Masjid Angullia

Masjid Angullia
مسجد اغكوليا
Masjid Angullia as of 2026.
Masjid Angullia is located in Singapore
Masjid Angullia
Location in Singapore
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Location
Location265 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218099
CountrySingapore
Coordinates1°18′37″N 103°51′15″E / 1.3103923°N 103.8541061°E / 1.3103923; 103.8541061
Architecture
TypeMosque
StyleIslamic architecture
FounderAhmad Mohamed Salleh Angullia
Established1819
Completed1898 (Original)
1970 (First reconstruction)
2020 (Second reconstruction)
Specifications
Capacity2,500
Dome1

Masjid Angullia (Jawi: مسجد اڠݢوليا) is a historic mosque in Little India, Singapore. Built in the 1890s by a Gujarati merchant named Ahmad Mohamed Salleh Angullia, the mosque is a heritage site and landmark amongst Indian Muslims of Singapore. The mosque has also been rebuilt twice in 1970 and then 2020, with the original gatehouse of the mosque being listed for conservation in 2014.

History

Mohamed Salleh Eusoof Angullia, an Indian Muslim businessman from the prestigious Angullia family of Gujarat, emigrated to colonial Singapore in 1870 along with his family to establish business in the country; eventually gaining prominence in the country as a leading figure in the Indian Muslim community with his real estate company, M.S.E Angullia & Co.[1] In 1819, Angullia bought a plot of land along Serangoon Road and released it under a waqf for the construction of a mosque. It was a tradition for successful Indian Muslims in colonial Singapore to bequeath their assets towards waqf charitable endowments, which contributed significantly to the local Indian Muslim culture and heritage.[2][3] The mosque, later named "Masjid Angullia" after him, was completed in stages between 1890 and 1900.[4][5] After 1968, full management of the mosque was transferred from the Angullia family to the newly-formed Islamic council, the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).[5][6] Under the purview of the MUIS, the mosque was granted permission to be used as a place for the collection of the Zakat tax, as well as the registration for poor and needy Muslim families.[5][6][7]

The 1970s structure before it was demolished in 2018.
The gatehouse at the entrance of the mosque was listed for conservation by the URA.

In 1970, the mosque was rebuilt into a larger structure that had an increased capacity of 1,500 worshippers.[5][8] The gatehouse of the mosque, the only part of the former mosque that had been retained, was marked as a Conserved Building by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in 2014.[1] At the same time, plans to rebuild the rest of the mosque as a larger structure were confirmed after approval from the MUIS and the URA, with the guarantee that the gatehouse of the mosque would be incorporated into the newer structure.[9] Then in 2018, the rest of the mosque was torn down to be rebuilt from the ground up.[10][11][12] Nearby mosque, Masjid Abdul Gaffoor, served additional congregants from Little India as a temporary place for their Friday prayers until the completion of the new mosque. Additionally, the Tablighi Jama'at movement which had set up their headquarters in Masjid Angullia instead relocated to Masjid Bencoolen, another Indian Muslim mosque.[13]

Masjid Angullia was completed by late 2019 and was officially reopened on 10 January 2020.[14][15] The new mosque, which now had a capacity of 2,500 worshippers, featured an entirely new prayer hall, with a new basement that served as either a carpark or a place for dining and rest.[16] The dome of the mosque was also replaced with a dome-shaped grille that served as a roof over a communal pavilion and garden.[17] Relics from the old mosque, such as bricks, were also preserved and put on display at the entrance of the mosque.[18]

Old bricks from the original structure on display at the Angullia Heritage Gallery.

