The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was established in the United Kingdom in July 1913 as one of the oldest Islamic associations in the UK. The community has built its presence with the establishment of significant sites such as The London Mosque in 1926. Over the decades the community has grown and become known for its annual convention the Jalsa Salana , interfaith dialogues and humanitarian efforts. The UK has also served as the headquarters of the community since 1984 currently in Islamabad, Tilford, in Surrey. [1]
In July 1913, Fateh Muhammad Sial was the first missionary sent overseas by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and was under the direction of Hakeem Noor-ud-Din, the first caliph of the movement. Not many years after arriving, the need for a mosque in the UK became apparent and in 1926, the Fazl Mosque was formally opened in London and it became the city's first mosque. [2] [3] The community expanded and built many mosques and mission houses across the country. The most notable of which is Baitul Futuh Mosque in South London stands as one of the largest in Western Europe. [4]
Ahmadiyya by country |
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Since the forced exile of the fourth caliph of the community, Mirza Tahir Ahmad from Pakistan in 1984, the Fazl Mosque, London served as International Headquarters for a period of 35 years before moving the International Headquarters to Mubarak Mosque, Tilford on 15 April 2019. It is also the centre for its international annual convention, the Jalsa Salana, which is held in Alton, Hampshire at Hadeeqatul Mahdi.
The movement, though free to practice their faith in the UK, suffers from Sunni bigotry in the UK. It has faced instances of persecution of discrimination over the past century. [5] They are not recognised as Muslims by the Muslim Council of Britain and are targets for vilification by the Khatme Nubuwwat Academy. [6] [7] [8] Ahmadi students face discrimination in educational settings and workplaces. [9]
As of 2017, there are 35,000 Ahmadis in the UK in 150 local chapters. [10] [11] Presently, there are around 45 Mosques & community centres belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the UK, out of which around 25 are purpose-built mosques. [12] Additionally there several centres across England which are used for Salat and events. [13]
Greater London and Muqami regions:
Also known as 'East Region'.
Mosque | City | Region | Year | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | Inaugurated | ||||
Baitul Ahad Mosque | Newham | East | 2010 (Inaug.) | ( 51°32′02″N0°02′21″E / 51.533891°N 0.039033°E ) | |
Baitul Ahad | Waltham Forest | Est. | ( 51°35′15″N0°01′37″W / 51.587398°N 0.026878°W ) | ||
Nasir Mosque | Gillingham | 1975 | 2014 | ( 51°23′41″N0°33′04″E / 51.39481427°N 0.5511943°E ) |
Mosque | City | Region | Year | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | Inaugurated | ||||
Baitul Ehsan Mosque | Leamington Spa | East Midlands | 2008 (Est.) | ( 52°17′19″N1°32′29″W / 52.288608°N 1.541299°W ) | |
Baitul Hafeez Mosque | Nottingham | 2001 (Est.) | 2018 | ( 52°57′21″N1°07′01″W / 52.955939°N 1.116966°W ) | |
Baitul Ikram Mosque | Leicester | 1990s | 2016 | ( 52°36′52″N1°07′09″W / 52.61454466°N 1.1192681°W ) | |
Baitus Suboor | Burton upon Trent | 2024 (Est.) | ( 52°48′22″N1°36′24″W / 52.806102°N 1.606758°W ) |
Mosque | City | Region | Year | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | Inaugurated | ||||
Baitul Ata Mosque | Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 2012 (Inaug.) | ( 52°34′59″N2°06′06″W / 52.583175°N 2.101566°W ) | |
Darul Barakaat Mosque | Birmingham | 1999 | 2004 | ( 52°28′36″N1°51′54″W / 52.4767°N 1.8651°W ) | |
Baitul Muqeet Mosque | Walsall | 2009 | 2018 | ( 52°34′50″N1°58′58″W / 52.580523°N 1.982831°W ) | |
Baitul Ghafoor Mosque | Dudley | 2012 (Inaug.) | ( 52°27′51″N2°01′45″W / 52.464112°N 2.029302°W ) |
Mosque | City | Region | Year | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | Inaugurated | ||||
Al-Mahdi Mosque | Bradford | North East | 2008 (Built) | ( 53°48′04″N1°44′40″W / 53.8011°N 1.7444°W ) | |
Baitul Hamd | 1980 (Inaug.) | ( 53°47′33″N1°43′45″W / 53.79241545°N 1.72915579°W ) | |||
Baitul Haleem | Keighley | <2008 (Est.) | ( 53°51′51″N1°54′23″W / 53.864071°N 1.906414°W ) | ||
Nasir Mosque | Hartlepool | 2005 (Built) | ( 54°41′35″N1°12′58″W / 54.6931°N 1.2162°W ) |
Mosque | City | Region | Year | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | Inaugurated | ||||
Darul Amaan Mosque | Manchester | North West | 2000s | 2012 | ( 53°27′44″N2°14′22″W / 53.46227002°N 2.23944977°W ) |
