The history of how Jamia Heddaria came to be established and its acquisition, its transformation and influence on the community and how it changed the views of non  Muslims, local council legislations and an improvement in local young peoples behaviour and conduct, are really just a few of the interesting qualities to date.

Prior to the acquisition of Jamia Heddaria, it was the practice of  Bazmay Churahi (organisation of the khadims of Chura Shareef) to regularly hold its monthly Khatam Khwajgaan in various towns and cities throughout the UK, each particular town with its own local Pir Bhais would hold a small gathering each month to practice Khatam Khwajgaan mehfil, however when we commemorated the annual Bawa Jee Syed Noor Muhammad RA’s Urs Mubarak mehfil, every Pir Bhai converged from all corners of the UK to one venue and we celebrated this auspicious day together as one brotherhood.

This was the normal practice each year and we chose different venue sites in various towns and cities, however difficulties arose when we indirectly received criticism (usually in the form of gossip) not from the public at large or any communities but from just some of the various Masjid / venue committee members.

Although we always made more than generous payments for the hire of venue sites, nevertheless the criticism from various venues committee members revolved around blatant jealousy, envy etc, this was due to the fact that our brotherhood was prominently considerable in numbers and we are well known for our discipline in our manners, etiquette, smart dress, humble appearance and devout allegiance to our Sheikh and Murshid Baba Jee Pir Syed Muhammad Shabeer Ali Shah (also known as Hazrat Baba Jee Sarkar) throughout the UK, and the criticism from certain people was always unjustified, they felt that they were left out and did not receive the maximum stage or public exposure as they would have liked to, and basically they felt that the main spotlight should be on them and that they should be the main attraction and a major part of the Urs mehfil itself !!!

This petty criticism itself was the turning point for us, because it was at this point in 1992 a meeting was held of all our senior frontline members and in the discussion it was finally decided by our Murshid, Hazrat Baba Jee Sarkar that enough was enough and the time had come to eventually acquire our own premises.

To meet our requirement the building premises had to be considerably large and situated within a Muslim community.

Hazrat Baba Jee Sarkar was informed that there was such a property for sale in Rochdale which would be ideal for our need.

Negotiations to purchase this building were immediately set in motion.

The building for sale was in almost a derelict state, it was formerly a Methodist Church which had to close down because of the lack of support and attendance within the Christian community / worshippers.

The building is constructed of Accrington brick and masonry sandstone architecture with large sized gothic style stone architrave stain glass leaded windows set within a wrought Iron steel framework.  The roof also incorporated two large dormer windows.

The internal Roof and ceiling support structure consisted of large heavy Oak beams, these have arching apex intertwined with decorative Oak struts.  The lower half of the building hall is completely mahogany panelled up to window sill height, as expected all doors and wooden architrave is of top quality mahogany.  At one end of the hall are the two entrance points and the main focal point is the largest gothic style leaded stained glass window which spans across and is situated above both entry points together, at the other end of the hall is a large stage area which used to house an extremely large musical church organ with all its pipes and bellows and a mahogany pulpit from where the church sermon and service was delivered to the congregation by the priest etc.

The main external feature is the church tower and its large steeple which is visible for miles around Rochdale.

Adjoining the above main church building is also an extensively large single storey Sunday school house building which incorporates a large hall with attached various sized single rooms at one end of the building and also a two storey building complex at the other end (which was later converted into a three storey building to accommodate separate levels of learning classrooms and living accommodations when needed).

Whilst the purchase negotiations were being finalised for the building, a meeting was held by Baba Ji Sarkar with senior members and Khulafa (deputies) of the UK Bazmay Churahi brotherhood, and at this meeting it was decided that it would not be appropriate to obtain this building on a mortgage, as this would involve dealing in interest, which is not permissible in Islam.

In view of this ruling it was decided, to purchase this building with a cash payment only.

We then approached our entire Bazmay Churahi brotherhood (Pir Bhais) and disclosed our Murshids intentions and guidance for us to unite and agree on our plan of action, that if this building is to be bought then it should be purchased collectively in a joint venture.

As the time factor was critical and the correct amount was essential, a further meeting was called and certain requirements were established under the guidance of our Sheikh and Murshid Hazrat Baba Jee Sarkar .

