Friday Prayer at Ban Ho Masjid



Standing on the right is the owner of a restaurant
and active in Masjid comittee.



In red shirt in centre of Masjid between the two pillars
is the same tourist I met on the Chao Phrya ferry ride.



Everyday immediately after Fajr prayer these students
of the Madrasa will recite the Quran in front of the Imam ( in white)


Ban Ho Masjid ChiangMai



Ban Ho Masjid



Prayer benches for the disable



Chairs for the disable



Not for the healthy



The raised end for prostrating
.................................................................................

Day 10 : 22 Nov 2008. The Ban Ho Masjid Yunanese Community.
Day 11 : 23 Nov 2008.

During during prayer time we socialise with the Muslim community of Chiang Mai at Bah Ho Mosque.About 40-50 peolpe were usually seened attending the congregation daily for Zohor and Asar prayer. Majority are Chinese of Yunanese origin and some are Thai Mynmar and Bengali mixed by inter marriage.There were few people about 10-15 during Fajr and about 25 students of the madrasa attached to the mosque.

Before and after prayer people can be seen engaged in casual and some in serious but quiet discusion respecting the aura of the House of Allah.

According to the Imam who came from Kunming about 25 years ago there about 12000 Muslim in Chiang Mai province out of which about 7000 live in the city area. There are 17 Masjids and 4 are in the city. 8 of these masjids belong to the Chinese Muslims.The 4 Masjid in Chiang Mai are :- 1. Ban Ho Masjid
2. Changklan Masjid
3. At Taqwa Masjid
4. Champer Masjid

Sometime we saw some women attending noon prayers at a seperate hall for women and some attending the Friday prayer.

Ban Ho community are followers of the Hanafi school standing up when the azan is called peculiar of the Muslims of Kunming,China.After giving salam the Imam recite a short doa followed by the followers giving salam and proceed to perform the prescribed solat sunah accompanying the fardh prayer.After finishing the solat sunat the imam again recite a longer doa marking the end of the congregation and they disperse.

In my opinion this method of prayer is much pratical than the Shafiees of Malaysia where after giving salam the imam induldge in long wirid before making the doa.

What amuse me is seeing several chairs and benches of different design located near the wall at the end of each saf ( prayer row ) for the disable who cannot stand upright during prayer.These are used for those who sit during prayer yet enabling then to prostrate on the benches instead of the floor thus qualifying the term sujud.The disable of Malaysia wound sit on floor on chair but only give isysharah during sujud.



( to be contd)