29 August 2009 marked the 6th anniversary of the opening of Makkah Mosque, Leeds. The Mosque was built due to the endless prayers and efforts of the Imam Hafiz Fateh Muhammad (May Allah have mercy on his soul). After three years of its construction, Makkah Masjid was opened by the Late Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad (May Allah have mercy on his soul) on 29 August 2003. Imam Hafiz Fateh Muhammad (May Allah have mercy on his soul) vision was to build a place of worship to serve the Muslim community of Leeds and of which the Muslim community of Leeds could be proud.
Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad (RA)
By the grace of Allah, Makkah Mosque has achieved a great deal over the past 6 years, with the past year being its most successful to date. Makkah Mosque won a nation-wide competition to become the UK’s Model Mosque of 2008-2009. The Mosque is a leader in the field of promoting and enhancing community relations, something which HRH Prince Charles has noted in one of his speeches, and is the only Mosque in the UK that is actively promoting Islamic Finance. On next year’s agenda for the Mosque is promoting awareness of environmental issues and the duty of Muslims to preserve the earth’s resources, which are a blessing from Allah.
In order to mark the anniversary of Allah giving the community of Leeds the gift of His House in the form of Makkah Masjid, a special iftari dinner was held at the Mosque on 29 August. The event was attended by a large number of men, women and children, who came together to show their gratitude to Allah for bestowing such a magnificent Mosque upon them. The occasion was a joyous one, with everyone coming together to break their fast in Allah’s House with a real sense of community spirit and affinity with the Masjid.
Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim, marked the occasion by saying: “the Holy Qur’an tells us to remember the Days of Allah, which include days on which blessings are granted on an individual or a community, and clearly the day on which Allah gifted the Muslims of Leeds with Makkah Masjid was a day on which He showered us with His blessings. It is therefore incumbent upon us to show gratitude to Allah on this occasion.
Inviting the whole of the community to come together to celebrate was in keeping with the purpose of fasting, and that there is no pleasure akin to sharing food with fellow Muslims who have been fasting all day.”
As part of the celebrations, Qari Syed Sadaqat Ali, a disciple of the internationally renowned late Qari Abdul Basit Abdul Samad of Egypt, was invited to Makkah Masjid to recite the Holy Qur’an in his award winning melodious voice. Qari Sadaqat is internationally renowned for his excellent recitation of the Holy Qur’an, and has won awards and accolades across the world for his recitation skills. Qari Sadaqat filled Makkah Mosque with his awe-inspiring, reverberating recitations from the Holy Qur’an in what was a truly spiritually uplifting and inspiring event.
Qari Sadaqat Ali from Pakistan enthralled the audience with his recitation. His great recitation had the audience mesmerised by the true miracle of the beauty of Qur’anic recitation. What better way of thanking Allah for blessing Leeds with Makkah Masjid that filling His House with the sound of his words being recited in the most glorious of manners.
Allama Syed Lakht-e-Hasnain Shah was also invited to Makakh Masjid on the celebrations. Sahibzada Pir Syed Lakht-e-Hasnain is chairman of Muslim Hands charity, which is an international NGO working in over forty countries around the globe to help those affected by natural disasters, conflict and poverty.
We pray that Allah Almighty continues to shower his blessings on Makkah Mosque and grants us the ability to further our work in the years to come. Ameen.
Over the years, Makkah Masjid has built strong links with Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds University and their students. Imam Qari Asim has worked with them on projects such as the opening of the new Institute for Spirituality, Religion & Public Life at Leeds Met University.
Many University students undertake projects about the activities of the Mosque as part of their modules regarding theology, comparative studies, Islam in Britain, European Islam, multi-culturalism and community cohesion etc. Over the course of a year, Imam Qari Asim sees a large number of students researching these topics and has useful discussions with those students.
The Imam of Makkah Masque also receives student delegations from various countries, and they exchange views on Islamic and cultural practices in their respective countries. In the past couple of months, Imam Qari Asim has met student delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Indonesia. Makkah Masjid and its sister mosque, Al-Madina Jamia Masjid has a long history of working with the Turkish people. Imam Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad who served the Muslim Leeds community used to work with people from various regions and backgrounds and set a good tradition of different groups working with each other for the greater good.
Imam Qari Asim recently also met Piet Hizbullah Khaidir, The Chairperson of Muhammadiyah Youth Movement-Central Board, Indonesia, and The Former Chairman of Leeds-Indonesian Muslim Society, and Arif Rahman Bambang, a senior lecturer at Assalaam, a modern boarding school for boys and girls in Indonesia.
