost 22 km away from the

Ram Mandir, Ayodhya Ram Mandir is a Hindu temple that is being built in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, according to the ''Ramayana'' the birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hinduism. The temple construction is being supervised ...

(where the

Babri Masjid Babri Masjid (IAST: Bābarī Masjid; meaning ''Mosque of Babur'') was a mosque in Ayodhya, India, at a site believed by many Hindus to be the birthplace of Hindu deity Rama. It has been a focus of dispute between the Hindu and Muslim communi ...

was built after demolishing the original temple which in turn was demolished on 6 December 1992) even though the Indian Supreme Court judgement mandated the construction of the mosque at a prominent place in Ayodhya town. The construction began on 26 January 2021. The mosque is officially named as Ahmadullah Shah Mosque, as an honour to the leader of Indian Independence war of 1857, Maulavi Ahmadullah Shah.

Location

Dhannipur is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

located in Sohawal tehsil in

Faizabad district Faizabad district, officially Ayodhya district, is one of the 75 districts of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city of Ayodhya, which is believed to be the birth place of Hindu deity Rama, is the administrative headquarters of the district. ...

, officially Ayodhya district. The designated plot for the mosque is located at a distance of about 25 kilometers from the

site.

Construction

The project was formally launched by the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board by hoisting the national flag and planting saplings on Republic Day of 2021. The Mosque complex includes a hospital, museum, library, a community kitchen which can feed a maximum of 2000 people per day, an Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre and Publication House in addition to the mosque. Around 40 per cent of the donations received by the Trust are given by Hindus, while Muslims have contributed 30 per cent. The other 30 per cent of the total donations are corporate donations. Foundation secretary Athar Hussain confirmed that the Trust has to date received Rs 40 lakhs of donations and 40 per cent of it has been contributed by the Hindu community.

Controversy

The

All India Muslim Personal Law Board The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is a non-government organisation constituted in 1973 by that time Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi to adopt suitable strategies for the protection and continued applicability of Muslim Personal ...

has stated that the construction of the mosque is against the Waqf Act and is illegal under Shariyat law. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also claimed that donating money for construction and praying at the mosque is haraam(forbidden) according to Islamic principles to which the Mosque Trust replied that "serving humanity is not haraam".

Ownership dispute

Two sisters from Delhi filed a petition in Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court claiming ownership of the land allotted for the mosque along with surrounding 28 acres of land which they said was given to their father at the time of partition.

References

{{reflist Mosques in Uttar Pradesh