It was recommended that for us to proceed with the purchase of this building with a cash payment, it will be necessary for each Pir Bhai to contribute a certain amount each, however this will be deemed as a Loan (qarz-e-hasna) only, and will be returned to each and everyone participating Pir Bhai within a two year period or at the earliest, that is circumstances permitting.

There were also conditions attached, that only our Bazmay Churahi brotherhood could contribute towards the purchase price and under no account are we allowed to request any form of funding or monies from any external bodies, organisations or public at large etc.

The second condition was that only those Pir Bhais could participate in this project qarz-e-hasna) contribution who could comfortably afford to make the loan without any form of financial hardship, this was to excuse those members who were unemployed or on some form of benefits or had other form of financial commitments and burdens etc.

However nothing is always easy, as the time came near purchase completion we encountered great difficulties as we were somewhat short on the money, as we were not able to meet the set the amount as originally estimated, however certain brothers stepped forward at the most difficult and crucial time and were able to contribute the final amount and with the help of Allah we were able to fulfil our dream, as we were successful in purchasing the building in one cash payment… no mortgage!!!

In September 1992 we were handed the keys to the premises and immediately building refurbishment was now underway, extensive masonry, joinery, electrical, plumbing, drainage systems all the internal and external painting and decorating was underway , the most remarkable thing is that all work is being carried out by our own brotherhood (Pir Bhais) and of course all the local young children in the community were involved , this also gave us the chance to develop an understanding and create a sense of responsibility within the children, teenagers in particular.

The last part of the initial building work stage was one of the most important and interesting , this was to erect scaffolding to the full length of the tower all the way to the top of the church steeple and then to manually dismantle and remove the church cross

… in broad daylight… and in full view of the local Christian residents… and …. wait for it……. do all this and without offending them at the same time !!!

…… somehow ?……. I just cannot recall anyone volunteering for the above task !

Alas there was someone , the 5ft high wrought iron cross was dissembled and taken down in full view and an eagerly gathered crowd of local Christian residents were waiting in a somewhat angry mood, the crowd was approached “cross in hand” and it was made quite clear to the crowd that according to our teaching in Islam we are not allowed to display such artefacts on Muslim premises which are regarded as shirk, but having said that, also according to Islam we are not allowed to disrespect other religions and in particular the People of the Book and we assure you that under no circumstances would we do that, or allow anyone else to disrespect the cross and it was our intentions to clean the cross and then to formerly present it to the Methodist church authority as a token of respect to the former priest and their congregation.  As can be imagined the Christian crowd was totally overwhelmed, and each and every bystander was humbled and paid gratitude to us and commented as to how pleased they were with us and not only gave us there blessings but also some of the locals in the immediate vicinity actually gave us help during the initial building work …… Jamia Heddaria leading the way !!!!!

The steeple and tower (minaar) was then extensively refurbished chemically cleaned and then under the guidance of our Murshid, the minaar was painted green and white in the same sequence as to resemble the minaar next to the Green Dome of Masjid Nabvi in Madina Munawarrah.

When all this was done the minaar was adorned with a qalas made of stainless steel with a crescent moon at the pinnacle (top) and special lighting fixture were installed to enhance its beauty especially at night times.

The initial stage of building work was completed in approximately 9 weeks, a deadline was set so as to hold our first mehfil of Khatam Khwajgaan by a suggested date, it was also about this time that we officially named the building premises Jamia Heddaria after the fourth Caliph of Islam Mola Ali (RA) and renowned spiritual leader Baba Ji Pir Syed Haidder Ali Shah (RA)

Jamia Heddaria

Fazal-ul-Uloom

Bazmay Churahi

Our initial mission at this time was to use the building Jamia Heddaria for a number of reasons, first and the foremost to provide free of charge (Feesbee Lillah) Qur’anic teaching to children and adults of all ages.

We were able to achieve this for over three years, the children were taught the Qur’an without any charge, after this time we suffered great hardship due to bad whether when our building suffered extreme damage due to storm and rain.  It was at this stage that we decided to impose a nominal fee for teaching, and then at a later stage due to high overheads and rising costs and constant demand from the local community Jamia Heddaria was made into a Masjid.