Qari Asim discussed with them the work that Muhammadiyah has done in building the social and educational infrastructure in Indonesia in such a short period of time. Qari Asim said that many other organizations around the world could learn from the model propounded by Muhammadiyah. Piet said that “we will have great opportunities to build colaborative programmes in the future”.
Qari Asim also discussed the thesis of Arif Rahman Bambang regarding ‘Mosque and Community Cohesion: Interaction between Muslims and Non-Muslims in Leeds’. In this thesis Qari Asim worked with Arif Rahman Bambang and met him on a number of occasions for the purposes of interviews and to shed light on the activities of Makkah Masjid. Arif Rahman Bambang said that he was “grateful for the support that the community of Makkah Masjid had offered him during his stay in Leeds and wished to continue to work with them in the coming years.”
Qari Asim gave signed copies of his books, including copies of his most recent book Our Children -Our future to the delegation. For further details about Our Children -Our future, please click on: http://www.deenfoundation.org.uk/wp/index.php/2009/04/08/75/
Imam also invited the Leeds-Indonesian Muslim Society to the upcoming event at Makkah Masjid on Sunday 2 August 2009.
Makkah Masjid regularly receives visits from delegates from other Mosques around the country. It has hosted guests from Scarborough, Cambridge, Birmingham, Bristol, Luton, Oldham, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield. Delegates come to learn about the good practices of Makkah Mosque and the success that Makkah Masjid has had in winning a number of accolades and awards, including the prestigious award of being the UK’s Model Mosque.
The aim of the visits is for delegates to learn about Makkah Mosque’s activities and initiatives, and discover the secrets behind its success. Delegates are keen to hear about Makkah Mosque’s annual “Connecting Cultures” event and Islamic Exhibition, its commitment to promoting inter-faith and inter-community dialogue, and its dedication to the involvement of youngsters and sisters in its activities and management. Makkah Mosque is seen as a true leader and a beacon in its field by others who are eager to emulate its success.
Makkah Masjid is delighted to share the knowledge it has gained with others in the hope that Insha-Allah, we can all improve our efforts in the way of Islam.
This week, Makkah Masjid was visited by the Council of Bristol Mosques and the Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim, gave them a tour of the Mosque and a presentation about the services that are offered at the masjid. A detailed presentation regarding the activities that take place in the Mosque was given which was followed by a Q& A session allowing both parties to learn about each other’s good practices and governance.
Al-Madina Jamia Masjid & Al-Haqq Education Centre was re-opened on Friday 26 June 2009. Al-Madina Jamia Masjid was temporarily closed in the recent months for refurbishment purposes.
Al-Madina Jamia Mosque at 31 Brudenell Grove Leeds LS6 1HR is one of the historic mosques in Leeds, built in the 1970s by Leeds Muslim Council with the assistance of the whole Muslim community of Leeds.
Al-Madina Jamia Masjid served the needs of the Muslim community living in areas such as Hyde Park, Burley, Headingly and Kirkstall and the surrounding areas until August 2003, when a new magnificent mosque, called Makkah Masjid, in the heart of Leeds city was opened by the Imam professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on his soul). Previoulsy, Imam professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on his soul) had served at Al-Madina Jamia Mosque as an Imam and khateeb for nearly 20 years.
Al-Madina Jamia Masjid has been opertaing as a mosque and madrassah since its erection as a mosque and shall continue to do so, insha’Allah. Daily prayers are offered at the the mosque and Qur’anic classess for children are held between 4 – 6 pm on week days. In addition, study circles and other educational activities shall be held at the mosque. Al-Haqq Education Centre is in a constant state of progression.
The focus of activities at Al-Madina Jamia Masjid and its educational arm Al-Haqq Education Centre will be to enhance the religious, spiritual, moral and educational development of the Youth in the area.
Earlier in the month, Imam Hafiz Asim, as part of UK-Indonesian Advisory Group visited various educational and religious institutions in Indonesia. He gave lectures in Universities and Islamic Schools and met government officials as well as other influential groups of people in Indonesia. Please click on the links below to view some of the photos from the Imam’s visit:
Part of the programme, which was hosted by the Indonesian Government, involved spending an afternoon with HRH Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, who is widely known to be very interested in promoting mutual respect and understanding between different faiths. The Prince shares fond memories of his meeting with Imam Asim in a speech at an awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum. Please click on the link below to see The Prince’s comments:
Leeds Makkah Mosque has won the nationwide Model Mosque competition. The main Muslim channel for English speaking British Muslims, Islam Channel researched over 1000 mosques to find the best mosque in the UK, with sharing best practice and being in touch with mainstream British Muslim youth being key criteria. Viewers had the opportunity to cast their votes and help decide who will become the Model Mosque of 2008.
