Shab Bhar Masjid

Shab Bhar Masjid is also known as the Night Mosque, though “Overnight Mosque” might be more accurate. In 1917, the British authorities were called upon to decide whether the Hindu or Muslim communities would be allowed to build their house of worship on this tiny piece of property in the heart of Lahore.

Suspecting that the British authorities might rule in favor of the Hindu community, a Muslim lawyer recalled that the British had pledged not to disturb existing religious sites. Therefore, if the community were to build a mosque overnight, the authorities would be bound not to touch the site. Spurred by religious zeal, a considerable number of volunteers began to work at dusk. By the time the sun rose, they had built a small but beautiful mosque. Faced with this fait accompli, the judge was forced to rule in favor of the Muslim community, and the mosque is still standing to this day.

Underneath the mosque are some shops. A narrow set of stairs leads to the first floor, where Shab Bhar Masjid is located. The 76 square meters of the mosque accommodate the stairs, the ablution room, and the prayer room. In all, no more than 12 people can pray at any given time due to space limitations.  

The gate on the ground floor is adorned with a banner with a quote from the Pakistani poet and philosopher Mohammad Iqbal. The inscription can loosely be translated as, “Though the mosque was built overnight by believers, Our heart being old sinner for years, devout could not be”, lamenting the fact that even though believers accomplished this feat (building a mosque overnight), their hearts were still impure.