On 24 August 2024, the mosque committee launched the Angullia Heritage Gallery which occupied a part of the side facade of the mosque. This gallery showcased the history of the mosque and its founder, as well as the history of the Indian Muslim presence in Singapore.[19]

Cultural legacy

Masjid Angullia is a landmark of Little India as well as a heritage site of the local Indian Muslim community.[20][21] It is also known for being the only surviving mosque of Gujarati origin in the country.[22] In an effort to recognize the contributions of its founder, Mohamed Salleh Angullia, the present-day mosque is built in an architectural style which is predominately modern, but also combines modern styles with traditional Gujarati patterns and latticework.[22] The mosque is also open to tourists and passersby in the Little India area.[21]

Transportation

Masjid Angullia is situated along Serangoon Road and is within walking distance from the Farrer Park MRT station on the North–East MRT line.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ab. Razak Chanbasha (2021). Indian Muslims in Singapore: history, heritage, and contributions. Centre for Research on Islamic & Malay Affairs (Singapore). Singapore: Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs. pp. 79–80, 180–185, 216, 381–382. ISBN 978-981-14-9033-0. OCLC 1285910589.
  2. ↑ "Tapak Masjid Angullia di-wakaf sejak 1819" [The site of the Angullia Mosque was donated in 1819]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 28 February 1970. p. 2. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Mohamad, Raja (2020). "Indian Muslims from 1819". Beyond Bicentennial: Perspectives on Malays. Singapore: World Scientific. pp. 651–654. ISBN 978-981-12-1251-2.
  4. ↑ Don, Ahmad (10 April 1984). "Masyarakat India juga banyak dirikan masjid di pinggir bandar" [Indian people also built many mosques on the outskirts of the city]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 5. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Salim, Soraya (3 August 2007). "Sekilas Masjid Angullia" [A glimpse at the Angullia Mosque]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Pembukaan pusat-pusat pendaftar zakat fitrah di-umumkan" [Opening of zakat fitrah registration centres announced]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 27 October 1968. p. 2. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Pendaftaran fakir miskin di-mulakan hari ini" [Registration of poor people begins today]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 4 October 1971. p. 2. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "About People In Singapore". Eastern Sun. 26 February 1970. p. 2. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Fact Sheet" (PDF). MUIS Media Release. 23 February 2018. p. 1. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Masjid Angullia dijangka siap akhir 2019" [Angullia Mosque expected to be completed by the end of 2019]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 22 February 2019. p. 15. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Giat kumpul dana tampung kos pembangunan semula Masjid Angullia" [Fundraising activities to accumulate funds for the reconstruction of the Angullia Mosque]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 2 April 2019. p. 11. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Masjid Angullia dijangka siap hujung tahun" [Angullia Mosque expected to be completed by the end of the year]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 20 April 2019. p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Woods, Orlando (2023). "Framing the Muslim subject, contesting the secular citizen: Tablighi Jamaat and the (trans)nationalization of Islam in Singapore". Global Networks. 23 (3): 599–615. doi:10.1111/glob.12402. ISSN 1471-0374.
  14. ↑ "Masjid Angullia selesai projek pembinaan semula" [Angullia Mosque completes reconstruction project]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 10 January 2020. p. 9. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Kos binaan masjid disasar $8.6j dapat dikurang kepada $6.5j" [Mosque construction cost targeted at $8.6m was able to be reduced to $6.5m]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 10 January 2020. p. 12. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Ciri-ciri baru dan menarik" [New and exciting features]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 10 January 2020. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Kubah" [Dome]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 10 January 2020. p. 11. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Mahu teruskan khidmat baik kelompok masjid selatan" [Want to continue the good service of the southern mosques]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 10 January 2020. p. 12. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Firdaus, Syed (24 August 2024). "Masjid Angullia lancar Galeri Warisan, peringati sejarah masjid, sumbangan keluarga Angullia" [The Angullia Mosque launched the Heritage Gallery, commemorating the history of the mosque, the contribution of the Angullia family]. Berita Harian Online (in Malay). Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  20. ↑ Bhattacharya, Jayati (2019). "Stories from the margins: Indian business communities in the growth of colonial Singapore". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 50 (4): 521–539. doi:10.1017/S0022463420000041. ISSN 0022-4634.
  21. 1 2 "Bukan bagi golongan India Muslim sahaja" [Not only for the Indian Muslims]. Berita Harian (in Malay). 3 August 2007. p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  22. 1 2 Abdul Azeez, Rizwana (2018). "Gujerati Community and Culture in Singapore". In Mathew, Mathews (ed.). The Singapore Ethnic Mosaic: Many Cultures, One People. Singapore: World Scientific. pp. 329–348. doi:10.1142/9789813234741_0010. ISBN 978-981-323-474-1.
Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Masjid Angullia.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.