Muslim cemeteries in Singapore

In Singapore, there are numerous cemeteries that house Muslim graves. Many of them are not in use currently as most of the burials take place at Pusara Aman in Choa Chu Kang. This is a non-exhaustive list of the Muslim cemeteries that have been demolished such as Bidadari Cemetery, as well as cemeteries that have not been in use for years. Included in this list are Keramats (Mausoleums) that are present in Singapore.

Cemeteries

Pusara Aman Cemetery and Pusara Abadi Cemetery are Muslim cemeteries located along Jalan Bahar and Lim Chu Kang road, respectively. These two cemeteries represent the largest burial area reserved for the Muslim community, and graves within are typically cleared of weeds and debris before Eid ul-Fitr, during which Muslims customarily visit them.[1] Pusara Aman Cemetery is the older, and has at its edge a mosque which was built in 1975. Pusara Abadi Cemetery, on the hand, is newer, and is where the Muslims exhumed from Bidadari Cemetery are interred to rest.

Bidadari Cemetery
Main article: Bidadari Cemetery

Bidadari Cemetery is a defunct cemetery which used to serve the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sinhalese communities, and accepted burials between 1907 and 1972. The site of Bidadari Cemetery used to be Istana Bidadari, the home of Che Puan Besar Zubaidah, who was the second wife of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor Istana.[2]

The cemetery accepted its last burial in 1972. By 2006, all known graves were exhumed to make way for development of the Bidadari Estate.[3]

Jalan Kubor Cemetery
Main article: Jalan Kubor Cemetery

Jalan Kubor Cemetery, sometimes called Victoria Street Cemetery, is a historical royal Muslim cemetery located at Victoria Street, near Kampong Glam neighbourhood in Singapore.[4] This cemetery is one of the oldest Muslim cemeteries in Singapore and houses many graves of important Muslim figures in the 19th and 20th centuries. The cemetery features tombstones with inscriptions in a diversity of languages and writing systems, reflecting the indigenous peoples of Singapore, including Malay, Javanese script, Buginese Lontara script, Arabic, English, Mandarin and Gujarati.[5]

Kubur Kassim (Siglap Muslim Cemetery)

Kubur Kassim (translated to Kassim Cemetery from Malay) is located at 426 Siglap Road, right in the middle of a private housing estate. The cemetery stopped accepting burials in the 1970s but the physical ground is still present. There is also a small surau in the middle of the cemetery, which is still in use by the cemetery's caretaker.

The entrance of Kubur Kassim is signified by a vivid yellow and green coloured gate that has Arabic inscriptions on it.

Yellow and gate of Kubur Kassim, with Arabic inscriptions

The usage of the colours yellow and green signifies the important colours in Islam. Green is commonly related to paradise, the Prophet, birth and nature.[6] Yellow on the other hand signifies royalty.[7] The tombs that lie in this cemetery, are different as compared to the Muslim cemeteries that are present nowadays. Many of the tombs in Kubur Kassim are square-shaped, and not rectangular-shaped.

Square Tombs at Kubur Kassim

There was also a widespread belief that supernatural beings were buried in this cemetery.[8] These supernatural beings are called the Orang Bunian. These beings are spirits that come from a different dimension, yet live their lives on Earth like human beings.[9]

Kubur Kassim also houses graves of significant members of the Malay Community. For example, Dr Hafeezudin Sirajuddin Moonshi currently lies in Kubur Kassim. Dr Moonshi opened the first Muslim clinic in 1916.[8] Another important figure that lies in this cemetery would be Che Lembek Binte Abdin, who is the former headmistress of Kampong Glam Girls' School during the Second World War.[10]

Keramats

Keramats are defined as the graves or tombs of deceased Muslim men who played a significant role in religion, such as Muslim saints.[11] These sites that house the Keramats are typically visited as part of a pilgrimage to wish for something, or to pay their respects in the case that their wish got granted. However, the definition has evolved over the years to include graves or tombs of not only saints, but also rulers such as Sultans and Temenggongs.[12]

Keramat Habib Noh
Main article: Keramat Habib Noh

Keramat Habib Noh is a Muslim mausoleum dedicated to Habib Noh, a wali or saint in the Sufi tradition,[13] specifically as the "patron saint of Malay sailors".[14] It is located at 37 Palmer Road, top of Mount Palmer.

