A well-documented event at Al-Azhar Mosque was the visit of boxing world heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali in July 1977. He came to the Mosque to have his wedding to Veronica  Porsche blessed and this single event brought crowds to the doors of the Mosque and inevitably raised its profile within the South Shields Community.  
 
The following photographs of that visit have been made available by South Tyneside Libraries with the permission of the Mudditt family who own the pictures