Masjid Darus-Salam
90 Dempsy Road,
Milpitas, CA 95035 Phone (408) 786-9658 Email: [email protected] Website: www.alhihaal.org Masjid Darus-Salam |
Masjid Darus-Salam Location on map
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Surrounding area
About the Masjid
Masjid Darus Salam at 90 Dempsey Rd in the city of Milpitas, California is located in the county of Santa Clara, with the cities of San Jose to its south and Fremont to its north. The mosque is a storefront located just off a major street in a quiet, suburban area surrounded by local shops and marts.
"It is a comfortable, safe place"
Building from the ground up...
Masjid Darus Salam, Milpitas, was founded in 1997 by Muhammad Farooq, Munawar Daimee, and Ayman Anis. Imam Abdul Rashid Khan shared with us in a phone conversation that the mosque is an independent establishment, but it falls under the umbrella association of Al Hilaal. When interviewing Wasim Khan, a community member, we learned that the need for the masjid arose from the community. The masjid prides itself for being open to everyone, but a general trend in attendees is persons of Pakistani/Indian descent as well as some people of Arab descent.
Milpitas is considerably removed from other Muslim communities in the area, so the decision to establish one was met with great enthusiasm as the Milpitas community now has a 5,000+ member following, with approximately 1,500 directly involved in a significant way. Community members we were able to reach for comments have only praise for the masjid, its members, and its leadership. They eagerly wait for the day they will be able to pray in their new masjid.
The community members are very satisfied with where they have established themselves, as they have never had the misfortune of experiencing discrimination from anyone. Community member Fatima Ishaath commented, “it is a comfortable, safe space” and referred to it as an “intimate community.” The mosque is open 24/7, and the members come to pray at their convenience as often possible at the necessary prayer times. For being a smaller establishment, they do significant work amongst their community and offer many services, such as health education, Tafsir (the do’s/don’ts of Islam) and Fiqh classes as well as a Hifz program. The community members hope to expand the reach of their services upon improving the architectural infrastructure. Building a more traditional structure would perhaps also attract media attention and consequently more visitors. The masjid community is highly active on the Internet, with Youtube/Vimeo channels, an active website, and contact information readily available.
The masjid currently operates out of a rental unit/storefront of a shopping area, and there is strong interest in erecting a more permanent location. The community members purchased land near Montague Expressway, and they intended to build a new masjid. Extensive floor plans were drafted and several city planning regulations were proposed and a schematic was also drawn up, but there were significant bureaucratic complications in obtaining a city permit. This went on for about 12 years or so and thus the community did not get very far in their efforts to build the masjid. This past July, the land sold and an existing building was purchased to convert into a mosque. The plan now is to buy extended units in their area and build the mosque there. It is estimated the project will cost upwards of $4,000,000. Efforts are currently underway to raise the necessary remaining funds.
Milpitas is considerably removed from other Muslim communities in the area, so the decision to establish one was met with great enthusiasm as the Milpitas community now has a 5,000+ member following, with approximately 1,500 directly involved in a significant way. Community members we were able to reach for comments have only praise for the masjid, its members, and its leadership. They eagerly wait for the day they will be able to pray in their new masjid.
The community members are very satisfied with where they have established themselves, as they have never had the misfortune of experiencing discrimination from anyone. Community member Fatima Ishaath commented, “it is a comfortable, safe space” and referred to it as an “intimate community.” The mosque is open 24/7, and the members come to pray at their convenience as often possible at the necessary prayer times. For being a smaller establishment, they do significant work amongst their community and offer many services, such as health education, Tafsir (the do’s/don’ts of Islam) and Fiqh classes as well as a Hifz program. The community members hope to expand the reach of their services upon improving the architectural infrastructure. Building a more traditional structure would perhaps also attract media attention and consequently more visitors. The masjid community is highly active on the Internet, with Youtube/Vimeo channels, an active website, and contact information readily available.
The masjid currently operates out of a rental unit/storefront of a shopping area, and there is strong interest in erecting a more permanent location. The community members purchased land near Montague Expressway, and they intended to build a new masjid. Extensive floor plans were drafted and several city planning regulations were proposed and a schematic was also drawn up, but there were significant bureaucratic complications in obtaining a city permit. This went on for about 12 years or so and thus the community did not get very far in their efforts to build the masjid. This past July, the land sold and an existing building was purchased to convert into a mosque. The plan now is to buy extended units in their area and build the mosque there. It is estimated the project will cost upwards of $4,000,000. Efforts are currently underway to raise the necessary remaining funds.