Due to the military and administrative importance of Bhera, Afghan King Sher Shah Suri constructed a grand mosque in 1540 AD outside the walled city. The Imperial Gazette of India (Volume II) page 386 mentions the mosque in the following way“The new city was founded by about 1540 AD round a fine mosque and the tomb of a Muslim saint”.
During Sikh Raj the Sher Shah Suri Mosque was badly damaged. In 1859 AD the famous scholar Qazi Ahmed Uddin Bugvi repaired and renovated the mosque with the help of his students and the local population. With help from Allah and due to the continuous work of the Allama the local Muslim community reestablished the mosque as their central place of worship.
In a survey carried out of the foundations, the Sher Shah Suri mosque is on sound base foundations. The walls of the mosque are 18 to 27 inches thick. To give strength to these walls, wooden supports along with Limestone and red clay were used as binding materials. Special bricks were used in the walls with dimensions of 8 ½ inches x 4 ½ inches x 1 ½ inches.
According to history the dimensions of the mosque during the period of Sher Shah Suri was 127.6 x 69.9 Feet. Today the measurement of the mosque and the ground is 209 x 159 Feet. The mosque consists of three Domes with the middle Dome the largest having diameter 27 Feet and height 26 Feet. The two surrounding Domes are 14 Feet High having a diameter of 20 Feet. Only the middle Dome is engraved.
Maulana Abdul Aziz Bugvi in 1902 AD had the minarets constructed. In 1903 AD the bricks in the compound were laid and a 12 feet deep pond was constructed in the center for ablution. Maulana Muhammad Zakir Bugvi 1912 AD constructed a large hall (24 x 59 Feet) named Dar ul Hadith in the north and another hall named Dar ul Quran in the south. The students of Dar ul Aloom Azizia were imparted religious education here. Maulana Zahoor Ahmed Bugvi constructed a Barah Dari on both sides of the pond in 1928 AD. The Jinaz Gah was also a noteworthy addition in 1939 AD Maulana Iftikhar Ahmed Bugvi carried out engraved work on the minarets and construction of ablution place and library. Renovation work was carried out between 1993 AD till 1996 AD. Repair and restoration work was done on the front, interior, exterior walls, domes, minarets, Barah Dari, roof, laying if tiles and the boundary walls around the compound.
Nearly all Bugvi scholars paid attention to the construction and renovation of the mosque and contributed, labored according to the available resources. The people of the city and surrounding areas always heard the call of help in this regard and came forward with their contribution and practical means. It is indeed help from Allah which has made the conservation of this mosque through the decades possible. In this regard Maulana Iftikhar Ahmed Bugvi said the following words to the people of Bhera in his speech“People of Bhera! Your identification is due to this ancient center of learning. The city is honorable due to its history which is buried along with each foundation stone of this mosque”.
