(MASALLACHIN KOFAR FADA)
Religion played important roles in the lives of the people of Zaria since time immemorial. The number of religious centres in the Birni demonstrates this. For instance, in the Pre-Islamic Zaria Kufena, Madarkachi, Banzazzau, and Amaru were important traditional religious centres. With the spread of Islam the first Jumu’a (Friday prayer) Mosque was built at Anguwar Juma. The precise time when the Mosque was built is not known. But according to a local tradition it was built by Bakwa Turunku (1492-1522). Another tradition claimed that the Mosque was built by Muhammadu Rabbo (14561481), while yet another tradition attributed the Mosque to Jatau (1782-1802) .
Later the Jumu’a Mosque was relocated later to its present site near the Palace. Like the royal Palace, the Mosque is located right at the heart of the Birni adjacent to the Palace. The existence of these two structures thus transformed the Birni into spiritual and political hub of activities. What seemed to have informed the existence of the Mosque adjacent to the Palace was due to the religious role the rulers of Zazzau came to assume following the adoption of Islam as a state religion, which shall be discussed in the relevant section In view of the distance between the Palace and Anguwan Juma where the Zaria Juma’a (Habe) Mosque was hitherto located as mentioned above, the Mosque had to be relocated closer to the Palace to enable the rulers of Zazzau to have easy access to the Mosque in order to discharged their religious
function as well. Anguwan Juma was one of the oldest Islamic quarters in Zaria and it appeared to accommodate probably the first Juma’a Mosque in Zaria. Traditions indicate that it was the existence of the Mosque that earned the ward the name Anguwan Juma. The Mosques generally apart from serving as Islamic educational institutions for imparting knowledge of various types and at different levels have other socio-religious functions. These includes, serving as forums for interactions between social groups, and as places of patronage for relief distribution to the needy. These frequent interactions in the Mosques often resulted in community integration through intermarriages and other lasting bonds.
The origin of the present Zaria Juma’a Mosque could be traced to the third Emir of Zazzau, Malam Abdul-karim (1834-1846). The Mosque was constructed with the permission of the Sultan Mohammad Bello of Sokoto at a site near an ancient Habe shrine. That is why according to a local tradition Malam Abdul-karim is described as toye matsafa. Literally, this means a blazer of a magic place. There are two views regarding the date in which the Mosque was built. One has it that the building started a year following the installation of Emir Abdul-karim and that should be 1835. The second view suggested 1837, because the Mosque was said to have been duly inspected by Muhammad Bello just before his death in 1837.
The building of the Mosque complex which included the main hall, the surroundings, (haraban masallaci) with its wall (ginin haraba), and the three gates on the north, west and south sides (kofar masallaci na arewa, yamma and kudu respectively), was generally believed to have been done by the famous Sokoto master builder Malam Mikhailu who earned the honorific title of Babban Gwani (acclaimed expert builder). In the whole by the time the building of the Mosque was completed, Sarki Abdul-karim entrusted the care of the Mosque to his dedicated servants who were accommodated very close to the Mosque in a house that is today known as Gidan Gwarin Masallaci.
Even though the Mosque went through some renovations in recent times, it still attracts tourists because of its fascinating architectural designs. Z.R. Dmochowski who conducted extensive research on both the Palace and the Mosques described it as the noblest achievement of Nigerian ecclesiastic architecture. Apart from the Juma’a Mosque, there were smaller Mosques, which were located in the various wards within the Birni. The inhabitants of the various wards within the Birni met daily in the local Mosques to perform the prescribed daily prayers.