London Central Mosque Trust & The Islamic Cultural Centre

History of the London Central Mosque & The Islamic Cultural Centre

The Mosque was officially opened in 1944 by the then King of England: His Majesty King George VI

Between 1900 - 1930 Several efforts were made to buid a mosque in Central London, including one, inititiated by Lord Headley. Headley was born in London in 1855 and educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge University. He then entered Middle Temple, before commencing studies at King's College London. Headley embraced Islam on 16 November 1913 and adopted the Muslim name of Shaikh Rahmatullah al-Farooq. He died on 22 June 1935 (aged 80) and is buried in Woking Cemetery M1. It was in 1940, when the British Government was persuaded to present a site in London for the Muslim Community of Great Britain. It was in fact the Churchill war cabinet which authorized the acquisition of a site to build a mosque in London on 24 October 1940. A prime site adjacent to Hanover Gate in Regents Park almost 2.3 acres in size was presented by the British Government as an unconditional gift to the Muslim Community in Britain so they may conduct affairs pertaining to the Islamic Faith. The Al-Azhar University in Cairo Egypt, had delegated an imam for the newly built mosque in Central London and continued to do so for many decades. A view of Hanover Gate with English gentry enjoying the surroundings Taken from Shepherd T.H. "West Gate Regents Park 1827" It was not however, until 1974 that construction of a purpose built mosque began. The present building is based on a design by Sir Frederick Gibberd, selected in 1973 from many others in an international competition. The mosque took over two years to complete at the cost of £6 million with a generous donation from H.M King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and was later completed by His Highness Sheikh Zayed of the United Arab Emirates. Until today many countries participated in this unique mosque. In the 1990's the London Central Mosque Trust and Islamic Cultural Centre received a generous donation from His Majesty King Fahad of Saudi Arabia for the extension of the administration wing. His Majesty Sultan Qaboos of the Sultanate of Oman granted a generous donation for the establishment of the restaurant and dining facilities. More Recently His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani The Emir of Qatar has made significant contributions to the extension and renovation of the Centre. The State of Kuwait have also invested heavily in support of the Centre. With The Board of Trustees of the Centre comprising of the Muslim Ambassadors and High Commissioners in London the Centre receives invaluable support and sustenance from across Muslim Nations in allowing it to serve the wider community. Activities of The Islamic Cultural Centre Within the Centre we have an education unit which comprises of a weekend school with over 350 students. The purpose of the weekend school is to teach Arabic Language and Islamic Studies weekly to students of many backgrounds and nationalities. The Centre also holds an interfaith department which collaborates with more than 30 organisations with regular dialogues and interfaith scriptural reasoning events to promote peace, interconnectedness and coexistence in society. The Centre also has an academic quarterly journal called the IQ - Islamic Quarterly which is published every 3 months containing numerous articles about the Islamic Civilisation. Moreover, the Centre holds a Religious affairs unit with qualified Imams to issue fatwa (Islamic Advice), Questions and answering sessions, conduct marriages, Divorces and conversion certificates and hold regular Islamic classes through the collaboration with the Registrar's unit. The new Muslim programme initiative has been set up by the Islamic Cultural Centre & London Central Mosque to provide a spiritual, educational, religious and social support network for those who are interested to learn more about Islam, for those who have recently converted to Islam and for those born Muslim and who would like to learn more about their religion. We currently have a network of over 4000 New Muslims from the Centre who take part in this initative. The Islamic Cultural Centre is pleased to have one of the largest and oldest Islamic reference libraries. The Library has a rich selection of historic books and journals in English and Arabic. It holds copies of the Translations of the Qur'an in European/Arabic/Indic languages. There are more than 25,000 books in our library and copies of the Quran in 30 Languages. The Centre has many initiatives for Youth which include our Hikmah Youth Programme - a weekly Forum where students can take up many academic and interactive activities. Moreover, the Centre has an Arabic Cultural Saloon which fosters monthly intellectual lectures in Arabic for youth wanting to learn more about their cultures with topics ranging from history, literature, philosophy and Islamic heritage. Our Islamic exhibition, the first of its kind to be built in the United Kingdom, occupies over 60 meters of wall space and provides visitors with a visual journey through the Islamic faith. The wall based exhibition spans across two of the basement halls and incorporates video screens, models and posters to provide a multidimensional viewing experience for visitors. The exhibition aims to provide a greater understanding of the universal message of Islam, thereby encouraging meaningful and positive dialogue and promoting greater community understanding and harmony.

Book Your Nikah With Us!

Click here for all your marriage services. We now offer the larger halls and restaurant bookings to cater for your big day.

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The Islamic Cultural Centre has established the Commission to guide Muslims in the UK.

Matters relating to religious issues aswell as solving complex inheritance (Mirath) cases, marriage, divorce and islamic arbitration.

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As we adjust to life in lockdown, many vulnerable in our community need help to get essential supplies. Our staff and volunteers are delivering every day, may Allah reward them and keep them safe.

Please help us to buy the food needed, we'll do our very best to reach as many people as possible, insha-Allah.

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