History
Masjid Fatehpuri, Chandni Chowk, Delhi.
Fatehpuri Masjid was built in 1650 by Fatehpuri Begum, one of Shah Jahan’s wives. The mosque is built with red sandstone on a large scale and is surmounted by a single dome. This mosque is a beautiful specimen of the magnificence of Mughal architecture and stands as a silent spectator, witnessing all historical events right from the Mughal and British periods till date. Flanked by towering minarets, the mosque has a traditional design with the prayer hall having seven-arched openings. Among the seven arches, the central arch is the highest. The mosque has single and double-storied apartments on the sides.
Masjid Fatehpuri has three gates: one is right in front of the Red Fort at Chandni Chowk and the other two are in the north and the south. Khari Baoli is in the north end and Katra Baryan in the south. The central courtyard is laid with red stones. There are two verandas, 12 ft. apart, on both sides of the main arch, with kangoras on their roofs also. There is a very large tank (Hauz) in the courtyard of the mosque. This marble tank is used for ablution (wuzu). The pulpit (mukabbar) inside the mosque is built of marble and has four steps. Rows of red stone pillars stand on both sides of the mosque.
In the courtyard there are more than 20 Graves of great Islamic Scholars. The graves of Hazrat Nanoo Shah, Mufti Mohd. Mazhar ullah Shah, Maulana Mohd. Ahme & others.
The history of the mosque says that the Indian troops were posted here in the Fatehpuri Masjid, Delhi during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. It is also believed that during the Sepoy Mutiny the British sold some part of the mosque to a Hindu merchant, Lala Channa Mal. Later on the mosque again came into the hands of the Muslims in the year 1877. During the Mughal days the mosque housed some beautiful fountains and a huge central tank. But in 1857, after the Mutiny, British troops occupied the mosque and the soldiers left no stone unturned to damage the monument. They carved their names on the beautiful red sandstone walls.
The different parts of the mosque are beautifully decorated and are a visual pleasure. Since Mughal period the family of present Shahi Imam Dr. Mufti M. Mukarram Ahmad is serving the mosque as the Shahi Imam & Khateeb of the mosque. Here is Darul Ifta where Fatwas are issued and in general Ummah is guided by Dr. Mufti M. Mukarram Ahmed and family. He is Peer Tariqat in Silsila Naqshbandiya, Chistiya, Qadriya, Soharwardiya. His disciples are in India and abroad.