The Islam Channel programme was based on reality TV principles, with two mosques going head-to-head with each other each week and the winner being selected by the viewers. Director of the Model Mosque show, “Mosques have been unfairly portrayed in the media for too long. This show is about restoring the balance.”
The main criteria for deciding which mosque is the Model Mosque of 2008 were the services the mosque provides for its local community and how well the mosque manages relations with the local agencies and the host non-Muslim community. The successful engagement of Muslim youth was also a determinative factor.
Makkah Mosque has historically endeavoured to develop a better understanding of the message of peace propagated by the Muslim faith within the wider community. The Mosque has been pioneered initiatives that actively engage with different community organisations. Mosques activities have included:
1) Holding the Yorkshire’s largest ever Islamic exhibition in May 2008. As well as the Islamic exhibition which was opened to the general public, a special ‘Connecting Cultures’ session was held for senior members of local statutory bodies, the education, voluntary, community and faith sectors. The guests included the Hilary Benn, Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs, John Battle MP, former faith advisor, Greg Mulholland MP, Lord Mayor of Leeds, Leader of Leeds City Council, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, Divisional Commander for North West Leeds, Pro-Vice-Chancellors of Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University, Rev Canon McCreadie (Leeds Cathedral Dean), Rev John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, Rev Dr Elizabeth Smith, Chair of Methodist Church, lectures from Universities and representatives from local council, the education, voluntary, community and faith sectors are also attended the event. The event was one of its kind and such event has never been held by any other mosque in the UK.
2) Makkah Masjid has always encouraged participation of women in the mosque. Recently, for the first time ever in British Muslim History, women were given exclusive possession of the mosque for two days (except at prayer times when men were allowed into the mosque) during the Islamic Exhibition held in May 2008.
3) For the Youth, along with organising various educational activities, during the summer, Makkah Mosque organised many recreational trips and sports activities ranging from golf, boxing, cricket and football.
As a result of the wide ranging activities organised by Makkah Mosque, despite fierce competition from City mosques, one of Yorkshire’s leading mosques, Leeds Makkah Mosque, won the competition. Due to its many interfaith initiatives and its commitment to opening its doors to the wider community, Makkah Mosque has enjoyed the support of Muslims and non-Muslims alike and received votes from members of the public throughout the UK.
The Imam of Makkah Mosque, Hafiz Asim, commented: “We took part in this competition as we believe TV shows such as these give genuine insight into the working of mosques and help demystify some of the misconceptions that exist regarding mosques. We are delighted to have won the 2008 Model Mosque competition. It is recognition of the fact that the mosque has always advocated best practices for the community it serves, and has promoted citizenship and civic engagement through the services it provides.
We are grateful to all Muslims and non-Muslims who have voted for Leeds Makkah Mosque and helped us become UK’s model mosque.”
Following the huge success of the Sunday classes, this Summer, insha-Allah, we will be holding Islamic classes on Saturdays as well.
The main purpose of weekend classes is to further the Islamic knowledge and etiquette of our youth.
The topics that will be covered include: recitation of the Holy Quran & Tajweed rules, life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), morals and manners in Islam, Arabic language and fundamentals of Islam regarding purification and cleanliness, performing Salah (prayer), and the rules relating to the obligatory fasting (Sawm).
Saturday classes will start on 26th July at Woodsley Centre (64 Woodsley Road, LS3 1DU), between 12pm – 2.30pm. Young boys and girls over the age of 10 are welcome.
Saturday classes will continue to run at Al-Madina Masjid (31 Brudenell Grove, LS6 1HR) between 11am – 1pm
Weekday Arabic and Quran classes are also running between 4pm – 6pm at Al-Madina Masjid.
The following is an extract from a local newspaper reporting that Leeds Muslim Council, the management committee of Leeds Makkah Masjid, has obtained planning permission to construct the first purpose-built mosque in Headingley, Leeds.
It is reported that the Leeds City Council has granted the planning permission to build a magnificent mosque on the site of the derelict historic Grade II listed Christadelphian Church.
This article was probably published in Yorkshire Evening Post.
Administrator on August 30th, 2009
