dekalb new mosque project

asalaamu alaikum, history of the new mosque project: in the mid '80"²s isniu purchased the existing building at 721 normal road which is currently used as the masjid. and in the mid '90"²s isniu purchased an adjacent home and property at 801 normal road mashallah. as the community grew, the existing building at 721 normal rd. was unable to hold the friday prayers due to overcrowding. since august 2011, friday prayers have been held in different areas around dekalb and on niu's campus. between august 2011 and may 2012 isniu had been working to acquire a special use permit to build a new mosque at 801 normal rd. after several meetings and intense work with lawyers and city officials the proposal was unanimously passed by the zoning committee and city council, alhamdulillah! the masjid received national attention in may of 2012 when it was featured in an article in usa today. the proposed plan for the new masjid is approximately 4500 sq ft. and accommodates 45 parking spaces. the larger space will allow the community "“ for the first time in over a year- to hold friday prayers in a masjid. the designing of the proposed masjid took into account the expected growth of the community and tailored it to accommodate the future size of the muslim ummah of dekalb. insh'allah the building will have a men's prayer area, a women's prayer area, restrooms, library and a multipurpose room that can be used for classes, community dinners, childcare, meetings, and community outreach events. please help us complete the new masjid by ramadan 2014, insha'allah. no matter how big or small, your donation will go a long way to help our growing community, as well as earning reward with allah (swt). the messenger of allah (sal allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "whoever builds a masjid for the sake of allah, allah will build something similar for him in paradise." [sahih muslim] jazakallah khairun for your support, isniu