Al-Buraq Masjid opens in Blackburn. It offers prayer, education, charity, and a museum with rare artifacts.
The new building replaces the old center on Addison Street and will be the community’s main place for prayer. Most worshippers live nearby in the same area. The mosque was built on land behind Devonport Road. Its design maximizes space with modern style.
Chandeliers light the main prayer hall inside. The hall gives a wide view of the town outside, and the carpet was recently installed. The mosque aims to be a vital hub, focusing on worship, education, and charity.
A key addition is a funeral facility with a ghusl area for families to use to help with washing the deceased. Families will use it before prayers and burial. The top floor houses a museum with Blackburn views.
The mosque plans to open an Islamic Museum there to display rare Ottoman artifacts. One item is an original key to the Kaaba, a key from Makkah that is over 100 years old. The museum hopes to attract schools and groups, promoting education and culture.
The mosque called itself a “space for everyone” and includes a prayer area just for women. This entrance offers comfort and ease of access. They encourage women to plan their own events too. The mosque also wants to launch a food bank soon.
The food bank, called ‘Blackburn community fridge,’ will collect donations from local businesses. The mosque aims to work with charities in a partnership that will support people of all faiths. A spokesperson praised the community’s journey.
They said the project was a grassroots effort where people of all ages came together to help and thanked donors and volunteers greatly. Volunteers from “Team Buraq” organized events and helped fund the project for seven years.
The spokesperson noted the volunteers’ hard work and hopes the result makes the effort worthwhile. The mosque will hold open days next weekend. Ramadan starts at the end of February, and the first prayers are February 28th.