Foundation Stone Laid for Masjid Fazl-e-Umar, the First Purpose-Built Ahmadiyya Mosque in Spanish-Speaking South America
Encarnación, Paraguay · 5 April 2026
“And all places of worship belong to Allah; so call not on anyone beside Allah.”
(The Holy Qur’an, 72:19)
On 5 April 2026, in the Paraguayan city of Encarnación, the foundation stone was laid for Masjid Fazl-e-Umar, the first purpose-built Ahmadiyya Muslim mosque in Spanish-speaking South America. The ceremony was held during Jalsa Salana Paraguay 2026, on the very ground where the mosque will one day stand.
The mosque has been named by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aa), in honour of Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ood (ra), the second Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. In giving this name, Huzoor (aa) noted that it had been the heartfelt wish of Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ood (ra) that Jama’ats and missions be established in the countries of Latin America as well.
The Foundation Ceremony
The foundation stone was laid by Malik Lal Khan Malik Sahib, Amir Jama’at Canada, who had been appointed by Huzoor (aa) for this duty. Standing on the freshly turned red clay of Encarnación, he placed the first brick into the cement as members of the Jama’at watched. Benjamin Lopez Sahib, one of the earliest Paraguayan members of the Jama’at, was also given the honour of laying a brick, along with his wife. For the local Ahmadi members, the moment carried a weight that was hard to put into words. Several of them spoke, with visible emotion, of what it meant to see the first mosque being built in their country.
Before the foundation was laid, the first Adhan was called at the site by Amir Masood Sahib, a Waqf-e-Zindagi (life devotee) from Canada. It was the first Adhan of the first mosque in Spanish-speaking South America, and those present stood quietly as the call to prayer carried across the open ground.
Benjamin Lopez Sahib then addressed the gathering in Spanish, sharing a message that drew on the writings of the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (on whom be peace):
“Wherever you build mosques, you will open new paths for the introduction and propagation of Islam.”
(Malfoozat, vol. 7, p. 119, 1985 UK edition)
Hearing those words read in Spanish by one of the earliest Paraguayan Ahmadis, on the very day the prophecy was coming true in his country, moved many of those present.
The Address
The keynote address was delivered by Malik Lal Khan Malik Sahib on behalf of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa). Quoting the verse of the Holy Qur’an, “And all places of worship belong to Allah” (72:19), he explained that the Arabic word Masjid means a place of prostration. It comes from Sajdah, the act of placing one’s forehead on the ground before the One God. That act, he said, is not one of humiliation but of humility, and it is the most freeing thing a person can do: when you bow before the Creator, you are freed from bowing before any creation.
He reminded the gathering of Huzoor’s (may Allah be his Helper) teaching that every mosque carries twin obligations, the rights owed to God and the rights owed to humanity. A mosque that echoes only with recitation of the Qur’an, but from which no kindness flows into the surrounding community, is incomplete. He urged the members of Jama’at Ahmadiyya Paraguay to let the people of their country see what Islam really is, not through words, but through deeds. Let them see that when disaster strikes, the mosque is the first to open its doors. Let them see that when a neighbour is in need, the Ahmadi Muslim is the first to arrive with help.
“Our Mosques are built with the purpose of bringing people together and serving our neighbours and the local society. Our Mosques are beacons of light radiating peace, love and humanity.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (may Allah be his Helper)
Amir Sahib also noted that Ahmadiyya mosques are funded entirely through the personal financial sacrifices of the Jama’at’s own members, without any foreign government or external sponsorship. It is this independence that keeps each mosque a true centre of peace, answerable only to the spiritual objectives of Islam.
The ceremony then ended with the very supplication Ibrahim and Isma’il (on whom be peace) had offered as they built the House of God in Makkah:
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّا ؕ اِنَّکَ اَنۡتَ السَّمِیۡعُ الۡعَلِیۡمُ
“Our Lord, accept this from us; for You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing!”
(The Holy Qur’an, 2:128)
A Community’s Journey
The story of Jama’at Ahmadiyya Paraguay is still a young one, but it has grown steadily. The first Jalsa Salana was held on 29 and 30 March 2019 in Asunción, under the theme “How Islam Promotes Peace.” A second Jalsa followed on 12 March 2022, again in Asunción, with the theme “The Holy Prophet (sa), a Mercy for Mankind.” In November 2023, a Jalsa Seerat-un-Nabi was held in Villarrica, focused on the life and character of the Holy Prophet (sa). The fourth Jalsa came on 25 February 2024 in Paraguarí. On 2 and 3 May 2025, the fifth Jalsa was held in Asunción, under the theme “All Goodness Lies in the Holy Qur’an.” The sixth, which coincided with the foundation stone ceremony, was held in April 2026 in Encarnación.
For a long time, the Jama’at had been searching for the right property, first in Asunción, and then in other Paraguayan cities. It was in Encarnación that the path opened. The local government proved welcoming and encouraging, and a site was secured for the first Ahmadiyya mosque in the country. That is why the sixth Jalsa was held in Encarnación, on the very grounds of the mosque to come, making it the most historic gathering in the community’s short but rich history.
Many local members undertook long journeys to attend, travelling by bus from cities and towns across Paraguay. The Jalsa itself was held under a large tent pitched on the grounds, with the excavated foundations of the mosque visible just behind the gathered assembly. Speeches were given in both Spanish and Urdu, reflecting what the Jama’at has become in Paraguay: indigenous Paraguayan Ahmadis worshipping alongside visiting members from abroad.
Scenes from Around the Jalsa
In the days leading up to the ceremony, everyone was busy. Volunteers in Langar tended to the cooking, stirring large pots over brick stoves. Young Khuddam carried wood, set up tables, and ran whatever errands were needed. Meals were shared at long tables under the Paraguayan autumn sky, with members greeting old friends and welcoming those who had travelled from afar. At the end of each long day, tired from the preparations, members would gather around an open fire pit on the grounds, sipping tea and sharing quiet conversation as they recharged for the work of the next day.
Looking Ahead
With the foundation stone now laid, construction will proceed, Insha’Allah, toward the day when the call to prayer rises from the completed minaret of Masjid Fazl-e-Umar over the city of Encarnación. For the members of Jama’at Ahmadiyya Paraguay, it will be the answer to a prayer offered quietly and faithfully over many years. For the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is another chapter in a story that began in a small town in Punjab and has now reached, as the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) had foretold, to the ends of the earth.
