Dabbagh Architects, led by founder Sumaya Dabbagh, has completed the mosque of the late Mohamed Abdulkhaliq Gargash, a modern place of worship. Controlled natural light evokes a sense of calm and spiritual connection and transforms the worshipper from the external material world into an internal sense of presence. The mosque is the first mosque designed by a female architect in the UNITED Arab Emirates.

As a gift to the community and also in memory of the family's late patriarch Mohamed Abdulkhaliq Gargash, the Gargash family was tasked with creating a spiritual space of calm and prayer for the Al Quoz community, one of the smallest contemporary mosques.

The core approach of the design is the enhancement of liturgy and the transition journey throughout the building, so that worshippers are ready to pray and feel a sense of intimacy with the divine. "Creating a space for worship was a very specific design challenge. Prayer is an act of devotion. It requires the complete presence of admirers. With so many distractions in our busy modern lives, it can be challenging to calm the mind, find inner peace, and completely immerse yourself in prayer, "Sumaya says. "Through the design, a series of Spaces have been created to allow worshippers to transition from the busy outside world to an internal experience."

Natural light is used as a tool to enhance a sense of spirituality, to connect the mundane with the sacred, and to mark the pilgrim's journey through the building. Scale also plays a role in creating this sense of sacredness. Dabbagh architects sought to avoid multiple blocks, simplify the traditional typology of Islamic form and strip it of its essence. In this project, the use of patterns and materials enhances the experience of entering the courtyard from the outside and entering the building. The entire building is a triangular pattern that references traditional Islamic geometry but is reinterpreted in a deconstructed contemporary language.

The exterior paneling uses this triangular pattern in fluted and perforated elements, which gives the building's skin a dynamic appearance. Inside, these perforations scatter natural light into areas of worship and carefully control and illuminate key Spaces, creating an atmosphere of calm and a sense of connection with the divine while helping to cool the mosque interior. The double skin dome allows natural light to enter and is filtered through the interior decorative skin, which contains the same triangular pattern. This filtered light creates a prayer space with soft natural light, suitable for introspective thoughts during prayer.

Calligraphy also plays an important role in the overall design. A Surah wraps around the exterior of the prayer hall, creating a metaphorical protective belt that marks the spiritual nature of the space and infuses divine energy throughout the building.