"The credit to create an ISLAMIC CENTRE in Derby must go to a “stranger” who had lived in Derby only for a couple of years but had left his deepest memories in the hearts of the Muslims in Derby. This person, Dr. Mohammed Hassan Moola, had under his auspicious, in 1975, formed an organisation called “Derby Islamic Centre”. Its first trustees being Dr. Moola, R A. Shah (Late), Mr. Mohammed Aslam (Butt), Mr. Mohammed Afzal, Mr. Mohammed Ayub and Mr. Muhammad Najib (Normanton Road-Shop keeper). The organisation was also registered as a charity. The present site for the Centre was then earmarked by the Derby City Council, but the lack of funds and a split in the Muslim community had put the project in abeyance and the Organisation idle for several years.
However, a fresh organisation, in the name of “ISLAMIC CENTRE (DERBY) LIMITED” was formed and incorporated on 5th December 1979 by “GUARANTEE” and NOT having a “SHARE CAPITAL” and being a “NON PROFIT” making body for the sole purpose of “PROMOTING THE ISLAMIC RELIGION”. The first Trustees of this Centre were Mr. Mohammed Afzal, Mr. Ali Qadar, Mr. Meharban Khan, Mr. Mohammed Razzaq, Mr. Ashiq Hussain (Late), and Talib Hussain Shah who was the Company Secretary and Secretary to the Council of Trustees.
Some opposition arose as to why the Centre was a “Limited Company”. It was obvious that due to the lack of education not many people were aware that the “voluntary” type of “non profit-making” religious, educational, welfare, and cultural organisations could be “limited” by “guarantee”. Some people had in mind only the commercial kind of limited companies which are “profit making” bodies.
Some of these people took the opportunity to exploit those who were already against the idea of an Islamic Centre, and who also had no knowledge that a “company” means “more than one persons (in unity) getting together and working for the benefit of others and themselves”. To these people, it had to be explained again and again that the word “limited by guarantee” means that the members’ contributions will be “limited” to the amount they have “guaranteed” (in the Centre’s case only £10.00 each member) should the “Organisation” be dissolved and that it could not meet its liabilities. The members are not responsible for anything over the “guaranteed amount”.
This was found to be a risk-free (amount on risk £10.00), the safest, and most common way of running organisations which had to borrow (not always the case) a large amount of money towards their projects. And for this reason the Central Mosque Birmingham, the Islamic Centre Nottingham, the Noor Jehan Mosque (the First Mosque on English soil) in Woking (Surrey) and many more Muslims’ organisations in the UK were in fact made into “limited companies”. The word “company” can also be interpreted as “association”, “society”, and “committee”.
These words describe nothing but the “Unity”. The wrath of Allah (SWT) prevails in that almost thirty years on some are still are not able to understand the Command of Allah (SWT) : “WA TASSAMU B’HABALILLAH-E-JAMIAN WA LA TAFFARAQU” meaning “HOLD YOU ALL TOGETHER THY ROPE OF ALLAH AND DO NOT CREATE DIFFERENCES”. AL-QURAAN.
Within a couple of months of being established, the Centre had raised enough money to purchase the long-promised plot of land from the Derby City Council in Sacheveral/Wilmot Street in February 1980. This plot of land was opposite the famous Derby Play House.
The land was to build a “CENTRE” to house a traditional Mosque with ladies’ prayer room, Imam’s day-room, a Library, an Education Centre, a Social & Welfare Advice Centre, a Mortuary and other facilities to promote Islamic Faith and Culture in Derby and Derbyshire. The funds were raised from whole of the United Kingdom, Holland and Norway except Derby. The members of the Centre contributed generously by following Al-Haaj Mohammed Rafi (Late) who had donated £750.00, being the largest donation on the formation of the Centre to purchase the land.
The construction of present Derby Islamic Centre was to be in three phases.
The first phase of the Mosque including its boundary walls was completed in 1981. Thus the Muslims of Derby, for the first time, had a purpose built mosque in the heart of the City Centre. At this stage, the ground floor building was divided into two halves. One half of this floor had the main prayer room whilst the other half had ablution facilities and a small office. The access to the upper floor, which was used only for the annual prayers of Eid-ul-Fitre (to mark the ending of the Holy month of Ramadan) and Eid-ul- Adha (to commemorate the day of sacrifice) , was gained through the Fire Exit at the rear of the Mosque. This wonderful pillar-less hall with a large dome and a glittering chandelier hanging in the middle of it had its internal works completed in December 1994, with the finances contributed by Haji. Mohammed Razzaq (Carpet), Haji. Mohammed Mushtaq (electrical wiring and chandelier), Haji. Mohammed Arif (Central Heating), Haji. Talib Hussain. Shah (Suspended Ceiling and Joinery Works). Al-Haaj Mohammed Rafi (Late) had honour to open this Hall on Friday 30th December 1994.
The second phase to extend the Mosque and to alter the ground floor started in 1997 and was completed in 2002. The front extension now has a twin-stair landing to reach the upper floor main hall. The upper floor also has a “ladies prayer room”, and the “Imams retiring room”. To the ground floor were added; a kitchen, a Ladies w/c and ablution room and also a Gents w/c and ablution room. The dividing walls of the ground floor were also removed to make a beautiful wall-to- wall prayer room to match the upper floor main hall in size. At the same time, a small community hall and mortuary were added to the Mosque and the car park was re-surfaced to its present look.
The Derby Islamic Centre is a unique example of Islamic Architectural and Cultural presence in Derby. The Central Mosque takes its shape from the famous Dome of Rock Mosque in Jerusalem and has pride of being the first Mosque in Europe to be built on an octagonal shape. Considering the plot of the land purchased was of a triangular shape, the Trustees made sure to fully use the area by occupying one corner of the triangle for the octagonal Mosque, whilst the remaining, almost rectangle piece, was saved for the future extensions. This area is currently used as a car park. The Centre’s main entrance in Sacheveral Street had created a Middle-Eastern blend in Derby with its calligraphy of Islamic text. From the outlook, the appearance of this magnificent building gives one the feeling of being in a Middle Eastern country.
The third phase. The construction of a Minaret to complete the traditional Mosque, and addition of an Education Centre above the committee room & mortuary, started in November 2012, in addition another floor to the existing Mosque for ladies use is also being constructed.
The Centre is proud to be the first and only Muslim Organisation so far, to provide holistic educational, religious, marriages, and funeral services to the Muslim communities in Derby and Derbyshire. It is registered as a “Place of Worship”, a “Place to Perform Marriages”, and a “Place to Provide Funeral Services”.
The Centre has its own mortuary with modern refrigerating facilities to store up to THREE bodies at a time, a Private Ambulance to collect the bodies from the place of death along with facilities for embalming, bathing and preparing for burial. The Centre also has a HEARSE for the last journey of the deceased to the graveyard. The DERBY ISLAMIC CENTRE (Funeral Services Committee) has been delegated the duties of providing complete funeral services to the Muslims of Derby, Derbyshire and surrounding areas. The Centre is also associated with a Derby Islamic Centre Bereavement Association. This is an independent organisation of dedicated Muslims and has its office at the Centre’s premises. Their dedicated staff works closely with the Centre’s Funeral Committee to provide funeral services."
SOURCE - (
visit link)