Secondly to hold monthly Khatam Khwajgaan, Mehfil-e-Naat, Mehfil-e-Zikr, Annual Urs Mubarak, Milad-un-Nabi and many other recognised Sufi practices in relation to the four Madhabs.

The last and the most interesting part of our initial mission was so unique that it was incomprehensible to most people, our aim was to provide a sanctuary to Muslims who needed to get away from the daily hustle bustle of the Dunya so as to worship Allah in solitude, hold muraqba, meditate, practice undisturbed Zikr and perform I’badat almost equivalent to E’tikaaf during Ramdaan.  

To ensure that this was possible, we provided rooms for accommodation with sleeping arrangements, washing and bathing facilities, we equipped the kitchen with every relevant cooking utensils and also filled all the cupboards with foodstuff and necessities from teabags to chapatti flour, from coriander to cornflakes.

The only conditions we imposed were that person or persons using this facility did their own cooking, and then cleaned up after themselves, not to disturb fellow worshippers and neighbours in the community, the only other entry requirement was that they were genuinely serious about worship and were spiritually distressed and were seeking peace and solitude through zikr and not mentally ill and depressed needing a doctor etc.

Jamia Heddaria like any other large building or establishment underwent all forms of tests and hardship, however with the help of Allah and clear guidance from our Murshid, Hazrat Baba Jee Sarkar we have, and are moving forward in leaps and bounds.  There has been extensive work carried out to Jamia Heddaria, complete roof refurbishment, building improvements, funeral facilities are now in place, these are just few of the things that we have overcome, all loans “qarz-e-hasna” have been repaid or some members (pir bhais) have refused to accept return of the loan and have considered the loan as a donation for the sake and pleasure of Allah.

Jamia Heddaria became a Masjid (mosque) in 1996, although the normal day to day practice of a Masjid was being carried out, however there was something missing, it was a repressive and stifling feeling, a feeling alienating us from our self, an important aspect of our day to day religious practice which we take for granted in our own Muslim countries of origin was blatantly being withheld from us, we were prevented from voicing our call to prayers….. the Azaan.

The first Masjid established in Rochdale was in the mid 1960’s, and since that time our towns Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council had refused every application from every Masjid in Rochdale and surrounding boroughs to recite the Azaan outside a Masjid to call worshippers to Salah (prayer).

In view of this information we decided to place a single speaker just outside the main entrance (outside the front door of the Masjid) just for the Friday prayers, and to broadcast the second Azaan (just before the Khutba) through the speakers, and at a volume set high enough which would be heard by the local worshippers but low enough not to cause nuisance to non-Muslims.

We established this routine every Friday prayer only, and the Azaan was recited once just before the Khutba (sermon) only.

We maintained this practice every Friday for over 5 Months, and regularly asked the local white community or non-Muslims if they were disturbed or offended in any way by the Azaan recited during the Friday prayers.  Their response was astounding, as each person we approached gave the same answer, which was that they knew that we were broadcasting the Azaan on the speaker, but the volume was set so low that they could not make out what we were trying to recite!!!  We then informed them that the reason we have set the volume so low is because we did not want to disturb or cause them any inconveniences, offence etc, the response to this was even more astounding…….. they all suggested that we should turn the volume higher if we wanted to!!!! 

The volume was turned higher slightly and we again kept in touch with the local (white) non-Muslim community and we had the same positive response as before and most of them could not tell that we had increased the speaker volume!!!

In view of this information and research we approached the Health and Environment Department of Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and held a meeting with their senior management and made a verbal request to recite the Azaan outside our Masjid.

The response from the management was clear cut, that every application they have received since 1962 has been refused and if we went ahead with our application then that will be refused as well.

This was a very negative response and we enquired as to why was there such an opposition to a relatively simple request, and what were the main issues which would render the application a failure.

The management informed us that the main objection would be that local people would be offended and this would also be deemed a nuisance as people would be disturbed by any form of amplified sounds resonating from speakers.

We again asked the management that apart from the objections that they have outlined is there any other issues to their knowledge which would disallow the use of speaker system to broadcast the Azaan.  Their response was, that there were no other issues.

