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Hindu family donates land for mosque in Sangrur village
The land donated was a 5-biswa plot that had been with Ashwini’s family since his grandfather’s time. The land was donated on September 2, 2023 and the foundation stone of the mosque was laid on August 25,2024.
A Hindu family from Punawal village of Sangrur district donated their own land for the construction of a mosque.
Ashwini Kumar, a 25-year-old whose family manages farming and traditional livestock trade, shared that the idea began when his friend Mustaq and other community members approached them. They expressed a desire to build a mosque and offered to pay for the land by collecting funds. Ashwini, however, refused the money, telling them to use those funds for the construction instead. “We will give you the land, you use the money you’ve collected to build the mosque,” Kumar said to them.
The land donated was a 5-biswa plot that had been with Ashwini’s family since his grandfather’s time. The land was donated on September 2, 2023 and the foundation stone of the mosque was laid on August 25,2024. Ashwani said that the land was officially transferred in the masjid’s name in 2023 and the construction of the same commenced towards the end of 2025. The mosque, once built, was inaugurated on February 8 by the Hazrat Maulana Mohammad Usman Sahib Ludhianvi Shahi Imam, Punjab. Ashwini further shared that no one from the village objected.
The mosque now stands just a few steps from the family’s home. Neelam Sharma, Ashwini’s sister and a teacher at a private school, expressed that having the mosque nearby has brought a sense of peace to their lives. She mentioned that even though she might not understand the words of the prayers, listening to the ‘Azan’ (the call to prayer) offers them peace and happiness.
For the Muslim residents, this gesture has changed their daily lives. Sukhmeet Shah, a local, explained that they previously had to travel two to three kilometers to a neighboring village Kanjhla to pray. Before the mosque was built, they only gathered for major festivals like Eid and Bakra-Eid, or prayed at home. Now with the masjid, regular prayers have begun, and they no longer travel to Kanjhla village to offer Namaz. He said that the village stands united for the cause and that no one objected in the process. Shah also informed that the construction material to built the mosque was provided by Kari Furkan Ahmed of Madrassa Umar Farooq, Malerkotla and that the labour was provided by the local Punawal Masjid committee.
Gobinder Khangura, the sarpanch of Punawal village, lauded the family’s initiative as an example from the Sangrur district to others. He pointed out that the Hindu family donated land worth approximately ₹8 lakh so that the 18 muslim families in the village wouldn’t have to travel 4 kilometers to pray. He noted that the gram panchayat worked alongside the muslim community to gather support.
