Masjid Al Abrar is one of the oldest Sunni Muslim mosques that have been set up in the territory of Singapore by the South Indian Muslim inhabitants. The Masjid Al Abrar mosque, also known as the “Hut” mosque is a declared national monument of Singapore since 1974.
Singapore’s Muslim minority is normally Sunni Muslim. The Muslim worshippers are either of South Indian or of Malaysian origin. The Sunni Muslim religion is on the third place in the list of national religions out of which Buddhism counts as the first and the many sorts of Christian religions being on the second place before it. Still you can see many Muslim locals while you are walking on the streets of Singapore. Being essential for the religions and the five times a day prayer there are several mosques in Singapore some of them even enlisted in the top 10 list of the world’s most beautiful mosques. Among there you can see a wide variety representing different styles of mosques ranging from classic Muslim to Indian architectural wonders.
The Masjid Al Abrar Mosque is interestingly located in today’s Chinatown part along the Telok Ayer Street which is also part of the Business District of Singapore. The first names of the mosque were Kuchu Palli meaning Hut mosque. The South Indian Chulia immigrants had built the mosque in 1827 and first it operated in a thatched hut. In 1855, the renovated brick mosque of Masjid Al Abrar opened. The territory it uses is a granted land for a 999-year long lease and appointed trustees take care of the mosque’s operation and financial background and they take care of the other two Chulia mosques the Masjid Jamae and the Nagore Durgha, which also stand in Singapore.
The Masjid Al Abrar is a one-storey mosque made with the elements of traditional Muslim architecture. Its existing courtyard, which used to be between the entrance and the prayer hall, has been initially covered and one part of it had been restructured into being a gallery. The bigger renovation works were executed between 1986 and 1989 with being sensitive to keep the original outlook of the mosque so now the Masjid Al Abrar looks just like it has looked always like this. The memorable mosque has been declared to be a national monument almost forty years ago.
The accommodating capacity of the Masjid Al Abrar mosque is 500 praying Muslim worshippers and it welcomes many Muslims every single day, in the time of the 5 prayer. Women can also pray in the mosque but they must enter through a different gate to a different praying hall in the gallery of the upper floor. For the restoration works, either the same or the very authentic materials were used.
Non-Muslim visitors cannot visit the Masjid Al Abrar, so if you are not a Muslim, you will only see this special mosque from the outside. Yet, do not miss the chance to see the oldest mosque of Singapore City treasuring so much its history and respecting all religions deeply.