User:Nimarnasir/Fazl Mosque, London

Ahmadiyya Community
The Ahmadiyya Community began in 1889, under its founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Ahmad began the community upon allegedly having visions of the prophet Muhammad and thus proclaimed himself as a reformer of Islam. In 1920, after missionary work in London, the Ahmadiyya Community and its leader at the time, Hazrat Khalifa Masih II, decided London was a prime location for Islam to be represented. The Ahmadiyya women of India raised the money for which a one and one-quarter acre orchard land was bought for the construction of the Fazl Mosque.

In order to seek legitimacy, the opening of the Fazl mosque was set to be inaugurated by Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia, however directly preceding the opening, the Prince reported he was unable to make it. The absense of the prince was a piece of a larger struggle for the legitimacy and inclusion for the Ahmadiyya Community within the Muslim Ummah.

Design
The exterior of the Fazl Mosque consists of a green dome, with the apex of the dome standing 10m high. The dome rests on a square base, with four cupolas on each corner of the building. The mosque is a blend of classic Mughal architecture and British contemporary styles. The mosque's use of modern construction and modern materials created a separation from orientalist architecture, a style of architecture seen in other early mosques in London such as the Shah Jahan Mosque. The blend of formal features mixed with contemporary styles led the mosque to be recognized as a grade II listed building.

T.H Mawson
Thomas Mawson along with his firm T.H Mawson and sons designed the Fazl Mosque. He had studied the architectural style of mosques during the reconstruction of Thessaloniki, a Greek port city. T.H Mawson at the time of the Fazl Mosque's contractions was considered to be a leading figure in landscape design. Mawson has been credited with designs of other grade II listed buildings such as the Pavilion of Bell Vue Park.