We then informed the Health and Environment management, that for the last 5 months we have already been reciting the Azaan every week and that we have not had a single complaint or objection of any type concerning the broadcasting of the Azaan through the Masjid speaker system and that we would also like to know if the Health and Environment Department had received any complaints in regards to this matter by any residents, local or otherwise.

The Health and Environment management was astonished and verified that they had not received a single complaint in the last 6 months, and they were surprised that we had maintained this practice for so long without any form of opposition.

The management conferred amongst themselves for some time and then finally requested for us to give them a little more information about the Azaan, why do we want to recite it and what is its significance and how loud does it have be, is there equipment like drums or musical instrument involved and the most crucial, what are the times, routines and repetition of the Azaan.

We informed the management that the best way to describe this would be to give you an analogy that the management is familiar with for example, in Pakistan and most countries around the world the Christian churches ring their bells every Sunday morning to call worshippers for prayer, it is irrelevant how many times they ring the bells or the number of services they hold, thereby as we being religious as well, we also acknowledge that it is the normal practice of the Christian church to call their people to congregational worship by ringing church bells, similarly it is the normal daily routine of a Masjid… to recite the Azaan and call our people to worship for prayers.

The management was informed that the Azaan is broadcasted outside every Masjid for the local community and is a call to prayer for worshippers to come to the Masjid for congregational worship.  The Azaan is recited 5 times a day, and 7 days a week.

It is an essential practice in the Islamic religion to recite the Azaan at every Masjid.

The management responded by acknowledging the fact that up to now they were totally ignorant to most of the practices in the Islamic religion and that the comparison that I have given to them as an example of churches ringing their bells was enough for them to collectively agree that the Azaan is in fact an essential and normal practice in a Masjid, thereby they do not have any objection for Jamia Heddaria to continue with this practice, however the prime cause of concern will be in three parts:

• Local objections
• The times factor
• The level of sound

We then pointed out to the management that in Islam we are also told to abide by the local rule of law in foreign countries and that we are aware that it would cause disturbance to non-Muslims or local people if we were to recite the Azaan before dawn or very late at night so it would be appropriate to suggest, that the Azaan would only be recited by us during the hours of 7am to 7pm and the speaker volume level is to be set by council officials and perhaps that the council gave us a qualifying probation period to satisfy the council that no objections were lodged against this practice .    

Application subject to approval!

The council officials came and checked the volume level and actually suggested that we were well within the limits and should turn the volume up a few notches, which we did and the council then permanently set the volume at the appropriate level (which was still below their recommended requirements).

The council also recommended that the Azaan is only to be recited between the hours of 7.30 am to 7.30 pm and a probation period of 1 calendar month will be allocated to see if there were any local objections.

Jamia Heddaria was equipped and fitted with a new PA sound system, special speakers were fitted to the tower (Minar) and at least three Azaans were recited daily (more during the summer period , depending on lighting and time of day).

After three months had passed we approached the council and to ask for their ruling, which they confirmed as positive and notified us that in fact there was not one objection and in view of this they (the council) have no objection for us to recite the Azaan.

Jamia Heddaria was the first Masjid in Rochdale and surrounding Boroughs to recite the Azaan outside the Masjid to call people to worship.      Alhamdulillah

After only a few months every Masjid was making an application to the same effect and each applicant was told to visit Jamia Heddaria prior to submitting any application for guidance to specifications on conditions and ruling in regards to council requirements on the Azaan issue………. Jamia Heddaria leading the way!

In 1998 we were approached by the local Falinge Park Comprehensive High School staff, who requested if we would ever allow a school class to visit Jamia Heddaria as part of their religious education (R.E.), we told them that we don’t see any problem with that and in fact we would welcome a class to visit Jamia Heddaria, the school staff teacher then pointed out to us that they were very apprehensive, as all previous requests for a class visit to various Masjids were always refused by all the Masjids and their committee members or the Imams, and because of this the schools have naturally accepted as a norm that all Masjids are elite and exclusively for Muslims to enter only!!!

We pointed out to the school staff that this was not the case and that there will definitely have been a misunderstanding, and in our opinion it will most probably have been due to the fact that our older generation or the committee members and in particularly the Imam would have been very limited at communication in spoken English and understandably would have declined to assist you any further in this matter, however we are ready to assist you and would welcome your visit to our Masjid, Jamia Heddaria.

