Overview & visitor information
Assafa Islamic Center began on the Lower East Side in 1996 when local Muslims rented a small tailoring shop for prayer. As the congregation grew it moved to a basement at 172 Allen Street, developing from a neighbourhood musalla into an incorporated religious nonprofit.
The centre preserves the five daily prayers and holds multiple Friday congregations. Qur’an and Islamic education, Ramadan programmes and youth activity accompany worship, while its location near Grand and Delancey streets connects the mosque with several subway lines and Lower Manhattan bus routes.
Nikah, funeral, educational and da‘wah services broaden the institution’s work. The official site publishes a live prayer table, a 2026 calendar and the centre’s history; these current materials also establish the correct spelling ‘Assafa Islamic Center,’ replacing the inconsistent and shortened imported title ‘Al-Safa.’
