King Fahd Mosque, Culver City facts for kids
The King Fahad Mosque is a large and important mosque (a place of worship for Muslims) located in Culver City, California. It's a special place for the Muslim community in the area.
This mosque was a gift to the Muslim community in Southern California from Saudi Arabia. Prince Abdulaziz Bin Fahad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud helped pay for the land in 1993. Then, King Fahad provided money to build the mosque in 1995. It was built to be a place for religious learning and education for everyone, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Inside the mosque, the main prayer area faces the Kaaba in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This direction is called the Qiblah, and it's the way all Muslims face when they pray. The mosque has beautiful features like marble walls, special tiles from Turkey, and a tall, 72-foot minaret (a tower often found in mosques) topped with a shiny gold leaf crescent. The minaret is a well-known symbol of Islamic architecture.
The building is quite large, covering about 63,000 square feet (5,900 square metres). It includes a main prayer hall, an auditorium, rooms for meetings, and modern facilities for wudu. Wudu is a special purification process Muslims do before praying.
The King Fahad Mosque is located at 10980 Washington Boulevard in Culver City, California. It is open every day for the five daily prayers. The mosque is owned and run by The Islamic Foundation of Shaikh Ibn Taimmiyyah. Dr. Khalil Al Khalil was the Director General who guided the entire project. The Islamic Foundation of Shaikh Ibn Taimmiyyah is located nearby at 11004 Washington Boulevard.
The Ibn Taymiyah Foundation
The Ibn Taymiyah Foundation has been in charge of the King Fahad Mosque project in Los Angeles since it began. This foundation manages the mosque and plans its future activities. The foundation started in 1400 AH (which is 1980 CE). It first began its work in a "Muslim Student House" in the western part of the city. Later, the idea grew, and a house was bought in the same area for prayers, lectures, and other religious activities.
The foundation is an Islamic charity organization that is officially recognized in the United States. This means it can own property and carry out religious, educational, and informational activities across the country.
Goals of the Foundation
The Ibn Taymiyah Foundation has several important goals:
- To share the teachings of Islam based on the Quran (the holy book of Islam) and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad.
- To help Muslims keep their faith strong and work together.
- To build mosques, schools, and colleges, organize conferences, and publish books.
- To connect Muslims in America with Muslims around the world.
- To build friendly and helpful relationships with other organizations, encouraging fair and respectful discussions.
Other Projects
Besides the King Fahad Mosque, the foundation also supervises two other mosques:
- Masjid al Salam in central Los Angeles
- Riverside Mosque
The foundation also oversees "Zamzam Schools," which are schools for girls that focus on education and memorizing the Qur'an.
