MANCHESTER - From a quiet perch overlooking Lake Massabesic's northern tip and hazy, blue hills to the south, history is unfolding.

The concrete foundation of the state's first mosque rises behind a chain-link construction fence.

Relatively small in scale, the project is epic in scope.

Not only did it take more than a dozen years of planning and persistence against countless obstacles to get this far, but the mosque means Muslims will join the world's other monotheistic faiths -- Christianity and Judaism -- in having a permanent place of worship in the Granite State.

"This is the place that God has given us," Mahboubul Hassan said on a recent visit to the nearly 4-acre Karatzas Avenue site. Hassan is president of the Islamic Society of Greater Manchester, which is building the mosque to serve the region's estimated 3,000 to 3,5000 Muslims. Currently, the nearest mosques are in Methuen, Mass., and Boston.

"It's similar to having a home," Islamic Society Treasurer Ahmed I. Tahoun explained.

"For us, it's a place where we can gather together to teach our kids about our religion and teach the community about our religion," Tahoun added.

Since worshippers broke ground about two years ago, the foundation of the eight-sided building has been laid, underground drainage installed and the parking lot readied.

Now the society prepares to make its greatest move forward -- erecting the steel structure that will be the frame for the two-story brick structure, said Hassan, who is professor of finance and economics at Southern New Hampshire University.

First, they must raise $300,000 to buy the steel, masonry and other materials needed to construct the shell.

Since Islamic law, or Sharia, forbids Muslims to earn or pay interest on financial exchanges, the society must rely entirely on donations, volunteer labor or, if available, interest-free loans each step of the way, Hassan explained.

The first mosque in New Hampshire is still under construction on Karatzas Avenue in Manchester. "It's all donated money. We cannot borrow money because, in our religion, we cannot pay interest," he added.

While some Muslims may bend the law when financing the purchase of their own homes, the rule is ironclad when it comes to mosques.

"This has to be pure. We're doing it for God," Hassan explained.

As a result, the extra time needed for fundraising gets factored into most mosques built in the United States, Hassan said. It usually takes about four to five years to complete a mosque, he said. He expects it will take another two to three years to finish the Manchester mosque.

"We could have done it a little bit faster if the economy was a little bit sounder. It's very hard to ask people (for money) when they have to survive on their own first," Hassan explained.

In other areas of the country with larger, more affluent Muslim populations, mosques sometimes are financed in part with no-interest personal loans from other Muslims, Hassan said.

But here, most Muslims are students, shopkeepers, salaried workers and refugees, he said.

Besides, he added, "We wanted to do it within our place so we feel that it is ours."

The society's goal is to raise the money and erect the steel frame this year. Then volunteers can complete the finish work without weather delays.

The Islamic society will launch a Web-based fundraising drive for this phase of the project. Donors can select the amount they want to donate and specify whether they want it to go toward steel, hardware, masonry or other materials.

An estimated $500,000 to $600,000 for the project has been amassed through fundraising, Hassan said. Contributions ranged from $25 to $5,000 and have been made by Muslims, Christians and Jews, he added.

The society has been leasing temporary prayer space -- known as a musalla -- in the basement at 228 Maple St. for about the last five years. About 100 to 110 worshipers gather there on Fridays for communal prayers.