NEW BUILDING ACQUIRED TO MOVE BOOKSHOP RIGHT NEXT TO MASJID

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: 

NEW BUILDING ACQUIRED TO MOVE BOOKSHOP RIGHT NEXT TO MASJID!

SEE PICTURES BELOW, INTERNAL PICTURES WILL BE SENT SOON INSHA'ALLAH

AssalamuAlaikum Wa Rahmatullah, 

We make reference to our email a few days ago where it was said "we also have another important project in the pipeline and hope to announce this sometime next week as soon as we are able to finalise things." Albaseerah is pleased to announce that after months of tough negotiations, we have finally acquired 2 new properties right next to the Masjid building. We had our sight set on these buildings from the onset of the Masjid project due to their location literally touching the Masjid. The following information we feel is important to convey:

1. The new acquired buildings were a former Lloyds pharmacy that were used by the doctors surgery (which has now become Masjid As-Sunnah). 

2. We have agreed to rent the buildings with the view to purchase it.

3. Our primary aim is to convert one of the buildings into a bookshop. So we will be moving the bookshop from our current location in Bradford 8 to Bradford 7.  

4. The overall building is quite large so we intend to create a flat upstairs and setup a second business with the sole aim to provide financial support to the Masjid, as explained in our social enterprise model.   

5. The pharmacy building is front facing and situated on the main road (Great Horton Road) which boasts a large array of some of the very best food outlets in the city, if not the country (Mumtaz and Anums to name a few). There is a large volume of traffic passing by this main road, arguably, one of the busiest roads in Bradford. 

6. Our goal was to centralise operations so the bookshop, masjid and future school are in one location. Alhamdulillah we have achieved this. 

7. The long term aim is to purchase this building and make it a means to finance the umbrella project which is the Masjid and then the School. 

A reminder again that the financial situation of the Masjid is concerning to say the least. The above is to provide you with the confidence that we are striving to become self-sufficing. But at the same time we are in urgent need of donations for the Masjid as our income is substantially less than our costs. Not a penny of your donations will be used for other than the Masjid. We ask you to donate for the sake of Allaah, in particular as the month of charity and  generosity fast approaches. 

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Masjid Needs Your Help!

"£28,000 MASJID DEBT AT PRESENT - YOUR HELP IS REQUIRED"

CLICK TO DONATE: 

http://albaseerah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=22

AssalamuAlaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu,

It was in November 2011 that we provided the last update regarding the Masjid as-Sunnah project in Bradford (see http://storage.albaseerah.com/theark/The_Ark_Issue_37.pdf ). In that update we mentioned several projects that we intended to initiate. Alhamdulillah we were successful in achieving the following:

• Launched the new albaseerah audio website (audio.albaseerah.com)
• Began a weekend islamic lessons for children (currently in its pilot period)
• Created a flat upstairs to be used as a place of residence for the imaam 

The congregation in the Masjid is constantly increasing and the Jumuah is at full capacity. The Qur'an school has been running very well with 2 classes of 30 children. We have a waiting list of over 40 children but cannot take them on due to a lack of skilled teachers. 

Creating fund raising businesses to fund the Project

We quote the following from our last update:
"Our goal for the future is to create a structure which pre-dominantly (75%) is funded through its own activities without the reliance on donations. But we are quite some way from reaching this stage."

This is one of the fundamental principles of this project that we are constantly striving towards. Our efforts are being increasingly exerted towards creating a social enterprise where several fund raising businesses are formed to provide income for the charity. The overall goal is to allow the masjid and school project to fund itself. But as we mentioned and as can be appreciated, such an ambitious effort requires time and a pool of human resources. The albaseerah audio website was the first of these ventures. Our next venture is the new SunnahDirect website which will provide a variety of products from islamic clothing, toys, to health products. 100% of the profit of both these outlets go towards funding the project. 

We also have another important project in the pipeline and hope to announce this sometime next week as soon as we are able to finalise things. All the above is to try and highlight that we are trying our very best to become a self sustainable entity but we are many years away from achieving it.

Financial situation of the Masjid project

Our financial situation is becoming increasingly concerning and we cannot shy away from this. At the same time it is not something strange as we knew that the first few years would be difficult to stabilise finances.

Here is the situation. As is well known we successfully paid back the outstanding loans that were due from the purchasing of the masjid. Out of those loans, we held one of the loans totalling £50,000. The obvious reason was because we had no money to setup and maintain the masjid from its opening on the 15th July 2011 to now. So this £50,000 was kept to act as a buffer to run the masjid this year. The expenditure has been the following:

• Wages for the imaam and Project Manager
• Gas, Electricity and Water
• Lectures and dawah
• IT and web services
• Building maintenance 
• Printing
• Miscellaneous

Even though we have had income from the Quran school, standing orders, jumuah and internet donations, rental income from the flat, public donation boxes, gift aid on donations, food sales outside the masjid - all of this income has still been considerably less than the above mentioned outgoings. We are therefore in a £28,000 debt again. This money was used from that £50,000 loan we held back. This loan is due back by this September 2012. 

So our first challenge is to raise £28,000 for the debt that the masjid is in - we need your help.

Even after we clear this debt, we then have another challenge, having calculated the annual income and expenditure for the coming year Sept 2012 to Aug 2013. We expect an income of £30,400 but an expenditure of £67,000 = -£36,600 minus. This means that we need another £36,600 before September this year in order to keep the masjid going. Please remember that we will give the loan back so we will have no buffer to rely on. 

We make a plea to you to either make a one off donation or set up a standing order by visiting our website www.albaseerah.com. All of the ways to make a donation can be found on the following page:

http://albaseerah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=22

We would like to iterate again, we are putting our utmost efforts to setup a social enterprise that will make the project self sufficing. But we need time and human resources to build this. Up until then your help is needed. Sometimes people find it difficult to give money towards maintaining the Masjid but easier to actually give to build the Masjid. A reminder that there is little difference between the two affairs. This Masjid was built and being maintained for the worship of Allah alone, for the sake of Allah alone. Whether people gave the money to build it or give money to maintain it, it is a house from the houses of Allah where people prostrate to Allah 5 times a day, where knowledge is spread, where the Quran is taught to the young. We thank you for all the support you have given, are giving and will give. Your reward is with Allah. 

If you have any queries or concerns, you are more than welcome to contact us.

Your brothers at Albaseerah

Wassalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuhu 

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