On the 26 June 1996, the agreement to purchase the property at 185 Stoddard Road, Mt. Roskill was signed amid a lot of criticism from some members of the community that the property was far too large for our needs and very expensive. This property was purchased at an auction for $1.5 million. The current valuation is over $4 million including the adjoining properties purchased over this period.

Masjid-e-Umar has also drawn people to live in Mt. Roskill. Mt. Roskill has the highest concentration of Muslims in New Zealand today. Real estate agents advertise properties in the Mt. Roskill area with the distinct words, “close to or within waking distance of the mosque." Numerous convenient stores, dairies, shops, supermarkets and a variety of retailers have sprung up here to serve the needs of its Muslim community.

There is a strong nostalgia during salaat times especially during the Jummah congregational prayer of the atmosphere back home where people would stream to the masjid from their homes and shops to observe their prayers. Over a thousand would attend the Jummah. The attendance at Eid prayer would be well over 1500.

There are 250 children benefiting from Islamic education imparted by ten teachers in the boys and girls madressa (religious classes) housed in this centre. About 20 hofaz (memorised the entire Qur’an) have graduated from this institute.

The annual National Tabligh Isteema gathering has been held here for the last 6 years. This 3-day event has attracted keen and enthusiastic audiences from all over the world to listen to the wisdom and guidance of well-known scholars in Islam.