Inspired by the Ashara Mubaraka Sermons of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS 1438 H

Ayat 1&2: The nazaafat (cleaning) of Jami’ Anwar. The completion of the restoration work took place in the astonishingly short span of 27 months.

Size 20” x 60” // Medium: Acrylics on Canvas

Hundreds of years of neglect had left al-Anwar in ruins. There was little indication left that this was at one time a majestic place of worship and tranquility. The masjid was over the centuries used as a stable, school, museum, and a rubbish dump.

When Syedna Taher Saifuddin ^RA visited Misr for the first time, he was overcome with anguish at the condition of the sacred place and expressed his desire to ameliorate the state of the masjid. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin ^RA aimed to fulfill his father’s desire. In 1398H, he set about restoring al-Jami al-Anwar. The first step towards its restoration and revival was the cleansing of al-Anwar, which was undertaken by Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin ^TUS at the behest of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin ^RA.

The pigeon in the middle represents transition from Ayat 1 of cleansing (black to white) to Ayat 2 - the completion and iftitah in 27 months. The pigeon also signifies ‘waqt’- time, that whatever time one spends in the service of Allah ^TA cause, is never wasted and always rewarded!

27 Months:

Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin ^RA expressed his intention that the inauguration of the masjid should coincide with the completion of 1400 years Hijri. ‘Not even in fifty years,’ was the then Egyptian Home Minister’s response upon hearing Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddins’s ^RA intention to complete the restoration and revival of al-Anwar in just 27 months. The completion of the restoration work took place in the astonishingly short span of 27 months as Moula ^RA had intended.