Keramat Habib Noh
Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh & Maqam Habib Noh (Jawi: مسجد حاج محمد صالح دان مقام حبيب نوح; Malay for Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque & Maqam of Habib Noh) is a mosque and Muslim mausoleum respectively located at 37 Palmer Road, top of Mount Palmer, in Singapore. The mausoleum and its adjacent mosque are under the purview of Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura.
| مسجد حاج محمد صالح دان مقام حبيب نوح Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh & Maqam Habib Noh Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque & Maqam Habib Noh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | 37 Palmer Road Singapore 079424 |
| Geographic coordinates | 1.2728°N 103.8473°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque |
| Completed | 1890 (Mausoleum) 1903[1] (Mosque) |
| Construction cost | S$1.46 million (2017 Upgrading) |
| Capacity | 1,200 |
| Website | |
| http://www.hjmuhdsalleh.org.sg/ | |
The Keramat is housed at the top of the hill at 37 Palmer Road, with 49 steps leading to it. The steps leading to Habib Noh's tomb, as well as the room housing the tomb is adorned with green and yellow furnishing such as curtains. Green and yellow are the chosen colours due to their significance in Islam, which is a recurring theme that is observed in other Muslim cemeteries as well.[2][3] Behind the tomb of Habib Noh lies the tomb of Sayid Abdur Rahman bin Salim Al Habsyi, the cousin of Habib Noh.[4]
Mythology
Habib Noh died on 27 July 1866 in Telok Blangah, at the age of 78.[5] When he died, his coffin was set to move to a Muslim cemetery but was unmovable until "someone remembered his wish to be laid to rest at the peak of Mount Palmer".[6] Due to it, Habib Noh's grave was situated at Mount Palmer.
History
After Habib Noh was buried at Mount Palmer, a keramat or shrine was built over the grave, which became a place of Muslim pilgrimage and attracted Haj visitors from afar afield as the Dutch East Indies and China on their way to Mecca.[7]
A mausoleum was established in 1890 by Arabian philanthropist Syed Mohamad bin Ahmad Alsagoff.[6] He was part of the Alsagoff family in Singapore and his descendants continued to maintain the tomb.
The makam sat on top of Mount Palmer, but following an 1890 refurbishment by Syed Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Abdul Rahman Alsagoff (Nong Chik), it was rebuilt with 52 stairs.[8]
A merchant from Betawi (now Jakarta) and a good friend of Habib Nuh, Haji Muhammad Salleh built a surau, Surau Kampong Sambau, on Mount Palmer for Habib Nuh but it was not completed in time before Habib Noh's death. The surau was finally completed in 1902 but it was then destroyed and rebuilt into Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque in 1903.[9]
In July 2017, the mosque and mausoleum have been upgraded with better facilities and greater accessibility to the hilltop shrine. Key architectural features are still preserved.[10]
Administration
Habib Nuh's family (from his only son, Syed Ahmad) at first administered the makam through a trust fund known as Habib Nuh 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.[8]
Transportation
The mosque is accessible from Tanjong Pagar MRT station.
References
- "Mosque". www.hjmuhdsalleh.org.sg.
- Hirsch, Hadas (2020). "Clothing And Colours In Early Islam: Adornment (Aesthetics), Symbolism And Differentiation". Anthropology of the Middle East. 15 (1): 103. doi:10.3167/ame.2020.150108. S2CID 218967321.
- Osman, Mohd. Taib (1997). Islamic Civilization In The Malay World. Istanbul: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. p. 297.
- Suratee, Mohamad Ghouse Khan (2008). The grand saint of Singapore: the life of Habib Nuh bin Muhammad Al-Habshi. Singapore: Masjid Al'Firdaus. pp. 51–53.
- "$1m facelift for mosque, shrine". The Straits Times. 15 December 1986. p. 14. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- Tsang 2011, p. 29.
- "Ceremony at Singapore's Most Famous Muslim Shrine". Straits Times. 23 April 1940. p. 11. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- Bonny Tan & Marsita Omar. "Keramat Habib Noh". Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board of Singapore. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- Surattee, Mohamad Ghouse Khan (2010). Lambang Terukir: Dalam Mengisahkan Manaqib Habib Noh bin Muhammad Alhabsyi Yang Syahir. Singapore: Masjid Al'Firdaus. p. 45.
- "Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque reopens after $1.46m revamp". The Straits Times. July 21, 2017.
Works cited
- Tsang, Susan (2011). Singapore at random. Audrey Perera. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. ISBN 978-981-4260-37-4. OCLC 666223860.
