None of his listeners, reciting the reverence of Surat Al-Fath in the Hagia Sophia mosque, believed that this beautiful voice reader would become the first imam after the historic decision to return the Hagia Sophia Mosque after 86 years of converting it to a museum.
This was on the last May 29, and on the occasion of the celebrations of the anniversary of the conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul), which was held at the Hagia Sophia mosque, and Sheikh Al-Hafiz was invited to the spirit of Mishtwar to open the program of celebration of blessed verses from the Holy Quran, and after less than two months from that date, the Sheikh received The spirit of the decision to appoint him as the first imam of the Hagia Sophia mosque after the historic decision to convert him into a mosque.
On this, he says to Al-Jazeera Net in his first interview with him:
"It was a great honor for me to be invited to read the Holy Quran in Hagia Sophia on the occasion of the 567th anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul. It was a blessing from God Almighty, I chose verses from Surat Al-Fath, and perhaps it was a good news to be the imam of the mosque itself. ".
Sheikh Farouh was born in 1971. He is married and has 3 children. He is a Bosnian from Bosnian origin, his mother is from Sarajevo, and his father is from the Sandjak region. His family immigrated to Turkey in 1893 after the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia, and they lived with other Bosnian immigrants a village called Chaija, near the city of Kütahya (western Turkey).
But his love for Bosnia did not stop, as did his visits to it; He participated several times in celebrations and Quranic evenings held in Bosnia, the last of which was in Sarajevo in 2018, and the Bosnians received the news of his appointment to the Imam of the Hagia Sophia Mosque with great joy, and the news was published on the front pages of the Bosnian newspapers.
Regarding the relationship of Sheikh Frouh to the Holy Qur’an, he says:
“I loved the Holy Qur’an from a young age, and I learned to read it in the village mosque, and God blessed me and became a keeper of the Qur’an when I was 11 years old.” I loved the Qur’an and found its recitation, which made the Presidency of Religious Affairs nominate me to represent Turkey in International Quran Competition in Kuwait in 2015, and thanks to God, I won first place.
As for his work, he says:
“After memorizing the Holy Qur’an, I decided to continue to serve my religion, and when I finished my high school and university education in 1996, I worked as a muezzin in a mosque in Kutahya city, then I traveled to Austria and worked there as an imam in a mosque between 2006 and 2010.”
And “In 2013, I was appointed Imam of one of the most famous mosques of Istanbul: Yeni Mosque (New Mosque), and now thanks to God and grace I was appointed Imam of the Hagia Sophia Mosque.”
We asked him, how did you feel when you learned that you were the imam of the Hagia Sophia mosque?
"I felt overjoyed, honored, and honored, because it was the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) who preached the conquest of Istanbul, and the Hagia Sophia was a symbol of conquest.
"Unfortunately, none of Sofia has been closed for many years, and now he is due to his origin, my brother, to be in the mihrab of Muhammad al-Fatih and Professor Shams al-Din; it is a feeling that you cannot describe. I cannot say anything except to say thank God, and I pray to God that It makes me worthy of this great honor. "
What is your message to the Arab world through Al-Jazeera Net?
"The opening of the Hagia Sophia has brought great joy among our brothers in the Arab world, and we hope that this will be a reason for the unity of the Islamic world, and that it will be the beginning of the march of freedom for Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Sheikh Mishtwar adds:
"As we have always been throughout history, the world must see the values of mercy, tolerance, justice and brotherhood from us, all of which are authentic Islamic values, and I hope that God will have a good future for the Islamic world and for all mankind."
What do you say to those who opposed turning the museum into a mosque?
"I ask them to show more respect, because our ancestors in Turkey and before it throughout Islamic history have always shown respect for different religions and places of worship, and they were committed to providing all the needs of the places of worship and their reconstruction."
And "today, in all countries of the Islamic world, non-Muslims can perform their rituals and practice their worship in complete safety, and without any pressure or problems, the world should see this."
Sheikh Mushtawar concluded his speech by saying:
"In addition to this, Hagia Sophia is our internal affair, it is the trust of our conqueror, and thank God we have been able to fulfill the trust and return it to its origin."