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The
Colombo
Grand
Mosque
was
the
first
mosque
built
in
Colombo
by
Scholar
Khalid
Ibn
Baqaya
who
came
to
Sri
Lanka
in
Hijri
181
as
an
envoy
of
Khalifa
Al
Rasheed
who
was
reigning
in
Hijri
169
during
the
regime
of
Abbasids.
The
Arabian
trade
relationship
with
Sri
Lanka
was
in
existence
even
before
the
birth
of
Prophet
Muhammed
(Sal).
Islamic
Da’wa
commenced
on
Monday,
27th
September
in
622
A.D.
by
Hijjrath
to
Madeena.
As
a
result,
the
birth
of
Islam
was
spread
to
all
parts
of
the
world
including
Sri
Lanka,
as
per
the
booklet
named
‘Ajaa’
ibul
Hind’.
Two
persons
belonging
to
a
royal
family
in
Yeman
had
come
to
Sri
Lanka
in
Hijri
18
640
A.D.,
one
of
them
had
arrived
in
Manthottam
and
the
other
in
Beruwela,
as
per
news
appeared
in
a
publication
named
‘Shenar’
written
by
Vansendea.
Khalifa
Haroon
Al
Rasheed
had
a
good
knowledge
of
Sri
Lankan
Muslims
with
regard
to
their
education
and
religious
activities
and
sent
Khalid
Ibn
Baqaya
to
Sri
Lanka
in
Hijri
181-
797
A.D..
He
was
responsible
for
building
the
first
Mosque
in
Colombo
and
also
started
to
organize
educational
programs
there
and
named
it
“Colombo
Grand
Mosque”
and
by
the
side,
there
was
a
Muslim
burial
ground.
Abu
Baqaya
of
Egypt
who
came
here
as
a
tourist
during
the
regime
of
1st
Buwanegabahu,
died
in
Hijri
344-
955
A.D..
His
remains
was
buried
at
this
mosque’s
burial
ground.
His
name,
country
and
year
of
death
is
mentioned
in
the
‘Meesans’
(Stone)
that
are
laid
to
identify
the
buried
persons.
These
Meesans
is
at
the
Colombo
Museum.
The
Mosque
is
shown
in
an
illustration
of
the
first
Portuguese
Fort
of
Colombo
which
was
built
in
1518
This
illustration
has
been
reproduced
by
Mr.
R.L.
Brohier
in
his
"Historical
Series"
-
No
1,
and
appears
on
the
front
of
the
book.
The
existence
of
Mosques
in
Ceylon,
during
this
period,
appears
from
a
description
found
on
this
illustration
in
Colombo.
It
is
said
that
when
"a
flotilla
of
eight
Portuguese
vessels
anchored
in
the
Bay
(Colombo)
on
November
15,
1505,
the
Commander
of
the
expedition
saw,
beyond
a
rummage
of
masts
and
spars
of
smaller
shipping
and
off
the
shore
marred
by
a
crescent
of
sand,
clusters
of
huts
hidden
by
foliage,
some
cadjan
godowns
and
two
lime-washed
Mosques."
The
Mosque
was
redesigned
and
built
by
a
Malay
Architect
Muhammad
Balangkaya
son
of
Mr
Hooloo
Balankaya
with
the
support
of
several
of
his
rich
Moor
associates,
Minister
to
the
Raja
of
Goa
who
migrated
to
Sri
Lanka
in
1723.
Mr
Muhammad
Balangkaya
was
a
pious
Muslim
and
took
a
great
interest
in
the
local
Moor
community
and
married
a
Moor
lady
and
through
this
marriage
had
six
sons
and
three
daughters.
As
the
mosque
at
that
time
was
small
and
inadequate
for
congregational
prayers,
and,
he
redesigned
the
Mosque
and
expanded
the
space.
This
is
the
present
Colombo
Grand
Mosque
and
was
the
first
of
its
kind
in
Colombo,
and
all
of
Ceylon
at
that
time.
An
additional
wing
to
the
Mosque
was
later
constructed
by
Mr.
I.L.M.H.
Muhammad
Mohideen
in
1897,
when
he
managed
the
affairs
of
the
Mosque.
This
wing
was
used
as
part
of
the
Mosque
in
addition
to
it
also
being
used
as
classrooms
for
the
Hameedia
Boys'
English
School
in
1959
was
originally
known
as
"kanjee
maduwam"
on
account
of
it
being
used
as
the
place
for
the
distribution
of
"kanji"
(rice
porridge)
during
the
breaking
of
the
Ramadan
fast.
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