Keramat Habib Noh
| مسجد حاج محمد صالح دان مقام حبيب نوح Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh & Maqam Habib Noh Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque & Shrine of Habib Noh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | 37 Palmer Road Singapore 079424 |
 | |
| Geographic coordinates | 1°16′22″N 103°50′50″E / 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/ | |
Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh & Maqam Habib Noh (Jawi: مسجد حاج محمد صالح دان مقام حبيب نوح; Malay for Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque & Shrine 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 adjoining mosque are under the purview of Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura.
The Keramat is housed at the top of the hill at 37 Palmer Road, with 49 steps leading to it. The entrance of 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 Sayyid Abdur Rahman Salim al-Habshi, the cousin of Habib Noh.[4]
Mythology
[edit]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
[edit]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 the current 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
[edit]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]
Gallery
[edit]Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh
[edit]-
An aerial view of the mosque and adjoining mausoleum, as seen in 2016. -
Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh during renovation works in 2025. -
The entrance of Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh while the mosque is undergoing renovation works. -
A corridor in the mosque, with the entrance to the prayer hall on the right. -
The interior of the mosque. -
The female prayer hall of the mosque. -
Close-up of the top part of a pillar, showing gold painted carvings detail. -
Worshippers in the main mosque's prayer hall.
Makam Habib Noh
[edit]-
The mausoleum undergoing renovation in 2025. -
The new dome of the Makam Habib Noh, not yet assembled, is temporarily residing on the ground while renovation works are being done to the mosque and the mausoleum's base.
Transportation
[edit]The mosque is accessible from Tanjong Pagar MRT station. The mosque will be accessible from Prince Edward Road MRT station once it is completed in 2026.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "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.
- ^ a b Tsang 2011, p. 29.
- ^ "Ceremony at Singapore's Most Famous Muslim Shrine". Straits Times. 23 April 1940. p. 11. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ a b 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
[edit]- Tsang, Susan (2011). Singapore at random. Audrey Perera. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet. ISBN 978-981-4260-37-4. OCLC 666223860.
