McKinney’s Muslim Community: From a Tire Shop to a New Mosque

McKinney is fast-growing.

It's the big highway, we call it,

one way from Jersey to Texas.

This community started in a tire shop.

A lot of our community is actually less than three years or less.

How open and welcoming.

Across the DFW Masjid, people have been.

A lot of money that's going to be poured into McKinney.

I think it's a great opportunity to become the next big masjid, inshallah.

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

My name is Taha Khan.

I am a McKinney resident and part of the Shura and the executive board here as of Isamir.

One of six people that run the affairs of the masjid.

I preserve them.

In 1997, is what I'm told, this community started in a tire shop.

Our elders at the time saw a need to get maybe 10, 15, 20 people together for Jummah.

Lo and behold, one of our elders who owned a garage at the time said,

look, this shop for this time to this time, I'm going to clear out and it's going to be our Jummah space.

And it was literally behind a tire shop.

And that was 1997.

And as, alhamdulillah, Muslims are, we started flocking and 10 became 20, 20 became 40.

And a couple years later, the community moved into like a one-story basement, kind of a building,

not too far from here in this current masjid.

When we thought that could sustain the community, alhamdulillah, that was a several good years until

the community saw a massive growth again.

This was a 2012 project where you're standing right now in this masjid.

This was built in 2012 with the hopes that this will sustain for, you know, a long time.

It's only been 11 years, but the growth of the community has been exponential.

And we are, at the moment, at three Jummahs in this masjid that are all packed.

So we have well over 1,100 people that are attending Jummahs every Friday.

Quite a show that we have to manage logistics in a limited space.

So we have a land that we have purchased now, alhamdulillah.

Our elders have guided us to that.

Almost a five and a half acre land.

It is paid off, but our next big project is to build that new masjid.

It's about six minutes from here in McKinney.

We are very excited for the project.

Plan is for, hopefully, over 40,000 square feet of space.

Like I said, we're thinking big because McKinney will be big.

McKinney is fast growing.

It is the fourth fastest growing city in the United States at the moment.

So we have a ton of new families, young families with kids who are here for decades, looking ahead at decades, inshallah.

So our goal now is to establish this community,

inshallah, for that purpose and to grow it as much as we can.

We see a lot of Jersey,

New York,

Chicago,

California,

Seattle, you know, from pretty much the coastal areas and the Chicago area that have made Dallas their new home.

♪ Hayya alan falaaah ♪

McKinney is now on the cusp of massive explosive growth.

McKinney sits right in the center of main established areas.

People are familiar with Plano.

Allen is up and coming. We're familiar with.

But then you have sort of this whole growth wars the northeast of Dallas, which is completely unexplored And

there's a lot of land where people are building homes and a massive vision to commercialize the district as well in McKinney's

I'm a shit in shallow Tana because we'll have a large population to cater to in just a few years

Majority of people that are coming in the Muslim mean the brothers and sisters are very much in their late 20s early 30s Maybe even 40s for sure.

So you see that dynamic that is raising it gets tight Our

need probably at the moment is at any given time more than a thousand to eleven hundred people

So that's why we have to split a lot of that's right now But every day thousands of Muslims are moving 100%

of the the migration rate is I can't quote you numbers But it's pretty astronomical

And so I wouldn't be surprised someday where we're looking at 1,500 at one at one time that we need to cater to

be talking to the architect We've already started that in terms of the direction for the people and all of that

So you can see that that's how it's positioned.

I'm gonna

And then if you wanted to take quick peek at the floor plans,

we have a gym I said that Jim alone.

I think it's about 15,000 square feet or 10 to 15.

That's quite large

We are working in phases four to five years.

We're in the new building inshallah So

right now it's very early to say but

our main ask and call for help is around funding

And that's really what we're looking at I think

we've spoken a fair bit about the need

for a strong Muslim community in this area.

We have tons of Muslims moving in

many of the Muslims

Unfortunately, we're not able to accommodate a lot of people

because of parking issues 40s 45 spots is nothing

We are constantly running into some issues and

you can say friction with our surrounding neighbors

where you know parking Especially for jamaa and for

our events where we are inviting,

you know I'm gonna let the shoe of the area

to educate the community people want to come

when we have to make people walk 10 15 Minutes 20 minutes from a parking spot.

It really turns people off

And so we want to accommodate our seniors our elders

our brothers and mothers and youth Inshallah, and the biggest appeal is

whatever you can do to contribute towards the house of Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala

I can say this with a fair bit of confidence

this masjid This new masjid will continue to serve

a very fast-growing community for decades and decades to come.

This is not a few years

We're thinking we're thinking 50 60 years down the line

when my kids and your kids are leading the community

What do they have at their disposal?

And so our elders gave us humble to love this to stand

on we want to multiply this 10 20 times

and give it to our kids to to lead inshallah

the Muslim community in the future

So we're looking at a couple million project at least

and but it all starts with small baby steps So

consistent, but but regular and and if I can share a hadith

of the prophet He advised the Sahaba Ahmadi Allah at one more hour in Qala

that indeed the most beloved of actions to Allah are

those that are consistent even if they're small and So

whatever donations are coming in or help that's coming in towards the new masjid,

my only ask is you make it a regular thing.

Sign up for our donation programs.

We have those running.

It's $20 a month, $25 a month.

And before you know it, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

put that as the reason for your entrance into Jannatul Firdaus inshaAllah wa ta'ala.

The main page is our mckinneymasjid.org.

We have a donation link there.

We do have other platforms as well, but that's the easiest way is mckinneymasjid.org.

You'll see a donate button, big and prominent on our website,

and you can select all sorts of buckets, but the new masjid is one of those categories inshaAllah.

Alhamdulillah.

JazakAllah khair.

Thank you.

You know, it is great to look out and see all these kids and families gathered here.

Do a lot of groundbreakings, a lot of ribbon-cuttings,

and I don't know that I ever see so many families, multi-generations.

And as was said, McKinney is a diverse community.

We find our strength and our beauty in our diversity.

And the Muslim community here in McKinney is cherished.

And I'm going to have to leave.

I have multiple events today, but it was important that I came to this event

to let you know that I support your community.

You are, again, a valued part of the tapestry of our diversity.

And I congratulate you for taking this big step that you'll be taking in this piece of property in McKinney.

And I wish you the very, very best and great successes.

And also, again, as was acknowledged, my fellow council members are here as well.

Their support,

Justin Beller, Charlie Phillips.

But thank you. Thank you for inviting me, inviting us. And Godspeed.