The school teacher then requested to look around Jamia Heddaria from the inside where he made some written entries on his notepad and then, requested us to compile a small list of religious artefacts, and give a brief description on the daily activities of the Masjid, and what Islam was about, the building history, structure etc.

We then enquired out of pure curiosity as to what the school teachers position was and in what capacity he was teaching, the teacher replied that he taught religion, however even though he taught religion, he in fact did not believe in god. 

A teacher who teaches religion , but does not believe in god !

I was totally baffled, and yet the teacher was intelligent, decent, honest and the most understanding person you will ever meet, I enquired again why he had rejected faith or religion, and he commented that he has only ever been exposed to Christianity and that he found it to be hypocritical and exclusive to the Vatican and unaccountable only to themselves, he also had a similar opinion of Judaism where the Jews regard themselves as elite and untouchable, who revolve around materialism and exploitation of the weak.

This teacher then stated that he had to be totally honest, and say that he knew very little about Islam or exactly what we believe in, and the very little he did know was which he has picked up from the media.

We confirmed to the school teacher that we will compile a list as he has requested and we will make the necessary preparation prior to the visiting class, the teacher informed us that they had similar visits to make to various churches, temples and a synagogue and after that they will visit Jamia Heddaria in approximately 4 to 5 weeks.

This gave us plenty of time to prepare any material, however the comments the teacher had made about not believing in god left an uneasy feeling of disappointment and pity for the teacher in question.

I conferred with a Pir Bhai, who is a Hafiz-e-Qur’an and we discussed this issue at great lengths and we felt that apart from just compiling a list for the visiting class, perhaps we could include additional and relevant information which would perhaps instil a sense of curiosity about faith in general, and to provide the teacher with the relevant information to have an impact and better understanding of Islam.

After a great deal of discussion we decided to approach our Murshid, Hazrat Baba Jee Sarkar and to inform him of our arduous task and to ask for his advice and blessing. Hazrat Baba Jee Sarkar listened to us inattentively.  On his advice and guidance, Hazrat Baba Jee Sarkar instructed us both that the task of co-ordinating and compiling this project officially, is commissioned to: Hafiz Ansar Mahmood Naqshbandi and Mohammad Suleman Naqshbandi.

We set about and compiled an extensively informative booklet / dossier on the basics of Islam, daily activity of a Masjid, religious artefacts, building history, building structure, related religious topics and holy places of interest, Makkah , Madina, etc.

When the first class arrived at Jamia Heddaria, all important artefacts around the Masjid were appropriately labelled with a small placard for example; Mimbar, Mehraab, Qibla, etc.  The children were made to feel welcome, and they felt very comfortable and confident, as all items were clearly labelled, the class was first given a comprehensive lecture where they were also encouraged to participate in the ongoing discussion.  The class was then given a guided tour of Jamia Heddaria, and this was followed by a question and answer session, and of course we closed the visit with a short message as to what Islam expects from children and how they are encouraged to be polite, obedient, respect their parents, teachers and elders in general, to be good and honest, to refrain from bad habits such as smoking etc.

Although only 2 separate class visits were originally requested by the school, however the school was so impressed with our effort in regards to the informative booklet / dossier we compiled and presented to the school, and the quality of the lectures and guided tour given to the class with relevant information on Islam and its overall message, that the school requested a further 14 consecutive visits one after another within a 6 weeks period. 

The school turned this into a special project where each child after having visited Jamia Heddaria was expected to compile a short folder / booklet on Jamia Heddaria and the whole RE project was used as the focal issue on school achievements for the government education authority inspectorate Offsted Report which takes place every 4 years intervals.

This was such a success that Jamia Heddaria was in the local newspapers, where together the Media, High School, Education Authority and the Local Community were paying there tribute and complementing Jamia Heddaria Masjid for its efforts and in particularly helping children in their religious education studies and also helping Falinge Park High School in achieving high marks from the Offsted Report Inspectorate, and the general praise throughout the community was, that this was the first time a Masjid had opened their doors to the general public which in result helped non-Muslims to acquire a real understanding of Islam and the Muslim practices thus eliminating any and many misconceptions associated with Islam………  Jamia Heddaria leading the way!

