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Al Jame ul Anwar was subject to ages of neglect and misuse. The premise was used as a school, called, Madrasa Salahdar. The presence of this school inflicted considerable damage on the masjid's piety and sanctity. Toilets were built in the sehan and the adjoining area was used as a playground. Though the authorities tried to close down the school immediately after its inception in 1902, they failed to do so, and the assault on the masjid continued for eight long decades. The removal of this school constitutes one of the nine miracles of Al Jame ul Anwar.
During the restoration work, one of the school children wanting to relieve himself strayed onto a big pile of wood stocked for the construction of the ceiling and got trapped. The Egyptians viewed this mishap as punishment for the violation of the masjid.
The Madrasa was pulled down and rebuilt in an adjoining area in Jamalia itself, in a period of 110 days.
The removal of the school resulted in the emergence of the original foundations which had till then been obscured (for details about the foundations, refer to Misbah 1.3).
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