Assalamu Alaikum (Peace be upon you)!

First of all thanks so much for taking the time to visit, I hope you are all well! 

I made a pledge of £5000 for Masjid Al-Hikmah new mosque project I set up a this JustGiving page, and will also do mini bake sales, sell stuff etc..

This project is quite important to me, its an opportunity for us Aberdonian Muslims to get a brand new dedicated mosque & community centre which caters for all of us, and also is open to people of other faiths/beliefs.

Aberdeen's population is growing quite large, and so is the Muslim community. Its a very diverse culturally and the needs of this community are not really being met with the mosque/s we currently have.

We have two mosques that I know of. One that started up in the 90's that was originally a bank and now also consists of 3 more houses joined on next to it. There has been quite a few renovations over the years, but is still not big enough for our ever growing community.

The other one is in the city centre and actually was so small that the church next door donated part of their building so there would be more space. Also the city centre mosque is mainly for males so is not a convenient place for sisters to pray.

Both of them get really overcrowded, I heard especially at Jumah prayer - people have prayed outside the building many times (which is why the church donated). When we have large prayers like Eid prayer or functions we usually have to hire a hall or building. We also use the the main mosque for weekend school where I teach and because the buildings get so overcrowded we haven't got space for more children, meaning there's a huge waiting list.

So its important we get a dedicated place. I'm sure a lot of you guys have heard of this project already :)

If you haven't heard of the Al-Hikmah Mosque project yet, please visit their site http://www.masjidalhikmah.org.uk/about-us.html and see for yourself what it's all about :)

A brief overview of what this new mosque will provide (Insha Allah - God willing):

• Dedicated sections for men and women (prayer halls, Wudu units, kitchen, meeting rooms etc)
  
• Places for families to gather for different events (Eid prayer, community events)
  
• Classrooms for people to learn, both adults & children
  
• Funeral Preperaton Facilities
  

and more Insha Allah :) (I hope sports & recreation facilities too ;))

Another reason why I love this project is because the team behind it seem so dedicated, professional and really have their plan well thought out :) The mosque design looks so beautiful too. And they are open to suggestions from the community. Its not just one person's vision, but something we can all contribute in.

At the Al-Hikmah Charity Fundraising Dinner the guest speaker Ajmal Masroor said something that really inspired me, he said, kids come to the mosque and pray, then leave to play, when it should be they come to pray and play.

I really want this mosque for us, our future generation, for all the people that come from other cities, countries to visit. I want it to be a place we can invite our friends who have other beliefs and help them understand more about us. I want it to be a place when people can worship, learn and also have fun.

May Allah help us with this vision and make it even better. Whether you are Muslim or non-Muslim (and even if you don't live in Aberdeen! You can come visit! :D), I invite you to donate for this cause.

So guys dig deep into your pockets, squeeze out those extra change from your purse, and help me reach my (slightly terrifying) target ;) Any donation will be received gratefully!

You can also donate on behalf of your loved ones, who have passed away, and will receive the reward of donating.

I will also be putting cash donations, anything we raise through fundraising or sales into this JustGiving account.

And with the support of YOU :D, my lovely friends & family I really hope to reach this target (or more :P) within a few months.