As a result of reforms in religious sphere, a number of mosques are being reopened and reconstructed.
One of such works has been done in Chust city of Namangan region. Prominent chef in Uzbekistan Bahriddin Chustiy notes the following:
Баҳриддин Чустий ижтимоий тармоқлардаги шахсий саҳифаси қуйидаги сўзларни ёзиб қолдирган:
“When I was young, there was the mosque on the way to my school. I used to listen to the beautiful azan (prayer for call) and elder people would bring the joy by their attendance. But, for some unknown reasons the mosques had been closed in 1998.”
Several attempts have been done to reopen this mosque for the past years, but all unsuccessful. Thanks to the initiatives of our President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, this mosque has also been permitted to reconstruct. There is hope that this mosque start functioning until the beginning of the Ramadan.
Press Service,
Muslim Board of Uzbekistan
Sheikh Bashir bin Ahmed Siddiq, the senior Quran recitation teacher at Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, passed away on October 1, 2025, after dedicating sixty years to teaching at the Prophet’s Mosque. His students include some of the most prominent reciters and Islamic scholars of recent generations, forming a legacy that extends across the Muslim world.
Among his notable students are former Holy Mosques Imams Sheikh Muhammad Ayyoub and Sheikh Ali Jaber, current An-Nabawi Imams Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al-Qasim and Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shanqiti of the Senior Scholars Council. These figures represent just a portion of the thousands who studied under Sheikh Bashir’s guidance at the Medina mosque.
Sheikh Bashir established himself as a pillar of Quranic education within the sacred premises of the Prophet’s Mosque. His teaching career spanned six decades, during which he maintained a consistent presence in the mosque’s educational circles.
Students traveled from various countries specifically to learn Quran recitation from him, drawn by his reputation for precision and deep knowledge of tajweed rules.
The Sheikh’s methodology combined traditional teaching techniques with deep scholarly insight, creating a learning environment that produced some of the most recognized voices in Islamic recitation.
His students now lead prayers at Islam’s holiest sites and hold positions on scholarly councils, continuing the traditions he preserved and taught.