Mosque

Our masjid is open daily to conduct the five daily prayers led by our Imams. Our Jummah (Friday prayer) includes two prayer arrangements to try to facilitate our large Muslim population. We also have two Imams available at different times to provide Islamic advice to anyone who needs it. We are currently in the process of rebuilding the Masjid next door. We have moved to temporary accommodation but still running daily prayers. Due to space restrictions, facilities are very limited and very basic. At the moment, we are unable to offer facilities for sisters to pray. 

Meet our Imams

Maulana Yousuf Patel

In 1998 I joined Noor Ul Islam as Head Imam and have been doing this role till present. As the Head Imam I lead the majority of the prayers and deliver Khutbahs every Friday. I also hold weekly Islamic circles for the community and an advice service twice a week. I also work at the Madrassa (Islamic school). I am involved in setting the syllabus which the teachers follow at the Madrassa and also a part of educating the children on Islam and helping with their development.

Shaykh Mohamed Abdulle

I joined Noor Ul Islam in 1996. Over the years being involved at Noor Ul Islam I have seen great progress with the number of services increasing as well as its users.  My role involves being able to provide counselling and Islamic advice to those who need it. I teach at the madrassa, educating our children in becoming good practising Muslims. I also hold advice sessions. I am occasionally called upon to lead prayers and deliver khutbahs (Friday sermons).

About Islam

The word “Islam” is an Arabic word that means “submitting and surrendering your will to Almighty God”. The word comes from the same root as the Arabic word “Salam”, which means to achieve peace – with God, within oneself and peace with the creations of God through willingly submission to God and accepting His guidance.

Unlike the names used for other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, the name for the religion of Islaam was both revealed by God and carries a deep spritual meaning – only by submitting one’s will to Almighty God can one obtain true peace both in this life and in the life hereafter.

Islam teaches that all religions originally had the same essential message – which was to submit whole-heartedly to the will of God and to worship Him and Him alone. For this reason, Islam is not a new religion but is the same divinely revealed Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

To learn more please contact us.

The Arabic word “Muslim” literally means “someone who submits to the will of God”.

 

The message of Islaam is meant for the entire world and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim.

 

Some people mistakenly believe that Islaam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world’s Muslims are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists.

 

If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World – from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia – it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups and nationalities.

 

From the very beginning, Islaam had a universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God.

 

A Muslim is a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you don’t see it as much today, the word “Mohammedans” was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer and is the result of either wilful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.

Very often one will hear the Arabic word “Allaah” being used in regards to Islaam.

 

The word “Allaah” is simply the Arabic word for Almighty God, and is the same word used by Arabic speaking Christians and Jews.

 

If one were to pick up an Arabic translation of the Bible, one would see the word “Allaah” being use where the word “God” is used in English. Actually, the Arabic word for Almighty God, “Allaah”, is quite similar to the word for God in other Semitic languages – for example, the Hebrew word for God is “Elah”.

 

For various reasons, some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians. This is certainly not the case, since the Pure Monotheism of Islaam calls all people to the worship of the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all of the other prophets. However, even though Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God -since there is only one God – their concepts concerning Him differ in some significant ways.

 

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The last and final prophet that God sent to humanity was the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

 

Muhammad explained, interpreted and lived the teachings of Islaam.

 

The Prophet Muhammad is the greatest of all prophets for many reasons, but mainly because the results of his mission have brought more people into the pure belief in One God than any other prophet.

 

Even though other religious communities claimed to believe in One God, over time they had corrupted their beliefs by taking their prophets and saints as intercessors with Almighty God.

 

Some religions believe their prophets to be manifestations of God, “God Incarnate” or the “Son of God”. All of these false ideas lead to the creature being worshipped instead of the Creator, which contributed to the idolatrous practice of believing that Almighty God can be approached through intermediaries. In order to guard against these falsehoods, the Prophet Muhammad always emphasised that he was only a human-being tasked with the preaching of God’s message. He taught Muslims to refer to him as “the Messenger of God and His Slave”.

 

To Muslims, Muhammad is the supreme example for all people – he was the exemplary prophet, statesman, military leader, ruler, teacher, neighbour, husband, father and friend. Unlike other prophets and messengers, the Prophet Muhammad lived in the full light of history. Muslims don’t need to have “faith” that he existed and that his teachings are preserved – they know it to be a fact. Even when his followers only numbered a few dozen, Almighty God informed Muhammad that he had be sent as a mercy to all of mankind. Because people had distorted or forgotten God’s messages, God took it upon Himself to protect the message revealed to Muhammad. This was because Almighty God promised not to send another messenger after him.

 

Since all of God’s messengers have preached the message of Islaam – i.e. submission to the will of God and the worship of God alone – Muhammad is actually the last prophet of Islaam, not the first.

 

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The foundation of the Islaamic faith is belief in the Unity of God.

 

This means to believe that there is only one Creator and Sustainer of everything in the Universe, and that nothing is divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Him.

 

Truly believing in the Unity of God means much more than simply believing that there is “One God” – as opposed to two, three or four.

 

There are a number of religions that claim belief in “One God” and believe that ultimately there is only one Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Islaam, however, not only insists on this, but also rejects using such words as “Lord” and “Saviour” for anyone besides Almighty God. Islaam also rejects the use of all intermediaries between God and Man, and insists that people approach God directly and reserve all worship for Him alone. Muslims believe that Almighty God is Compassionate, Loving and Merciful.

