Mubarak Mosque, Tilford

The Mubarak Mosque (English: The Blessed Mosque) is a mosque in Tilford, Surrey, England. It currently serves as the mosque on the site of the international headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, formally known as Islamabad.[2] It was inaugurated on Friday 17 May 2019 by Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.[3]

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This article is about the Ahmadi Muslim mosque in Tilford, England. For other uses, see Mubarak Mosque (disambiguation).

Mubarak Mosque
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Branch/traditionAhmadiyya
Location
LocationTilford, Surrey, England
AdministrationAhmadiyya Muslim Community
Geographic coordinates51°11′26.5″N 0°45′3.6″W
Architecture
TypeMosque
Completed2019
Specifications
Capacity500 (up to 2,000 with neighbouring halls)[1]
Dome(s)1
Minaret(s)2
Minaret height13m

Site history
See also: Islamabad, Tilford

The place was established as Sheephatch Camp School, one of the 32 camp schools erected in 1939, designed by Thomas S Tait of Burnet, Tait & Lorne architects following the Camp Act 1939. During World War II, it was used as wartime evacuation centre for Ruckholt Road Central School in Leyton and later closed in 1943. The camp was leased to Surrey County Council from National Camps Corporation in 1946 and maintained it as a co-educational boarding school until its closure in 1977. The land was sold for £80,000 but was again put on auction in 1984 and bought by Ahmadiyya Muslim Association.[4][5][6][7][8]

The Islamabad site was used for the Jalsa Salana, the annual convention of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community between 1985 and 2004. Since then the convention has moved to Hadeeqatul Mahdi near Alton.[9]

In 2015, Waverley Council granted building permission for a new mosque and other facilities on the 10.3 hectares (25 acres) site and a complete modernisation of the facilities was commissioned by Carter Jonas.[5][10]

Headquarters
See also: Ahmadiyya § The Headquarters

The International Headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community moved from Fazl Mosque, London to Islamabad on 15 April 2019, after serving for a period of 35 years since the fourth caliph of the community, Mirza Tahir Ahmad left Pakistan in 1984.[11]

The formal inauguration of the mosque was held on 29 June 2019 in the presence of faith, civic and religious leaders. Around 300 guests were in attendance, including MP Dominic Grieve, former attorney general, MP Sir Ed Davey, chair of Tilford Parish Council Debra Lee, and former mayor of Farnham David Attfield.[12]

Building

The mosque building consists of one dome and 32 fins including a glazed window in each fin. The mosque has two minarets standing just over 13m high with each minaret having a gilded finials.[10]

It is also the final resting place of Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth caliph of the Ahmadiyya Movement.

See also

References
  1. "A blessed Friday at the new Markaz". 17 May 2019.
  2. "Former Foreign Secretary Visits Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community | Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK | Love For All Hatred For None". Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  3. "Head Of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Opens New Central Mosque In Islamabad, Tilford, UK". Press & Media Office. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  4. "Detail 1645 – Screen Archive South East". Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  5. "Islamabad Education Centre | Architecture and Building Consultancy". Carter Jonas. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  6. "The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community". Exploring Surrey's Past. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  7. Sheephatch School, Surrey | Thames News (in Turkish), retrieved 19 August 2020
  8. "From a wartime school to the Ahmadiyya Markaz". Al Hakam. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  9. "Jalsa Salana: Thousands head to Alton farm religious gathering". BBC News. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  10. "Project 1". IJF Developments Ltd. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  11. "Historic Moment – Islamabad In Surrey Becomes The New Headquarters And Centre Of The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community". Press & Media Office. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  12. "Muslim leader opens new Tilford mosque". Farnham Herald. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
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