This is a little difficult to find out. As, the definition of West, it is somewhat confusing. So, let’s start by finding out what IS west. West, other than being a direction on the compass, is any country which has Greco-Roman roots in its culture. By this we mean mostly these countries: the European countries, the Americas, the Australasian continent and Canada. Each of these countries has its own Muslim community and one Mosque is more beautiful than the other. A common statistic of all these countries is currently unavailable. Therefore, one from the upper echelons of the world’s best mosques must be chosen, one that is located in the West.
What is more typically West than London? And it is in this busy city that the most famous mosque in the world is located. London harbors a Muslim population of more than one million people, as of a study conducted in 2011. It is in London that the Baitul Futuh Mosque is located. The name literally translates into English as “The House of Victories.” It is located in a suburb of London, in the city’s south-west part, called Morden. The mosque was completed in2003 at a cost of around £5.5 million. None of the money came from external sources but was donated entirely by the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Community. Covering an area of 5.2 acres, it can accommodate a maximum of 10,000 worshippers within itself. The mosque was declared open to the public on the 3rd of October 2003.
The architecture is distinctively Arabic. The mosque has one dome and two minarets. The minarets are 35m and 25.5m respectively. Although constructed by the Ahmadiyyah community in London, the mosques extends itself to the services of the greater Muslim community and everyone is welcome to its prayer halls. It holds the Muslim prayers (Salaat) five times and day and offers a host of religious services to its worshippers. Other than the basic service of prayers, it also helps carry out a large number of programs the aim of which is to promote Islam as being a peaceful, harmless religion that believes in submission to none other but the Supreme Being, that is, Allah. Among these programs are school tours, community events, peace symposiums, and hosting the BBC 4 program: Any Questions?
A variety of facilities are available to the worshippers worshipping at the Baitul Futuh and these include: separate prayer halls for both genders, access to a library that has a rich collection of books and documents, Gymnasium for fitness, guest rooms for guests. There are also multi-functional rooms, offices, kitchen and dining facilities, and being home to the MTA Television Studios. Occasionally, it hosts many exhibitions that enrich the mind of its worshippers.
In a mosque one of the most important facilities is the washroom facilities as the wealthy is compulsory before an act of Salaat or Koran recitation. That being the case, there is almost no chance to complain about the washroom facilities of the Mosque. Other than the general WC’s, it has washed basins, footbaths and showers. For the disabled, there are toilets also. And for worshippers who have come with their babies, there are baby changing units. In addition to all of these facilities, it also has drinking fountains.
This indeed is a mosque that should be famous all over the world.
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