Surau Ghim Moh
| Surau Ghim Moh | |
|---|---|
 Main facade of the surau, with entrance and rack for footwear. | |
.svg.png)  Location in Singapore | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | 2 Ghim Moh Rd, Singapore 270002 |
| Country | Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°18′45″N 103°47′15″E / 1.3124128°N 103.7875129°E |
| Architecture | |
| Established | 1981 |
| Capacity | 100 |
Surau Ghim Moh is a surau located in the Ghim Moh residential area within Buona Vista, Singapore. Established in 1978, it is one of three active suraus in the country, the other two being Surau Al-Firdaus at Kampong Lorong Buangkok and Surau MacAlister in the Singapore General Hospital.
History
The surau was established in 1978 by Ahmad Basar, a Muslim resident of Buona Vista.[1][2][3] It was situated in the void deck underneath the second apartment block of the Ghim Moh housing estate.[1][2][3] The main purpose of the surau was to provide an accessible place of worship for the Muslim residents in the area, due to the fact that the nearest mosque, Masjid Kampong Holland, was only accessible by bus and hence was not convenient for the elderly.[1][2][3] When the idea for a surau in the void deck was proposed in the 1970s, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) initially rejected the proposal due to concerns that the surau would make the void deck less inclusive, although they later approved the construction of the proposed surau after persuasion from Muslim politicians Abbas Abu Amin and Ahmad Mattar.[1][2][3]
Surau Ghim Moh started out as an enclosure made from canvas and cardboards in the void deck.[1][2][4] In 1981, sufficient funding as well as approval from the local Town Council allowed for a proper wooden enclosure to be built, complete with a carpeted wood-tiled floor, ablution area, window binds, as well as electric fans and lighting to illuminate and ventilate the place.[1][2][4] A wooden minbar was also installed in the surau, to be used during the sermon given after the Eid prayers.[4][5] One of the first preachers to give a sermon at the surau and stand on the pulpit was Tony Castello, a Eurasian convert to Islam and former actor who starred in the 1956 Malay film Anak-ku Sazali.[6]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the surau was one of two Islamic prayer places that were kept active during a nationwide closure of mosques, the other being Surau Al-Firdaus at Kampong Lorong Buangkok.[7]
Transportation
Surau Ghim Moh is located in the void deck underneath Block 2 along Ghim Moh Road. It is also situated within walking distance of the Ghim Moh bus terminal and interchange.[8]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tan Xin Wei, Andy (2020). Lee, Gregory (ed.). Religious Harmony In Singapore: Practices, Spaces and Communities. Urban Systems Studies. Singapore: Centre for Liveable Cities. pp. 40–41. ISBN 9789811469206.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Awang, Nabilah (28 July 2019). "38 years on, Muslim surau in Ghim Moh finds online fame". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Ghim Moh neighbours started HDB void deck prayer space in 1978, nearest mosque 30 minutes away". Mothership. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Lo, Jay (18 July 2019). "Ghim Moh HDB void deck has a hidden Muslim praying space that has been serving the community since 1978". Must Share News. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Surau Ghim Moh antara tempat terawih tertua seumpamanya di Singapura" [Surau Ghim Moh is one of the oldest terawih places of its kind in Singapore]. Berita MediaCorp (in Malay). 5 May 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Jamari, Zainal (30 April 1985). "Tony Castillo 'tukar' trompet dengan Quran" [Tony Castillo 'exchanges' trumpet for the Qur'an]. Berita Harian (in Malay). p. 3. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Agost, Nurulkhasanah (20 March 2020). "Masjid persendirian, MMO turut tiadakan solat Jumaat" [Private mosques, MMO also cancel Friday prayers]. BERITA MediaCorp (in Malay). Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "SolatGoWhere – Find Musollahs in Singapore". solatgowhere.com. Retrieved 21 July 2026.