Keramat Iskandar Shah

The mausoleum of Iskandar Shah is located at the top of Fort Canning Hill. It is housed under a hut at the top of Fort Canning Hill, and is open at all times for visitors.[15]

Sultan Iskandar Shah (also known as Parameswara and Sri Tri Buana) was either the leader of pre-colonial Singapore in the 14th Century, or the son of the founder of Melaka who subsequently moved to Singapore. His identity is contested amongst scholars in the history field. Some scholars think that Parameswara and Iskandar Shah are the same person, while others think that when Parameswara came to Singapore, he converted to Islam and his name became Iskandar Shah.[16] Some believe that Iskandar Shah was the successor of Parameswara.[16] Iskandar Shah is also associated with another name, Sri Tri Buana (also known as Sang Nila Utama), who was the first king of Singapore in the Malay Annals.[17]

In the Malay Annals, it is written that he and his companions sailed to Temasek where they saw an unknown animal while walking around the island, looking for food.[18] His companion informed him that the animal they saw was probably a lion and so Sang Nila Utama (Or Sri Tri Buana) decided to name the land they were on Singapura (Lion City).[18] Ultimately, his identity and name are commemorated in Singapore through the shrine in Fort Canning Hill.

Keramat Bukit Kasita
Main article: Makam Diraja Johor Telok Blangah
Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim

Keramat Bukit Kasita (Also known as Makam Diraja Johor Telok Blangah) is located next to Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim in Telok Blangah. There are 32 graves in the cemetery, including the grave of Temenggong Abdul Rahman (Also known as Engku Abdul Rahman), Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, and their family members.[19] However, the tombs of the Temenggongs are placed inside the mosque, as a mausoleum (Keramat). The land that the mosque and cemetery lie on belongs to the Johor Sultanate, to this day.[20]

References
  1. Singapore The Encyclopedia. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2006. "Pusara Aman and Pusara Abadi". p. 434.
  2. "Municipal Meeting". The Straits Times. 26 September 1903. p. 5. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  3. "Advertisement by the British High Commission". The Straits Times. 29 February 2008. p. 21.
  4. Coleman, G. D. (1836). "Map Of The Town And Environs Of Singapore". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  5. Zaccheus, Melody (5 September 2014). "Uncovering secrets of 19th century Singapore". The Straits Times. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Singapore, Remember (1 September 2019). "Past and Present Cemeteries of Singapore (Part 2) – Malay/Muslim Burial Grounds". Remember Singapore. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  9. Sharif, Noraini (1987). "Spirit in the material world: Probing the mystery of the orang bunian". Adat Resam dan Kebudayaan 1987. Malaysia: University of Malaya Library.
  10. "Dies On Day Of Tribute". The Straits Times. 6 November 1948. p. 7. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  11. Skeat, W.W. (1984). Malay Magic: Being an Introduction to the Folklore and Popular Religion of the Malay Peninsula. Singapore: Oxford University Press. p. 62.
  12. Wurtzburg, C.E. (1984). Raffles of the Eastern Isles. Singapore: Oxford University Press. p. 620.
  13. Widodo, Johannes (1 January 2005). "Preserving the Memory of Place: Case for Support for Palmer Road Area Conservation in Singapore". Journal of Asian Studies (29): 1–9.
  14. "Habib Noh's Tomb refused to be lifted". Sunday Tribune. 15 January 1950. p. 5. Retrieved 6 April 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. "Fort Canning Park | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  16. Linehan, W. (1982). Sheppard, Mubin (ed.). Singapore 150 Years. Singapore: Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. p. 66.
  17. Brown, C.C (1976). Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. pp. 13–15.
  18. Brown, C.C (1976). Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. p. 20.
  19. Don, Ahmad Mohd (7 April 1981). "Telok Blangah Kaya Dengan Kesan2 Sejarah". Berita Harian. p. 5. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  20. "The Temenggongs". The Straits Times. 9 August 1989. p. 5. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
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