Baitul Futuh, Morden Mosque Open Day – Mashood Ahmad RR6

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community initiated their public ‘Open Day’ on the 18th of February 2018 in their prestigious Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, Surrey. The event was held from the early morning to the late evening, with a wide plethora of guests invited from across the local community to invest in peaceful community cohesion.

Translated into the ‘House of Victory’, the Baitul Futuh Mosque was erected in 2003, and stands as the single largest mosque in the United Kingdom, and towers as the largest purpose-built mosque in Western Europe. It is home to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a denomination of Islam founded in 1889 in India by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who claimed to be the Promised Messiah of the latter days. The community is now the single largest organised group of Muslims in the world, with dedicated followers scattered over two hundred countries across the world.   

The esteemed community, whose members echo the motto ‘Love for All: Hatred for None’, held their annual ‘Open Day’ last Sunday, on the 18th of February, calling guests from around the region to visit the mosque and develop their knowledge with regards to the community, to Islam and to the importance of religious plurality, universal compassion and social acceptance of difference and diversity. Guests ranged from distinguished dignitaries to neighbours of the local community. Their day consisted of a comprehensive and highly engaging tour on the mosque’s history and architecture, as well as talks and discussions on Islam, and religion as a whole, and its role in establishing and preserving peace in society. Talks were held on the Islamic way of life, such as the five daily prayers, the true pristine teachings of the Holy Quran, discussions on the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the practise of fasting and its spiritual significance and benefits, and the wisdom behind the Islamic celebration of Eid. Refreshments were provided to the guests, who enjoyed a day where an atmosphere of friendship and togetherness was embraced through the vision of a common supreme goal for respect and equality for everyone in society; indistinguishable from gender, race, religion or class.

In addition to the mosque’s religious purposes, the Baitul Futuh Mosque also hosts the studios for MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya), a television channel broadcasted worldwide twenty-four seven. It presents programmes on a daily basis circumventing discussions on religion, science, politics, culture; but the highlight of each week lies in the global broadcast of the Friday sermon delivered by the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, translated into eight different languages and viewed by millions across the world. Such commitment and allegiance to spreading the true peaceful teachings of Islam surely cannot be paralleled by any other community.

As a community, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association has immortalised their reputation as a community forever striving for the ideals of peace and justice. For instance, the Association had held their revered ‘Pan African Peace Symposium’ just last October celebrating the diversity of British Ahmadi Muslims of African provenance. Moreover, the highlight of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s year, the ‘National Peace Symposium’ is scheduled to be held on the 17th of March 2018, with the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, to grace the event with his presence, as well as a myriad of dignitaries in the form of MP’s, Ministers, Politicians and members of the government.

The dedication of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in championing a community lifestyle whereby all the members of the local community benefit greatly from their highly inclusive activities is exemplified by their plethora of educational and philanthropic roles. The Baitul Futuh Mosque, for instance, orchestrates trips for various schools and colleges from across the country to visit the renowned house of worship; and for students to evolve their knowledge of Islamic history and theology, so as to stimulate a healthy education in the youth of our society. Moreover, the mosque also acts as a centre for academic examinations for local colleges and educational institutions, and discussions are held on a regular basis on a broad range of religious and secular topics of debate. Hence, the Baitul Futuh Mosque acts as a beacon of education and of social betterment for the wider spectrum of the community as well. 

In terms of impacting the local community, the active service which the members of the association provide resonates far beyond the religious platform. The mosque hosts a ‘National Armed Forces Day’, for members of the local community to express gratitude to the war veterans who have served the country, as well as learning more about the armed forces. Likewise, the mosque holds programmes against anti-social behaviour, initiates charity walks and fundraisers, contributes to the elderly community and provides food for the homeless in planned homeless feeding schemes. Furthermore, the mosque also organises multifarious community development works, assisting with local public cleaning and tree plantation. The Mosque also holds a gym and an annual careers fare for the local youth. Thus, significant events such as these allow for members of the community to gather with the sole purpose and motivation to discuss a positive reform of society, and to eradicate the fears and prejudices which infect the darkest chasms of our communities. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association’s fostering of such progressive ideals demonstrates that religion is a force of benevolence in the world, not conflict. Therefore, the ‘Open Day’, as but of a countless number of examples, was a fantastic opportunity for the religious, and non- religiously affiliated to inspire a collective diligence in one another, and to emphasise the absolute paramount nature of needing to engage with different members of our community, so as to exterminate fear; the prime catalyst of hatred and social marginalisation.

In summary, the ‘Open Day’ which took place in Baitul Futuh Mosque in Surrey on the 18th of February, was a demonstration of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s dedication and zeal towards building bridges between people, and orchestrating a peaceful effort in understanding and resolving the issues of our time. The Community’s spearheading of the core fundamental values of freedom, justice, peace and respect shape the legacy of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as people of true faith and an honest sincere desire to relieve the burden of human suffering. Furthermore, it is a testament to the Merton Council’s devotion to fashion a better community for the residents of the borough.

By Mashood Ahmad, RR6