Although we were more than successful with the school children, however there was also a bonus as on the initial first two visits the classes had one and the same teacher accompanying the classes (the one who did not believe in god).  However the same teacher was so impressed and moved by the information presented to him and the school children that he talked to all the staff at the school about how different and simple Islam really is, and that the message is practical, and the media has portrayed Islam incorrectly.

The teaching staff were so impressed with this teachers remarks, that all of the teachers at the school had put their names down, to be included on a class visit to Jamia Heddaria Masjid, so after the first two initial visits, thereafter every visit consisted of at least three teachers, who all showed a high interest and wanted to hear and see for themselves first hand, the lectures and guided tour we provided at Jamia Heddaria.

The lecture and tour was basically set to accommodate the children, however when this had been achieved by the completion of lecture and guided tour,  I always attached something extra purely for the sake of the teachers, for example I would explain Tyyammum on one visit, and then that how Christianity and Judaism is linked to Islam through Isaac and Ishmael on another visit, the following visit I may explain why we call Allah by His Arabic name and not god, because the word god can be distorted as in goddess, godfather, godzilla etc, or on another visit I may explain why we have to slaughter an animal in a particular way for it to be considered Halal, by giving a comparison from the Bible, where it states that when you slaughter an animal, to let the “lifeblood” spill to the earth (ground) , so if the animal is already dead then how can lifeblood spill to the earth because there is no “life” in an already dead animal etc.

After the fourth visit the teacher (who did not believe in god or any religion) had suddenly started to change, when entering the Masjid you could see the humbleness in him and he demanded absolute respect from his students / pupils for the Masjid and would greet us with Assalaam-u-Alaikum and on leaving the Masjid he would say the same, with an added comment of……. “see you in a few days Insha Allah”.

To hear these words spoken by a person who totally rejected any form of religion was not only extraordinary but an achievement in itself.

The remaining teachers who visited Jamia Heddaria were so overwhelmed that they did not know and had never been exposed to such a real and positive side of Islam in their life ……… Jamia Heddaria leading the way!

The booklet presented to Falinge Park High School titled  “Islam” will be available on our website shortly    

• Jamia Heddaria now fulfilled all the requirements in relation to bazm-e-churahi , in that the initial duaa that * made in earlier times by * came to pass and was now being fulfilled right before our eyes .
• Because we are independent , we are able to practice and promote our root mission which is predominantly Sufism and our immediate link is with dargah chura shareef
• Jamia Heddarria is the centre of Bazm-e-churahi nakshbandi silsila in the uk
• Jamia Heddaria is not affiliated with any other organisation , and has never received  any form of grants or payments from any external parties etc
• Jamia Heddaria is self sufficient and collectively financed and run by our own bazam-e-churahi society as a brotherhood (peer bahai) .  
• Jamia Heddaria is not connected to any political parties or their agendas and any extremities .    We are not subject to any external influence
• Jamia Heddaria was the first place of worship to introduce a sanctuary for the practice of spiritual meditation /zikr for people in need of solitude and inner peace
• Jamia Heddaria is in the heart of the Muslim community and at a later stage   became a prominent mosque of Rochdale Town and surrounding boroughs
• Jamia Heddaria was the first mosque in Rochdale and surrounding Boroughs to recite the Azaan outside the mosque to call people to worship .
• Jamia Heddaria was the first mosque in Rochdale to invite the education / local non-muslim community and to promote Islam collectively            
• Although it may seem negligible at this day and age but as a point of reference or achievement , Jamia Heddaria was one of the first mosques in the Rochdale borough to acquire a computer in relation to Islamic studies , internet research ,          religious software etc ……… Jamia Heddaria leading the way !

These are just a few of many qualities of Jamia Heddaria , however it must be remembered that we are a bazm-e-churahi brotherhood , and it must be emphasised that all achievement , small or large , by few or many , were only possible with the help of Allah and the constant duaas made by the wali allah of the dargah chura shareef , starting from the earliest saint who first came to chura shareef , Pir Syed Noor Mohammad  (R.A) to our murshid Hazrat Pir Syed Muhammad Shabeer Ali Shah Gillani Naqshbandi Mujaddid Churahi.