Central Mosque is the second purpose built mosque in the United Kingdom. After initially raising money to lay the foundations of the mosque, funds had run dry. There was the possibility that the city council would sell the land off to another buyer if the mosque was not completed within two years. Thus the mosque trustees went to local communities for donations, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Soon enough, sufficient money was raised to pay for the building and completion of the mosque in 1969. The mosque was then officially opened in 1975 as the largest mosque in Western Europe.
Since the mosque’s erection, it has become a focal point for the Muslim community. Over the years, Muslims have used the mosque for events, meetings, lectures, studies and community and educational purposes. Many of the original founders of the mosque committee still make up the mosque management or are trustees of the mosque but as time has passed, many new innovations have been made as to how the mosque is democratically run using Islamic teachings as the basis for the equal representation of all members of the community. Thus, regular meetings, annual selection, and equal opportunities have meant that the running of Birmingham Central Mosque has been as efficient as possible over the decades.
The mosque itself has got two floors. On the first floor, there is a large Main Hall for prayers which can easily accommodate around 3000 worshippers at any one time. In addition, there is a Ladies’ Gallery to accommodate about 400 women. New contracts have recently been given to extend the ladies gallery as well as provide extra separate accommodation for visitors to the mosque who drop in to learn about Islam and Muslims. The ground floor is divided into two areas providing office accommodation, a community hall (Day Centre), an extensive Islamic library, educational classrooms and a large School Hall area which is used for prayers, assemblies, and other activities. On special days like Eid, when demand is high, both the Main Prayer Hall and the School Hall are used for prayers providing accommodation for 5000 people. On Eid day, there are five prayer services during which between 15,000 to 20,000 worshippers visit the mosque for the special services, and on Fridays, the gathering is 4,000 plus. This is excluding the frequent attendance of international visiting groups and mainstream media personnel.
Monday to Saturday 10.00am – 5.30pm
Monday to Friday 5.00pm – 7.00pm
Saturday & Sunday 11.00am – 2.00pm
Monday & Thursday 10.00am - 3.00pm
Sunday 2.00pm - 4.00pm (appointments only)
Monday to Thursday 5.00pm – 8.00pm (Telephone Advice only)
10.00 am – approx. 30 minutes after Isha prayers
Summer time: Zuhar & Asr only
Winter time: Zuhar, Asr and Maghrib only
On Friday Ladies use downstairs prayer hall for Friday prayer
Birmingham Central Mosque is nationally known for reference and advocacy of Muslims and Islamic Issues. The mosque’s congregation and staff have been the subject of numerous television and news features in recent years. Much of the media focuses on the mosque’s involvement in national and international human rights and political issues as well as the mosque’s inter-faith alliances. Of course, in recent times media attention has been the result of international current affairs but generally the mosque has worked very closely with the media since its inception to represent the Muslim community of Birmingham as a diverse and united people.
The BBC recently made two documentaries based on Birmingham Central Mosque including a Panorama special and the mosque has played a leading role in newspapers, television and radio on matters pertaining to the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq along with other social, political and religious issues. We are regularly featured on local and national news related programmes and documentaries and are proud to be one of Britain’s most prominent and well recognised mosques.
The Birmingham Central Mosque is and has always been open to media personnel and programme-makers wishing to share our work with the wider community. We have a very good relationship with local, national and community press and hope that we can use this standing for the purpose of sharing our faith and worship to help raise Islamic awareness in Britain.
To contact the mosque for press and public relations enquiries, please contact the Mosque office on 0121 440 5355 or [email protected].
email: [email protected]
Call: 0121 440 5355 (Ext: 1)
Visits to the mosque should be booked in advance by telephone, email, post or in person. Preferred visit times and days are between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. (Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday Preferably). Special – Friday, early morning or late evening – visits can be arranged on request and are subject to availability.
A usual visit to the mosque consists of the following:
We usually provide snacks or treats for visitors. Please let us know if any visitors suffer from any allergies in this respect. For primary school children, we also have special worksheets prepared about the mosque which they may take back with them. There is also free literature on Islam for all visitors.
All visitors are requested to:
Please note that we may discontinue any visit if find any disrespectful or inappropriate behaviour and ask visitors to leave the building.
Visits to the mosque are free of charge. However, because the mosque is a registered charity, donations towards our services are always welcome and appreciated. We accept cash, postal orders, and cheques. Please make them payable to Birmingham Mosque Trust Ltd.
Our Services
The Birmingham Central Mosque Trust offers various services for the public including:
For more information, please contact the Main Office.
By Phone: 0121 440 5355 (Ext: 1)
By Email: [email protected]
