Affiliation Islam Phone +65 6220 9257 Architectural type Mosque | Capacity 1,200 Completed 1903 | |
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Address 37 Palmer Rd, Singapore 079424 Similar Masjid Haji Yusoff, Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibr, Masjid Al‑Abdul Razak, Masjid Abdul Aleem Si, Masjid Al‑Firdaus | ||
Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh & Makam Habib Noh (Jawi: مسجد حاج محمد صالح دان مقام حبيب نوه; Malay for Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque & Maqam of Habib Noh) is a mosque and Muslim mausoleum respectively in Singapore located at top of Mount Palmer. Today the mausoleum and its adjacent mosque are under the purview of Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura. The mosque is not to be confused for another mosque with a similar name along Geylang Road.
Contents
History
The makam originally sat at the bottom of Mount Palmer, but following an 1890 refurbishment by Syed Mohamad bin Ahmad Alsagoff, it was rebuilt at the top of a flight of 52 stairs.
A merchant from Batavia and a good friend of Habib Noh, Haji Mohammad Salleh had wanted to build a surau for Habib Noh. Unfortunately, Noh died before it was completed. The prayer hall was finally completed in 1902 and originally faced the tomb of Habib Noh. It was demolished and replaced with the present-day Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh, in 1903.
Habib Noh
Sayyid Habib Noh bin Muhamad Al-Habshi (1788 – 27 July 1866 [14 Rabiulawal 1283 AH]) was an Islamic sufi and one of the seven Islamic saints (wali) of Singapore. Born in 1788 into a family of four brothers onboard ship en route from Penang to Palembang, sources suggest that he arrived in Singapore around 1819, just prior to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of the island colony. Habib was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and was named after the Prophet Nuh (Noah). He came to be held in high regard by the Muslim community and seafarers as well as renowned for distributing cash to local children. According to some sources Habib Noh's father, Syed Mohamad Al Habsyi (also spelled as Al Habshee) worked as a palace official under Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II. The seat of the Kedah government then was at Kota Kuala Muda. When his wife died Syed Mohamad married Ku Pahmah, widow of Syed Yassin Al Anggawi who was killed at Limbong Kapal when Siam attacked Kedah in 1821. After the marriage, the family moved to Penang. Habib Noh also has a sister by the name of Sharifah Aloyah whose descendants still reside in Penang.
After Habib died, folklore tells of how on his body's journey to the traditional place of burial in Bidadari Cemetery, the pallbearers could no longer bear the weight of the coffin. When the mourners remembered Habib had wanted to be interred on Mount Palmer, they could once more lift the coffin. According to the Straits Times, after Habib's death a kramat or shrine was built over the grave, which became a place of Muslim pilgrimage and attracted Hajj visitors from afar afield as the Dutch East Indies and China on their way to Mecca.
Offspring
Habib fathered four children:
Death Anniversary (Haul)
Habib's death anniversary ceremony (or haul) is often held on the last day of the month Rabiul Akhir. It starts about 'Asr with various invited 'ulamas or religious scholars from within Singapore and overseas giving lectures.
Maulid and tahlil are read after Maghrib. Generous food is then served to the hundreds of guests regardless of race or religion, after Isya' prayers.
Administration & Current Status
Habib Noh's family at first administered the makam through a trust fund, with responsibility for the tomb's upkeep later transferred to the Muslims and Hindus Endowment Board in 1936, and finally in 1968 to the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura.
In providing Muslim office workers a convenient location for prayers, the institution continues to play a major role in the community. In addition to the upkeep of visitors to the mausoleum, it also receives high profile scholars for lectures and Khutbah and other religious services.
As of December 2016, the mosque and mausoleum are being upgraded with better facilities and greater accessibility to the hilltop shrine. Key architectural features will be preserved. A temporary worship area at an open space nearby is used to facilitate the nine months of upgrading.