Sadiq Mosque | Rhyl, Wales | 2014 (Est). | ( 53°18′54″N3°29′53″W / 53.314946°N 3.498081°W ) | ||
Baitul Lateef Mosque | Liverpool | 2015 (Est.) | ( 53°25′28″N2°57′19″W / 53.42454°N 2.95536°W ) | ||
Baitur Rasheed | Blackburn | 2021 (Est.) | ( 53°44′39″N2°30′16″W / 53.744219°N 2.504511°W ) | ||
Baitul Aziz | Bolton | 2024 (Est). | ( 53°36′06″N2°32′58″W / 53.601655°N 2.549316°W ) |
Mosque | City | Region | Year | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | Inaugurated | ||||
Baitul Afiyat Mosque | Sheffield | Yorkshire | 2006 | 2008 | ( 53°23′15″N1°27′02″W / 53.3876091°N 1.45069153°W ) |
Baitul Atta Mosque | Spen Valley | 1990s | ? | ( 53°42′21″N1°39′12″W / 53.705805°N 1.653444°W ) | |
Baitul Baseer | Doncaster | 2023 (Est.) | ( 53°29′06″N1°11′19″W / 53.484894°N 1.188574°W ) | ||
Baitus Salaam Mosque | Scunthorpe | 2002 | 2023 | ( 53°35′11″N0°40′25″W / 53.58628°N 0.67371°W ) | |
Baitul Tauhid Mosque | Huddersfield | 2008 | – | Currently being renovated and rebuilt | |
Baitul Samad | Est. | ( 53°39′04″N1°46′47″W / 53.65102261°N 1.77967223°W ) |
Mosque | City | Region | Year | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | Inaugurated | ||||
Bait-ur-Rahman Mosque | Glasgow | Scotland | 1984 | 1985 | ( 55°51′58″N4°17′24″W / 55.866022°N 4.290068°W ) |
Bait-ul-Mahmood Mosque | Dundee | ? | ( 56°28′21″N2°58′08″W / 56.472461°N 2.968935°W ) |
Mosque | City | Region | Year | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Established | Inaugurated | ||||
Baitur Raheem Mosque | Cardiff, Wales | South West | ? | – | Currently being renovated and rebuilt |
The Ahmadiyya Muslim community first began its media broadcasts in 1992 with Ahmadiyya Muslim Presentations (AMP), a part-time channel which would broadcast the weekly sermons of the caliph. This evolved into the 24-hour TV channel, now known as MTA1 World as the first Islamic TV channel in the UK in 1994. It was launched on the Sky UK platform and operated from The London Mosque. Since then, it has launched several other channels around the world while maintaining the Baitul Futuh Mosque as its headquarters. In early 2016, the community launched the Voice of Islam radio channel which covers several cities across the UK, including Greater London and Greater Manchester.
The community publishes several magazines and newspapers aimed for the benefit of the community. The two main newspapers run by the community in the UK are the Daily Al-Fazl in Urdu and Al Hakam, an English periodical. The Daily Al-Fazl started an international service in 1994, where it was published in Islamabad, Tilford, and in 2023 it became as the permanent headquarters of the periodical.
Rabwah, officially known as Chenab Nagar, is a city in Chiniot District, Punjab, Pakistan on the bank of Chenab River.
Muslim Television Ahmadiyya International (MTA), a globally-broadcasting, nonprofit satellite television network and a division of Al-Shirkatul Islamiyyah, was established in 1994 and launched the world's first Islamic TV channel to broadcast globally. It serves as the official media outlet for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, based in Islamabad, Tilford and funded entirely from donations by the members of the community. The network operates ten 24-hour channels for different regions of the world, including terrestrial TV as well as satellite television.
The Baitul Futuh is a mosque complex of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, situated in Morden, London. It is one of the largest mosque complexes in Europe. Completed in 2003 at a cost of £15 million, entirely from donations of Ahmadi Muslims, the Mosque can accommodate a total of 13,000 worshippers. The main mosque has a height of 23m above ground, and to maximise capacity the building extends below ground. Baitul Futuh is located in the south-west London suburb London Borough of Merton. It is situated next to Morden South railway station, 0.4 miles from Morden Underground station and one mile from Morden Road tram stop.
Mirza Tahir Ahmad was the fourth caliph and the head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He was elected as the fourth successor of the founder of the community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He was elected on 10 June 1982, the day after the death of his predecessor, Mirza Nasir Ahmad.
Mirza Nasir Ahmad was the third Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from Pakistan. He was elected as the third successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on 8 November 1965, the day after the death of his predecessor and father, Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad.
Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad was the second caliph, leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the eldest son of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad from his second wife, Nusrat Jahan Begum. He was elected as the second successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on 14 March 1914 at the age of 25, the day after the death of his predecessor Hakim Nur-ud-Din.
The Fazl Mosque also known as The London Mosque, is the first purpose-built mosque in London, England. It was opened on 23 October 1926 in Southfields, Wandsworth. At a cost of £6,223, the construction of the mosque and the purchase of the land on which it stands, was financed by the donations of Ahmadi Muslim women in Qadian, Punjab, British India. Between 1984 and 2019 the Fazl Mosque was the residence of the caliphs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and therefore its de facto international headquarters. The administrative headquarters now lies at the site of the Islamabad, Tilford.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad is the current and fifth leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His official title within the movement is Fifth Caliph of the Messiah. He was elected on 22 April 2003, three days after the death of his predecessor Mirza Tahir Ahmad.
Bai'at or Bay'ah is an Islamic practice of declaring on oath, one's allegiance to a particular leader. In an Islamic religious context, this oath is the standard procedure of pledging allegiance to a religious leader. It is known to have been practiced by the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his successors (caliphs) after him with those wishing to join the Islamic community. Within the Sufi tradition the term is used to refer to the process of initiation into a Sufi order with the idea of commending oneself to a spiritual master in exchange for the spiritual and moral guidance imparted by him. The Bay'ah is a practice that also forms a notable feature within Ahmadiyya Islam. Following the death of a Caliph, the leader of the Community, a pledge of allegiance is taken by the newly chosen Caliph from members of the Community based upon this prophetic model and the bay'ah is the standard procedure for formally joining the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
The Basharat Mosque, also known as Masjid Basharat, is a mosque in Pedro Abad, Córdoba, Spain.
Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed as both the Promised Mahdi and Messiah expected by Muslims to appear towards the end times and bring about, by peaceful means, the final triumph of Islam; as well as to embody, in this capacity, the expected eschatological figure of other major religious traditions. Adherents of the Ahmadiyya—a term adopted expressly in reference to Muhammad's alternative name Ahmad—are known as Ahmadi Muslims or simply Ahmadis.
Jalsa Salana is a formal, annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. It was initiated in 1891 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the community, in Qadian, India. Usually, the gathering spans three days, beginning with the flag hoisting ceremony following the Friday Sermon. Although the convention held in the UK is deemed to be the major and 'international Jalsa' attended by Ahmadis from across the world, Ahmadis in other countries hold their own national Jalsas, sometimes attended by the Khalifatul Masih.
Jāmi’ah al-Ahmadīyyah is an International Islamic seminary and educational institute with campuses in Pakistan, United Kingdom, India, Ghana, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, In addition, there are affiliated Mu'alimeen centers in Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leone Madagascar and some other countries. This historical institute was founded in 1906 as a Section in Madrassa Talim ul Islam by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is the main centre of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for Islamic learning.
Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sial (1887–1960) was a companion of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and the first Ahmadi missionary sent from India, under the leadership of Hakeem Noor-ud-Din, the first Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya movement. In 1913, Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad asked for volunteers to serve as Ahmadi missionaries in England. Sial volunteered and travelled to England on June 22, 1913 and arrived the following month. There he served twice as a missionary. He earned an MA in Arabic from the Aligarh Muslim University.
Ahmadiyya is a religious community in Norway, under the spiritual leadership of the caliph in London. In the history of the Community it is stated that two Norwegian women converted in the 1920s. However, it was not until 1957, during the era of the Second Caliphate, when Kamal Yousuf, then a missionary in Sweden, moved to Oslo to establish the first Ahmadiyya mission in the country. Today, there are a number of mosques, including the largest mosque in Scandinavia, the Baitun Nasr Mosque, representing an estimated 1700 Ahmadi in the country.
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic movement in Australia, first formally founded in the country in the 1980s, during the era of the fourth caliph. However, the history of the Community dates back to the early 20th century, during the lifetime of the founder of the movement, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, with the first contacts arising as a consequence of Australians travelling to British India, and also as a consequence of early, "Afghan" camel drivers settling in Australia during the mid to late 19th century. Today there are at least 1000 Ahmadi mosques in all Australian states, representing an estimated 6,000-9,000 Australian Ahmadis in the country.
The Mubarak Mosque is a mosque in Tilford, Surrey, England, on the site of the international headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, formally known as Islamabad, Tilford. It was inaugurated on Friday 17 May 2019 by Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Islamabad, in the village of Tilford, Surrey, England, is an estate which serves as the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Islamabad is 10.4 hectares in area, where four hectares are used for headquarter buildings, offices and residential housing. It is the resting place of Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth caliph of the community.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was founded in Belgium in 1981, with an approximate 2000 adherents and over 15 branches within Belgium as of 2024.