The Fazl Mosque in Wandsworth, London’s oldest mosque, is marking 100 years since its establishment. The building was originally described by journalists attending its opening ceremony as “a thing of beauty,” featuring a distinctive white exterior with black doors that were ceremonially opened with a silver key. Approximately 600 eminent guests attended the inaugural event.
The mosque is home to members of the UK’s Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and has become an integral part of its local area. According to Mahmood Rafiq of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, the institution prioritizes engagement with the wider community through various activities, including distributing sweets to local children during Eid, extending Christmas greetings to neighbors, and providing support to other faith communities. The organization emphasizes a core message of “love for all, hatred for none.”
Beyond its religious function, the mosque has served multiple community purposes throughout its history. During the second world war, it operated as an air raid shelter, and more recently it has functioned as a blood donation center and COVID-19 vaccination site. The building itself was granted listed status by Historic England in 2018 and retains much of its original character, including its distinctive green dome, vertical windows, and surrounding English rose gardens.
The mosque’s founding involved significant sacrifice from Ahmadi Muslims from Qadian in India, many of them women who sold their jewelry to finance the land purchase, despite knowing they would likely never visit the completed structure. The institution has hosted notable historical figures, including Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who delivered a keynote speech in the mosque gardens that reportedly influenced India’s partition and the creation of Pakistan in August 1947. To commemorate the centenary, the community plans to distribute 10,000 free meals to homeless people and has adopted the theme “a century of connection.”
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