User:Hadia shams/Islamic Center of America

The Islamic Center of America (Arabic: ٱلْمَرْكَز ٱلْإِسْلَامِيّ فِي أَمْرِيكَا‎, al-Markaz al-ʾIslāmīy Fī ʾAmrīkā) is a mosque located in Dearborn, Michigan. The Islamic Center of America, a 120, 000 sq. ft. facility is the largest mosque in North America and the oldest Shia mosque in the United States. Although the institution dates back to 1963, the center's current mosque opened in 2005. It is the largest mosque in North America and the oldest Shia mosque in the United States. With its large Shia Arab population (consisting mostly of Iraqis and Lebanese), Dearborn is often called the "heart of Shiism" in the United States.

The Islamic Center of America is located at 19500 Ford Road in Dearborn. The institution was founded in 1949 by Muhammad Jawad Chirri, who remained its director until his death in 1994.

Architecture

The Islamic Center of America is a 120, 000 sq. ft. religious space.

·       Meeting hall

·       Industrial kitchen,

·       Prayer room

·       High ceiling and calligraphy embraided domes

·       Mezzanine for women

·       Offices

·       Meeting rooms

·       Contains a library

·       Educational Programs run by Imam Hassan Qazwini.

Shi'a Islam

"The Messenger of Allah (S) said: 'I am leaving for you two precious and weighty Symbols that if you adhere to BOTH of them you shall not go astray after me. They are, the Book of Allah, and my progeny, that is my Ahlul-Bayt. The Merciful has informed me that These two shall not separate from each other till they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise).'"

"The term “Shi’a” in Arabic means a group of followers. In the Holy Qur'an, there are several verses using this term like in Quran (28:15) God speaks of one of the followers of Moses as one of his Shi’a and Quran 37:83) Abraham is introduced as a Shi’a of Noah ."

Some hadiths speak of the Shi’a of Ali b. Abi Talib. The followers of Ali, those who believed in his Imamate (divine leadership).

"Shahrestani (d. 548 A.H) in his Al-Milal wa al-Nihal, an outstanding source about different sects in Islam, writes, 'Shi’a are those who followed Ali in particular and believed in his Imamate and caliphate according to the explicit teachings and will of the Prophet Muhammad.'"