Leading Islamic scholar Mufti Menk addresses hundreds and leads prayers at Blackburn mosque

Renowned Islamic scholar Mufti Menk visited a Blackburn mosque on Friday, 26 August to lead the Friday prayers.

The Zimbabwe-based Mufti, who is considered to be one of the foremost religious Islamic scholars on the planet, was at the Masjid e Saliheen, off Burnley Road and was welcomed by members of the Saliheen Scouts with gifts as he entered.

He then spoke to the audience who had attended the event for an hour before leading the weekly Jummah (Friday) prayers at the mosque. People had started arriving after 11.30am to attend prayers which were due to begin after 1.30pm.

With spaces limited inside the 500 capacity mosque which has space for both men and women, prayer mats were placed outside so as many people as possible could listen.

The scholar is an active user of social media and has built up a following of more than 15 million on various platforms, with more than nine million followers on Twitter. He gives advice on everyday matters, which are watched and shared extensively.

He arrived at the mosque with Imam Fazal Hassan who is Royal Blackburn Hospital’s Muslim chaplain before greeting a handful of people.

Upon his arrival, the mufti made it known that he was keen to speak to the attendees who had been waiting patiently inside the mosque.

During the sermon, he spoke of the importance of understanding between religions and praised the actions of Muslims during the Covid pandemic during which many had volunteered to help all communities.

According to reports, it is not the first time Mufti Menk has visited the town and has made numerous visits to mosques and community centres.

In 2018, he opened a new prayer area at Blackburn Rovers Football club and also attended a number of regional functions.

Born and raised in Zimbabwe the mufti has been named as one of the top 500 influential Muslims on the planet.