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ADAMS Opens Third Islamic Center

Community News - Community News

Written by Aisha Khatib Muslim Link Staff Reporter

Thursday, 26 July 2012 07:30

The new ADAMS Sully Center is located in this office complex within walking distance of the Capital Expo Center in Chantilly. Image from Bing.com.

Fairfax area residents looking for a prayer location are in luck this Ramadan. The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) announced the opening of a brand new masjid location, the ADAMS Sully Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The new center, located within walking distance from the Capital Expo Center, opened for Jumuah prayers for the first time on Friday, July 13, according to an ADAMS press release from earlier this month. Three regular Jumuah prayers will be held each Friday: one at 11:45 a.m., one at 12:45 p.m. and one at 1:45 p.m.

This is the third full-time masjid that ADAMS has opened; the other main locations are the main ADAMS center building in Sterling, Va. and a satellite location in Ashburn, Va. In addition, the center also has opened several Jumuah-only locations throughout Virginia.

The Sully Center will offer full-time services, said Farooq Syed, president of the ADAMS executive committee and member of the ADAMS board.

“Full time branches mean prayer five times a day, daily programs and classes and all kinds of activities that are available at the main center,” Syed said. Taraweeh prayers, performed regularly each night in Ramadan, have been set up at this center as well.

The ADAMS Sully Center serves the areas of Fairfax, South Riding, Chantilly, Clifton, Centerville and Aldie. According to Syed, the demand for prayer services in this area was high.

“There is a demand for prayer in that area,” he said. “There are families that need a community center in which they can come together five times a day.”

The cost of the building was $1.34 million, and of that, ADAMS has managed to pay off $790,000. The remaining $550,000 is considered “Quard-Hasanah,” meaning it will be paid off in the coming years. ADAMS raised money for this location simply through donations. The announcement on the ADAMS website petitions the public to keep donating generously, in order to pay off the building and to cover operational expenses.

Is this it for expansion, or is there more planned in the future? Syed leaned towards the latter.

“We are just looking at wherever people request permanent locations,” he said. “We are looking to establish permanent locations in whatever areas we serve.”