The Fazl Mosque in Wandsworth, also known as London Mosque, is observing its centennial following its establishment as London’s first mosque a century ago. The white building, initially described as impressive and beautiful in contemporary accounts, was opened with formal ceremonies attended by approximately 600 eminent guests.
The mosque serves members of the UK’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community and has become well-integrated within its south London neighborhood. According to Mahmood Rafiq of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, the institution emphasizes engagement with the broader community through various outreach activities. The mosque distributes gifts to local children during religious celebrations, extends greetings to neighbors during their own festivities, participates in environmental maintenance, and offers solidarity to other faith communities. The building has served multiple functions beyond religious worship, including as an air raid shelter during the Second World War and more recently as a venue for blood donation drives and vaccination programs.
The mosque was designated as a listed building by Historic England in 2018 and retains much of its original architectural character, featuring vertical windows, a green dome, and white exterior. The establishment of the mosque was financed substantially by a group of Ahmadi Muslims from Qadian in India, many of whom sold personal jewelry to support the project despite knowing they would likely never visit the completed structure.
Historically, the mosque has hosted notable figures, including Muhammad Ali Jinnah, an Indian politician and barrister. According to institutional records, the mosque’s imam in the 1930s, Abdur Rahim Dard, played a significant role in developments preceding the partition of British India and the establishment of Pakistan as an independent state. Jinnah delivered a keynote address at the mosque that proved influential in India’s subsequent political trajectory.
For its centenary observance, the mosque is distributing 10,000 free meals to homeless individuals and emphasizes a message of “a century of connection.” Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the current leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, characterized the mosque as embodying principles of neighborly service, loyalty to the United Kingdom, and peacemaking across faith boundaries, describing it as “a beacon of peace.”
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