Masjid Al-Abrar
| Al-Abrar Mosque مسجد الأبرار Kūchu Paḷḷi (குச்சுப் பள்ளி) | |
|---|---|
_-_img_04.jpg) | |
.svg)  Location in Singapore | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | 192 Telok Ayer Street Singapore 068635 |
| Country | Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°16′49″N 103°50′50″E / 1.2802922°N 103.8473097°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque |
| Style | Indo-Islamic architecture |
| Founder | Hadjee Puckery Mohamed Khatib bin Shaik Mydin |
| Established | 1827 |
| Completed | 1910 (Reconstructed 2003) |
Designated as NHL | |
| Designated | 19 November 1974 |
| Reference no. | 10 |
The Al-Abrar Mosque (Malay: Masjid Al-Abrar; Jawi: مسجد الأبرار) is a historic mosque located along Telok Ayer Street in Chinatown, Singapore. It was built in 1827 by Indian Muslim immigrants and later gazetted as a national monument of Singapore in 1974. It is one of two Islamic heritage sites along Telok Ayer Street, the other being the Nagore Durgha.[1]
Etymology
[edit]The mosque is known as Masjid Al-Abrar, with "Al-Abrar" being an Arabic word that refers to people of righteousness and piety, as well as being the plural form of the word "Barr" which refers to piety itself.[2][3] In the Tamil language, the mosque is known as the Kūchu Paḷḷi, which literally means "hut mosque."[1][4][5]
History
[edit]In 1827, Tamil immigrants from South India, known as the Chulias, built the Al-Abrar Mosque along Telok Ayer Street on land that was endowed under waqf by an Indian Muslim merchant named Hadjee Puckery Mohamed Khatib bin Shaik Mydin.[4] The structure took the form of a wattle-and-daub hut and was later replaced by a brick mosque that was built between 1850 and 1855.[6][7] It was one of two mosques in the area established by the Chulias, the other being the Jamae Mosque along South Bridge Road that was completed in the 1830s.[5] After the independence of Singapore, both mosques fell under the purview of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).[7]
The Al-Abrar Mosque was gazetted as the tenth national monument of Singapore on 19 November 1974.[8][9] Haji Mohamed Yusoff, a secretary of the mosque's committee, rebuilt the mosque into a larger two-storey structure in 1986 that was able to accommodate nine hundred worshippers.[10] Then in 1996, the mosque acquired a neighbouring two-storey shophouse which was converted into an extension of the main mosque building.[11]
Architecture
[edit]The design of the building is based on Indo-Islamic architecture with two tall minarets at the front.[12]
The building was built along a row of shophouses, and the frontage incorporated a five-foot way (1.524 m) that connects the walkway of the other shophouses.[12]
Transportation
[edit]As is the case with the other national monuments along the same street, the Al-Abrar Mosque is within walking distance from the Telok Ayer MRT station on the Downtown Line.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Rashith, Rahmah (29 September 2016). "A spiritual refuge on a bustling street". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ Al-Ḥajjāj, Muslim. "Kitāb al-Ādāb" [The Book of Manners]. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (in Arabic). p. 2141 – via Wikisource.
- ↑ Ibn Kathir (2000). Tafsīr al-Qurʼān al-ʻAẓīm. Vol. 8 (Abridged ed.). Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers. pp. 350–355.
- 1 2 Arshad, Sapurah (12 July 1986). "Masjid Al-Abrar akan diperluas" [Al-Abrar Mosque will be expanded]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 3. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 Keys, Peter (10 January 1982). "Classic in design, rich in history". The Straits Times. p. 10. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ Liu, Gretchen (1996). In Granite and Chunam: The National Monuments of Singapore. Singapore: Landmark Books. pp. 99–100. ISBN 9789813065031.
- 1 2 Lee, G.B. (2002). The Religious Monuments of Singapore: Faiths of Our Forefathers. Singapore: Landmark Books. pp. 87–88. ISBN 9789813065628.
- ↑ Ng, Kai (19 October 2023). "Al-Abrar Mosque". AsiaOne. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Al-Abrar Mosque at Telok Ayer Street, before 1984". National Library Board. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Key man behind mosque's growth". The Straits Times. 17 September 2000. p. 46. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ Ismail, Nizam (22 June 1996). "Masjid al-Abrar beli rumah kedai $2j" [Al-Abrar Mosque buys $2mil shophouse]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 2. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Al-Abrar Mosque". Roots. National Heritage Board. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Information about the mosque on the National Heritage Board website
- Google Maps StreetView of the Al-Abrar Mosque and 190 Telok Ayer Street