 

The essence of falsehood is the claim that God cannot deal with and forgive His creatures directly. By over-emphasising the burden of sin, as well as claiming that God cannot forgive you directly, false religions seek to get people to despair of the Mercy of God. Once they are convinced that they cannot approach God directly, people can be mislead into turning to false gods for help. These “false gods” can take various forms, such as saints, angels, or someone who is believed to be the “Son of God” or “God Incarnate”. In almost all cases, people who worship, pray to or seek help from a false god don’t consider it to be, or call it, a “god”. They claim belief in One Supreme God, but claim that they pray to and worship others beside God only to get closer to Him. In Islaam, there is a clear distinction between the Creator and the created. There is no ambiguity in divinity – anything that is created is not deserving of worship and only the Creator is worthy of being worshipped. Some religions falsely believe that God has become part of His creation, and this has led people to believe that they can worship something created in order to reach their Creator.

 

Muslims believe that even though God is Unique and beyond comprehension – He has no “Son”, partners or associates. According to Muslim belief, Almighty God “does not beget nor was He begotten” – neither literally, allegorically, metaphorically, physically or metaphysically – He is Absolutely Unique and Eternal. He is in control of everything and is perfectly capable of bestowing His infinite Mercy and Forgiveness to whomever He chooses. That is why is called the All-Powerful and Most-Merciful. Almighty God has created the Universe for man, and as such wants the best for all human beings. Muslims see everything in the Universe as a sign of the Creatorship and Benevolence of Almighty God. Also, the belief in the Unity of God is not merely a metaphysical concept. It is a dynamic belief that effects ones view of humanity, society and all aspects of life. As a logical corollary to the Islaamic belief in the Oneness of God, is its belief in the oneness of mankind and humanity.

 

To learn more please contact us.

Islam is a widely-misunderstood religion. Those who are unfamiliar with the faith often have misunderstandings about its teachings and practices. Common misconceptions include that Muslims worship a moon-god, that Islam is oppressive against women, or that Islam is a faith that promotes violence. Here we bust these myths and expose the true teachings of Islam.

 

Common Misconception 1: Muslims worship a Moon-God

Some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Allah is an “Arab god,” a “moon god,” or some sort of idol. Allah is the proper name of the One True God, in the Arabic language. The most fundamental belief that a Muslim has is that “There is only One God,” the Creator, the Sustainer — known in the Arabic language and by Muslims as Allah. Arabic-speaking Christians use the same word for the Almighty.

 

Common Misconception 2: Muslims dont believe in Jesus

In the Qur’an, stories about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ (called ‘Isa in Arabic) are abundant. The Qur’an recalls his miraculous birth, his teachings, and the miracles he performed by God’s permission. There is even a chapter of the Qur’an named after his mother, Mary (Miriam in Arabic). However, Muslims believe that Jesus was a fully human prophet and not in any way divine himself.

 

Common Misconception 3: Islam oppresses women

Most of the ill-treatment that women receive in the Muslim world is based on local culture and traditions, without any basis in the faith of Islam. In fact, practices such as forced marriage, spousal abuse, and restricted movement directly contradict Islamic law governing family behavior and personal freedom.

 

Common Misconception 4: Muslims are violent, terrorist extremists

Terrorism cannot be justified under any valid interpretation of the Islamic faith. The entire Qur’an, taken as a complete text, gives a message of hope, faith, and peace to a faith community of one billion people. The overwhelming message is that peace is to be found through faith in God, and justice among fellow human beings. Muslim leaders and scholars do speak out against terrorism in all its forms, and offer explanations of misinterpreted or twisted teachings.

Islamic Advice

ISLAMIC ADVICE SERVICE

Our Imams will be available to provide Islamic Advice

(Weekdays Only)

Please phone 020 8558 0786 (option 1) to make an appointment
Shaykh Mohamed AbdulleMaulana Yousuf Patel
Monday – FridayThursday only
9.30am to 4.00pmSummer Times
3.20pm to 4.20pm
 Winter Times
2:00pm to 3.00pm

Zakat

Who Needs to Pay Zakat

 

To pay the Zakat, one must be a Muslim, sane adult, in possession of thenisab (the minimum amount of wealth that one must have before zakat is payable) for one whole year. See the current monetary nisab value above.

 

Items from which wealth can be derived include: cattle, crops, gold, silver, and merchandise for business. Zakat must be paid on cash deposits held in bank accounts.

 

One must not only have the minimum amount of nisab but it must have been in one’s possession for one whole year. A lot of people choose Ramadhan as the month in which they pay their zakat; both to remember it, and also because the reward for good deeds done in this blessed month is multiplied.

 

Who Benefits from Zakat?

 

1) The Poor & the Needy – These people may have some wealth, but not enough to make up the nisab.

 

2) The Destitute – Such people have nothing other than the very basic necessities; they are worse off than the poor and destitute.

 

3) Those employed to collect the zakat – this refers to those that collect as well as distribute the zakat.

 

4) To reconcile hearts – traditionally, this category was for new Muslims who after having become Muslim, faced extreme poverty due to their decision.

 

5) To free slaves – this category doesn’t apply as readily as it once did.

 

6) Those who are indebted, but unable to settle their debt.

 

7) Those struggling in the path of Allah.

 

8) Travellers who have run out of money and would therefore have no way of reaching their final destination without help.

 

Zakat cannot be used to build mosques, to bury the deceased, or to clear the debt of the deceased.

 

To help you calculate your Zakaat:  Zakat Calculator & Fitra (PDF)

Ramadan

We have many activities in Ramadan. As the blessed month approaches, we will update this section with the latest information.