The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The lifespan of my Ummah is sixty to seventy years and rare indeed are those who live beyond that” and since our lives are short and our good deeds scarce, we need good deeds of a certain magnitude that would guarantee (by the mercy of Allah) us salvation from the Hell fire and a place in Jannah. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us of such deeds that would survive the death of a Muslim and go on to be an investment (in the next life,) that he or she would benefit from whilst in the grave. The Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in an acceptable hadith that Ibn Majah narrates on the authority of Abu Huraira: {It is from that which follows the believer of his good deeds..} and from amongst them, he mentions: {a Masjid that he built}.
Alhumdullilah by the grace of Allah, Islam continues to spread, however it is hard to believe that despite the number of Masajids within the UK and especially London, there is no Masjid in Hammersmith, with the nearest Masjids being either Shepherds Bush or Parsons Green.
For many years, Hammersmith Islamic Association (HIA), a registered charity that is active in the Muslim community of West London, has been striving for the noble cause to establish an Islamic Centre in Hammersmith.
How it started
Initially, Muslims from the local community in Hammersmith co-operated in organising the Friday congregational prayers and thanks to Allah ta’aala, this enabled many of the Muslims living and working in the local area to fulfill an important obligation.
Having successfully managed the Friday Prayers, we realised the desperate need for a permanent premises where we can establish the five daily prayers, and also provide many other important facilities for the Muslim community that are still currently unavailable, this includes, Quran Classes for the children, classes for both brothers and sisters, and also facilities especially during the Month of Ramadan. Therefore we started the Hammersmith Masjid Project.
During the time of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu’alaihi wa sallam, the Masjid was the centre for the Muslim community, and this is our aim, a Masjid at the heart of the community.
Our Current Position
All Praise is to Allah, much has been accomplished, this includes, achieving a charitable status and more recently, the launch of the HIA website.
The main hurdle that we have been faced with, in terms of funds to secure adequate premises is still ongoing.
Therefore, we are appealing to you for your help and support.
What is our plan of action?
We have set ourselves a realistic target of raising £100,000 in’sha Allah. This target represents the required deposit to secure a freehold property, in’sha Allah.
All Praise is to Allah, we have so far managed to raise £70,000 Ma’sha’Allah, and this means we need to raise an additional £30,000 in’sha Allah.
Once we reach this noble target, we will be in a better position to purchase a freehold property In’sha Allah.
Our aim is to achieve this goal within one year In’sha Allah!
In Sahih Muslim on the authority of Uthman Ibn ‘Affan (ra) the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever builds a Masjid for the sake of Allah, even if it is as small as the nest of a sand grouse (a small pigeon-like bird) Allah will build him a house in Paradise”.
Our scholars stated that this constitutes a glad tiding of Jannah, for Allah would not build a house in Jannah for a Muslim and then throw him or her into the Hellfire.