The first task undertaken by the Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he arrived in Madinah after hijra (the emigration from Makkah to Madinah in 622 AD) was to build a mosque. Ever since, the mosque has held a crucial role in Islam.

The Islamic Centre and the Jamie Mosque & Bangladesh Islamic Centre are centres of worship for the Muslim community in St Albans and the surrounding areas. The word for Mosque in Arabic is ‘Masjid’, deriving from ‘Sajda’ or prostration, and means a place where men and women, the most noble of creatures, throw themselves on the floor and prostrate to God (Allah) the Most High. Men attend both places five times a day to present themselves to their Lord. Both centres can accommodate up to a total of 700 people.  The Islamic Centre also a prayer room for sisters.

For the Khutbah (sermon) on Friday afternoons and other special occasions the congregation fills to its full capacity and special festival prayers like Eid are conducted in shifts.

Muslims can pray in any mosque, regardless of their nationality, race, or colour. At the Islamic Centre the Khutbah is given in Urdu and English. The Jamie Mosque in Bengali and English.  As well as being a place of worship, both mosques are a centre of community, especially during Ramadan and festivals of Eid.  The Imam of the Islamic Centre is Mohammed Hafez Nageen, for the Jamie Mosque it is Maulana Fokhruz Zaman.