Surbiton’s Muslim community to celebrate centenary of local mosque
The Fazl Mosque in Wandsworth, London’s first purpose-built mosque in London, is marking its centenary on Saturday 3 October.
The mosque, which has space for around 150 worshippers, stands on a quiet suburban residential street in southwest London. However, for more than a hundred years it has been considerably more than a building for prayer. Key dignitaries have visited the mosque over the past century, including Muhammad Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan), Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan (President of the United Nations General Assembly), Professor Abdus Salam (the first Muslim to win a Nobel Prize in science), HRH Prince Faisal and HRH Prince Saud, both of whom later became Kings of Saudi Arabia.
HRH Prince Edward has also visited in recent years, and many of its members come from Surbiton. The Fazl Mosque was granted listed status by Historic England in 2018, and in March 2026 Wandsworth Borough Council awarded it a green heritage plaque.
Speaking about the centenary, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Fifth Caliph and Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said: “For one hundred years, the Fazl Mosque has stood as a place of worship, peace and service to humanity.
“Its history reflects the principle that true faith requires us to serve our neighbours, show loyalty to the country in which we live, and make peace with all people, regardless of their faith or background. “As we mark this centenary, I pray that the mosque may continue to be a beacon of peace and a means of bringing people together for generations to come.”
Shakeel Ahmed Syed, a former Regional President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK based in Surbiton added: “Our community in Surbiton exists because of that mosque in London. “From the Fazl Mosque, missionaries were sent out to towns and cities across Britain to build communities like ours, and everything we do here began there.
“A hundred years on, we mark this centenary the way we were taught to — by helping the people around us. That is what a mosque is for. It is a beacon of peace for all.” From its opening in 1926, the Fazl Mosque served London’s growing Muslim population and became a venue for interfaith dialogue and public debate. It has received faith leaders, presidents, secretaries of state, and royalty from the outset.
The community behind the mosque has remained active in engaging with the wider community and has hosted events for the Silver, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II and the Coronation of King Charles III.
It has also supported charity walks and blood drives, organised campaigns providing food for the needy. The centenary is being marked under the theme Fazl Mosque: Beacon of Peace – A Century of Integration, Loyalty and Service, and the launch of a year-long national programme of serving 10,000 meals for the homeless and needy, and of its members giving 10,000 volunteer hours for people in need across Britain.
A special centenary advertising campaign on 100 London buses in October with more buses to follow across the UK will mark this occasion to promote awareness of this unique and historic mosque and its message and mission of peace.
