Masjid Al-Istiqamah

Masjid Al-Istiqamah
Masjid Al-Istiqamah in 2006, overlooking Yio Chu Kang Road.
Masjid Al-Istiqamah is located in Singapore
Masjid Al-Istiqamah
Location in Singapore
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Location
Location2 Serangoon North Avenue 2, Singapore 555876
CountrySingapore
Coordinates1°22′10″N 103°52′32″E / 1.3693388°N 103.8755775°E / 1.3693388; 103.8755775
Architecture
StyleEclectic
Completed1999
Specifications
Capacity2,500
Minaret1

Masjid Al-Istiqamah is a mosque located in the Serangoon North district at the border of Serangoon and Kovan, Singapore. Completed in 1999, it is one of two mosques built under the third phase of the Mosque Building Fund, the other being Masjid Al-Istighfar at Pasir Ris.

Etymology

The name of the mosque, Al-Istiqamah, is an Arabic term that refers to steadfastness in acts of worship.[1] Originally, "Al-Istiqamah" was a proposed name for a mosque at Pasir Ris, along with "Al-Fajar" and "Al-Istighfar."[2] Eventually, Al-Istighfar was chosen as the name for the mosque at Pasir Ris, while Al-Istiqamah was chosen as the name of the mosque at Serangoon.[2][3]

History

The construction projects for two mosques, Masjid Al-Istighfar at Pasir Ris and Masjid Al-Istiqamah at Serangoon North were selected for the third phase of the Mosque Building Fund, an intiative by the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) for the financing of new mosques in the country.[3][4] Construction of Masjid Al-Istiqamah began on 10 September 1997, with direction from local architectural firm James Yip & Partners who had designed the building.[5][6] The mosque was ultimately completed on 5 March 1999 and visited by Syed Isa Semait and several other representatives of the MUIS.[7] Later on 11 June 1999, the mosque was officially opened to the public and held its first Friday prayer, led by Syed Isa Semait.[8][9] However, the mosque would only be inaugurated on 17 June 2000, holding a ceremony on that day. After the closure of the Bidadari Mosque in 2007, Masjid Al-Istiqamah was one of seven alternatives available for former congregants, the others being Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon, Masjid Haji Yusoff and Masjid En-Naeem.[10]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mosque was closed down during a nationwide closure of religious institutions as part of the 2020 Singapore circuit breaker measures. Towards the end of the pandemic, the mosque was fully reopened to the public.[11]

2025 pork parcel incident

On 24 September 2025, Masjid Al-Istiqamah was evacuated after the Singapore Police Force was informed of a "suspicious parcel" at its premises. Specialists from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) did not find hazardous materials during checks of the mosque; however, a staff member was transported to Sengkang General Hospital for breathlessness.[12]

Normal operations resumed the following day, with Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, visiting the mosque and joining the congregation for pre-dawn prayers.[13] During a press conference on the same day, K. Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security, said that the parcel contained a type of meat, which initially "[appeared] to be pork". He called the action of sending the parcel "inflammatory" and "playing with fire".[14] That day, Bill Tan Keng Hwee, a 61-year-old Chinese man, was arrested on suspicion of sending a parcel of pork, which is haram (prohibited in Islam), to Masjid Al-Istiqamah; preliminary investigations traced several similar cases at other mosques to him.[15]

On 27 September, the police confirmed that Tan had been arrested.[15] He was named and charged in court on the same day with deliberately intending to wound the racial feelings of a person, an offence under Singaporean law punishable by a fine and/or up to three years of imprisonment.[16]

Architecture

Masjid Al-Istiqamah is built in a modern and eclectic architectural style inspired by those from the Nusantaran region.[5] Having a capacity of two thousand and five hundred worshippers, the mosque has a total of three stories, with the main prayer hall situated on the ground level, female prayer hall on the second level, and additional prayer spaces on the third level, while madrasa classrooms are situated on the rear end of the latter two levels.[9][17] A garden surrounds the main building of the mosque, which is managed by the mosque committee.[18] Every room in the mosque with the exception of the pantry and toilets can be converted into a temporary prayer space to accommodate more congregants for the Eid prayers and Friday prayers.[9][17] There is also a $50,000 private archive and library on the third level, containing over a hundred multimedia literature and non-fiction works.[19]

Transportation

Situated at the junction of Serangoon North Avenue 2 and Yio Chu Kang Road while bordering Kovan, Masjid Al-Istiqamah is directly accessible from its designated bus stop, or alternatively, from the nearby bus stop "Blk 138" or the designated bus stop for the Yio Chu Kang Chapel.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nasir, Nazrudin (5 May 2023). "Steadfastness The Key to Paradise". MUIS. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Masjid baru Pasir Ris diberi nama" [New mosque at Pasir Ris is given name]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 2 December 1996. p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 Ismail, Nizam (13 February 1997). "Masjid Pasir Ris, Serangoon dibina hujung tahun" [Mosques in Pasir Ris; Serangoon to be built next year]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 1. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Mendermalah kepada masjid Serangoon" [Donate to the Serangoon mosque]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 3 May 1997. p. 8. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Masjid bercorak Nusantara" [Mosque with Nusantara style]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 10 September 1997. p. 1. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Ibrahim, Puad (10 September 1997). "Kerja pembinaan al-Istiqamah bermula bulan ini" [Construction works for Al-Istiqamah starting this month]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Chan, Alphonso (6 March 1999). "New Mosque Right On Schedule". Berita Harian. p. 57. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Hamzah, Farid (11 June 1999). "Solat Jumaat Hari Ini" [First Friday Prayer Today]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 10. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Khalid, Kartini (16 June 2000). "Sempena perasmian Masjid Al-Istiqamah" [In conjunction with the inauguration of Al-Istiqamah Mosque]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 6. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Several alternatives available after Bidadari Mosque closes". The Straits Times. 18 May 2007. p. 56. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Dua masjid ditutup dek Covid-19, jemaah faham solat Jumaat dibatalkan" [Two mosques closed due to Covid-19, worshippers understand that Friday prayers have been cancelled]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 2 October 2021. p. 6. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Al-Istiqamah Mosque in Serangoon North evacuated after suspicious parcel delivered to its premises". The Straits Times. 24 September 2025. Archived from the original on 26 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Al-Istiqamah Mosque operating as usual after parcel event; warded worker doing well: Faishal Ibrahim". The Straits Times. 25 September 2025. Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "Meat which 'appears to be pork' found in parcel sent to mosque in Serangoon, says Shanmugam". CNA. 25 September 2025. Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Man arrested for suspected involvement in sending parcel containing pork to Al-Istiqamah Mosque". The Straits Times. 27 September 2025. Archived from the original on 27 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  16. ↑ "Man charged over parcel incident at Al-Istiqamah Mosque in Serangoon North". The Straits Times. 27 September 2025. Archived from the original on 28 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Masjid al-Istiqamah guna ruang secara kreatif" [Al-Istiqamah Mosque has creative ways to use spaces]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 6 March 1999. p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Taman penyeri Masjid Istiqamah" [Istiqamah Mosque's graceful garden]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 5 February 2006. p. 5. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "Pustaka canggih serba menarik" [An interesting sophisticated library]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 16 June 2000. p. 7. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
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