In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

The example of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah is that of a grain that sprouts into seven ears, each bearing one hundred grains. And Allah multiplies the reward even more to whoever He wills. For Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing (Baqarah, 261)

Respected donor,

Salamun alaykum

Trust this email finds you in the best of health and iman.

I am writing this to request for your contribution towards the renovation of Exeter AhlulBayt Centre (Az-Zahra Centre) located in the university city of Exeter. The below summary outlines the background, growing need and estimated costs for the renovation of the centre.

Background:

Exeter AhlulBayt Centre (Az-Zahra Centre) is the only centre in the entire Southwest region of the UK. We are a small, well-knit Shia community of two hundred individuals from the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, India, Pakistan, East Africa, and elsewhere. Our shared values are shaped by the teachings of the Quran and AhlulBayt (peace be upon them). As a community, we embrace democratic values as evidenced by our regular elections of board members who strive to serve the congregation. We also have a functioning constitution, which was formulated in consultation with the community members. We are a registered charity under the charity commission for England and Wales with the registration number 1186925.

Growing need:

The single most need for expanding the centre is to cater to the need of our madrasa children. We have a total of 42 children who attend Sunday madrasas throughout the school year calendar. These children are divided into 4 classes out of which two are conducted in a small hall with a partition of curtain between them. The voices of the teachers and students often clash with each other hampering their concentration. The other two classes are extremely small leaving no space for sitting let alone putting chairs and desk. As such, all our madrasa children and teacher sit on floor with no conducive learning environment.

Beside weekly Thursday night programs, we also hold majalis on the birth and death anniversaries of our Imams. In the majalis, particularly during Muharram and the month of Ramadan the community members sit adjacent to each other in a very tight space with little to no room for adequate ventilation. The space for salat in congregation is another major issue. The kitchen is not sufficiently big enough to cook meals for our congregation and hence

community members often cook in their home and bring to the centre which is not always feasible. The very small area for the women often mothers with little children in the centre is yet another reason why we believe the centre requires extension and renovation.

Plans and cost:

In the light of the dire need of the space, particularly for the children and women of our community, the managing committee has decided to extend and renovate the current premises so it could accommodate our immediate and long-term needs. After months of discussions with the architect and local planning permission bodies, we have now obtained necessary planning permissions which will allow us to construct an upper floor (for women and two madrasa classrooms) and a renovated ground floor (for men and two madrasa classrooms). The cost for the extension and renovation is estimated to be £369,366 (inc VAT).

It is our earnest appeal to support us in this project by donating generously so the future of the community is secured both socially and religiously. We firmly believe that a vibrant religious centre will result into a prosperous, spiritually healthy and law-abiding citizens. May Allah swt reward you abundantly for all your contributions to keep the message of Quran and AhlulBayt alive.