Acting Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Nazrin Shah today called for the many roles and activities hitherto confined within mosques to be carried out in various new premises outside the mosques to enhance the image of the house of worship.

He said, however, that such efforts would not make the role of mosques any less important.

Sultan Nazrin said the passage of time and development of civilisation had made the way of life of the people more complex and incurred the need to address the rising number of the ummah (community).

“In the early stage of the era of Islamic development, the mosques played various roles, functioning as the centre of governance, administration, judiciary, character development, knowledge, culture and civilisation, and organising various welfare, social and community relations activities.

“Much of the time at mosques was filled with various activities, more than that for prayers,” he said at the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque in Ipoh.

The Perak ruler said the responsibility of enhancing the image of mosques rested with those who were prepared to accept the trust and to be appointed as members of the mosque committees and as mosque officials.

“Mosques which are ready in terms of physical development must be nurtured with meaningful content development, shaped by people who are sincere, devoted and committed to Islamic development,” he said.

He said the people entrusted with the duty of managing and enhancing the image of mosques would be doing an injustice to the Muslim community if they failed to fulfil their responsibility with sincerity, devotion and commitment.

Referring to the Sultan Idris Shah II Mosque, Sultan Nazrin said it was accorded recognition as the Perak State Mosque and officially opened on Nov 15, 1968, by the 33rd Perak ruler, Sultan Idris Iskandar Shah II.

“The mosque is 50 years old. During that passage of time, the mosque underwent various phases of renovation and physical expansion, along with the development of various activities,” he said.

Sultan Nazrin expressed his gratitude to all who had played various roles and provided contributions to enhance the image of the mosque over the past 50 years.

“Hopefully, this mosque will accomplish much more over the next 50 years and record more glorious achievements by the time it marks its centennial in 2068,” he said.

- Bernama