Helping to build a Community Mosque in a village

Asalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu, My Name Yusuf. I'm raising money to help build a community Masjid for our Village Penyem in The Gambia located in the Kombo West region.

Al Huda masjid will open for the five daily prayers and Friday sermons, accommodating at least 150 to 200 people in the prayer hall. The male's prayer section is on the ground floor and the female's prayer section is on the first floor. Al Huda will also reduce the walking distance by ten to fifteen minutes for many people living in Penyem Village. This shortened walking time will help the community as many people do not pray in the masjid except after walking a long distance which leads to men praying in their houses, hence the masjid will alleviate this big problem. Moreover, Al Huda Masjid will be accessible all day long, having scheduled lessons and lectures with scholars and students of knowledge Insha Allah.

In addition, Al Huda Masjid, a place of worship and gathering, will be on the path of the salaf-us-saalih, the manhaj (methodology of understanding Islam) of the pious predecessors, the first three generations of the Islamic ummah. Therefore, Al Huda Masjid will be connected to the major scholars of our current era and their students who are upon clear guidance Insha Allah.

We have a Website (https://alhudacommunity.blogspot.com) where we will be posting all our work processes and also we will explain how we do work in The Gambia, that is because we want to be transparent our rested donors and to shear the information and the progress with them inshaa Allah.

Build A Mosque

The reward is truly immense, Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Whoever builds a Mosque for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will build for him a house in Paradise.” (Reported by Bukhaaree and Muslim). On an occasion, the noble Companion, Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed his companions saying: “I ask you by Allaah and Islaam! Do you know that the Mosque of the Prophet (ﷺ) was too small for its people, so the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) said: ‘Who will purchase the land of the family of so-and-so and add it to this Mosque in exchange for better than that in Paradise?’ So I bought it with the core of my wealth and presented it to the Messenger.” (Reported authentically by at- Tirmidhee, no. 3703)

Small Amounts Help Immensely

If you are not wealthy, then praise is due to Allaah, even small amounts of charity aid the believer. Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Save yourselves from the Hell, even with half a date.” (Al-Bukhaaree, no. 1417) Even an amount as small as £20 a month would be written for the sincere believer as a tremendous good deed, benefitting him until the next life.

Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, has stated: “Spend from what we have provided you before death approaches one of you and he says, “My Lord if only you would delay me for a brief term so I would give charity and be among the righteous.” Qur’aan 63:10

Giving charity benefits the Muslim:

Allaah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Among the deeds whose reward will reach the believer after his death are: knowledge which he taught and spread, a righteous child whom he left behind, a copy of the Qur’an which he leaves behind for others to read, or a Mosque that he built, a house that he built for the passing traveler, a canal that he dug, or charity that he gave during his lifetime when he was in good health. These deeds will reach him after his death.” (Ibn Maajah, no. 242, authenticated by Shaikh al-Albaanee)

A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ): “Which charity brings the greatest reward?” He replied: “That you give in charity when you are healthy, feeling miserly, whilst you fear poverty and are in hope of becoming rich. So do not delay until you are at the point of death and then you say: “Give this to so-and-so and give that to so-and-so,” when at that point [your wealth and property] already belongs to so-and-so!” (Al-Bukhaaree, no. 1419)