Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim

Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Location
Location30 Telok Blangah Road, Singapore 098827
CountrySingapore
Location in Singapore
Coordinates1°15′58″N 103°49′27″E / 1.2662369°N 103.8242608°E / 1.2662369; 103.8242608
Architecture
TypeMosque
StyleMalay architecture
FounderTemenggong Daeng Ibrahim
Completed1845
1990s (Reconstruction)

Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim (Jawi: مسجد تماڠڬوڠ دايڠ إبراهيم) formerly known as the State of Johor Mosque, is a mosque located in Telok Blangah, Singapore. Adjacent to the VivoCity shopping centre, the present day mosque was built in 1993 as a reconstruction of an 1845 structure. It is named after Daeng Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman, the fourth Temenggong of Johor, during whose reign the original mosque was completed.

Next to the mosque is the Makam Diraja Telok Blangah, a burial ground which includes a mausoleum for the Temenggongs of Johor, including Daeng Ibrahim himself. The mosque is administered by the Islamic council of Johor, the Jabatan Agama Islam Johor (JAIJ) and not by Singapore's local Islamic council, the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).

Etymology

The mosque is named after Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman (r. 1841–1862), who was the fourth Temenggong to rule Johor and also the father of Sultan Abu Bakar.[1] He is notable for his diplomacy with the Sultans of Riau and Lingga, as well as cultivating the plantation of beneficial crops and assisting the British colonial government in combating piracy.[2] The mosque was also known as the State of Johor Mosque before it was reconstructed.[3]

History

The original structure present at the site was a balairong (Malay for reception hall) of the Istana Lama, which was converted into a mosque in 1845.[1][4][5][6] The mosque fell into disrepair by the late 1980s and thus Iskandar of Johor funded a complete reconstruction of the mosque, with the intention of replacing the dilapidated wooden prayer hall with a new cement and brick structure.[1][4] The mosque was completely rebuilt from the ground up and was finished by 1993.[7]

In 2019, the mosque was affected by the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic and hence it was closed down. It was reopened in mid 2020, although it was still under extensive safety measures and hence limited spaces were available in its prayer hall.[8] The mosque resumed its normal functionality in 2021, with former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak visiting the mosque in that same year to attend Friday prayers during a family-related trip to Singapore.[9]

Makam Diraja Telok Blangah

The royal burial ground, Makam Diraja Telok Blangah, is located next to the mosque although it is technically not a part of the main mosque.[1][3][5] The burial ground contains several old graves from the colonial era as well as a mausoleum containing the tombs of most of the Temenggongs of Johor and members of the Bendahara dynasty.[1][3][5] At least thirty two old graves in the cemetery belong to either royalty or aristocratic Malays. The cemetery was also intended to be where Radin Mas Ayu was buried, but this did not come to fruition and she was buried at a hill below Mount Faber instead.[10]

Both the burial ground and its mausoleum are not accessible to the public, unlike the mosque.[7]

Notable internments

Most of the Temenggongs of Johor from the Bendahara dynasty are buried here in one mausoleum built in 1849, namely:[3]

  • Temenggong Abdul Rahman (1755–1825), third Temenggong of Johor
  • Tun Haji Abdullah (1809–1861), son of Temenggong Abdul Rahman
  • Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim (1810–1862), fourth Temenggong of Johor
  • Ungku Muhammad Khalid (1849–1900), son of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim

Within the mausoleum, there is also a grave belonging to Ataullah Efendi, an Ottoman consul general.[11] This is one of two objects of Ottoman heritage in Singapore, the other being the minaret of Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon, a national heritage monument.[12]

Ownership

The mosque and its adjoining burial ground, despite being located in Telok Blangah, are not owned by the government of Singapore.[1][8] Rather, the land is private property that is owned by the State of Johor, while management of the mosque is undertaken by the Jabatan Agama Islam Johor (JAIJ).[1][8] The Imam, muezzin, and most senior staff in the mosque are typically Malaysian citizens assigned to work full-time overseas, and require work permits under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to work in Singapore.[1] The khutbah during the Friday prayer is not written or produced by local ulama, rather it is produced by the ulama of Johor and also includes a prayer for the reigning Sultan.[1]

Mosque

  • Interior of the mosque.
  • Minbar of the mosque.
  • Place for worshippers to take their wudhu (ritual ablution).
  • Side entrance, which is technically also the front "main" entrance.
  • View from the second entrance (closer to the royal burial ground side).

Cemetery

  • A sign indicating the royal cemetery.
  • The entrance to the burial ground and the mausoleum are blockaded.
  • Trees in front of the mausoleum.
  • The mausoleum on the left, and the cemetery on the right, as seen from outside the perimeter fencing.
  • A better look at the mausoleum from outside the perimeter fencing.

Aerial view

  • In this aerial view from the Singapore Cable Car, the mosque and mausoleum can be seen in the foreground, towards the left. The cemetery is covered by the trees.

Transportation

The mosque is within walking distance from the VivoCity shopping centre and the HarbourFront MRT station.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Masjid lama di Singapura masih kekal tradisi Johor" [Old mosque in Singapore still retains Johor tradition]. Berita Harian. 19 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012.
  2. ^ Adil, Buyong (2020). Sejarah Johor [History of Johor] (in Malay) (Revised ed.). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
  3. ^ a b c d "The Temenggongs". The Straits Times. 9 August 1989. p. 5.
  4. ^ a b "New mosque to replace historic Masjid Jamek". The Straits Times. 13 April 1991. p. 27.
  5. ^ a b c Mohammed, Ahmad (7 April 1981). "Telok Blangah kaya dengan kesan-kesan sejarah" [Telok Blangah is rich in historical traces]. Berita Harian. p. 5.
  6. ^ "State of Johore Mosque along Telok Blangah Road, before 1983". National Library Board. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  7. ^ a b "Transformasi: Lawatan ke Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim dan Makam Diraja (Telok Blangah)". 24 June 2011.
  8. ^ a b c Abdul Hamid, Ummu Rabbisyfina (10 June 2020). "Masjid Temenggong di Telok Blangah dibuka semula kepada orang ramai mulai 11 Jun" [Temenggong Mosque in Telok Blangah reopens to the public from June 11]. Berita Harian Online.
  9. ^ Alfiq, Faris (3 December 2021). "Najib possibly did his Friday prayer at a mosque near HarbourFront". Mothership. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  10. ^ "Once a palace, now a school". The Singapore Free Press. 3 February 1951. p. 3.
  11. ^ Seben, Taner (2015). The First Turkish Representatives In Singapore. Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Singapore. p. 17. The grave of the consul general Ataullah Efendi is placed in the mausoleum in Telok Blangah, the private cemetery of the Johor royal family. The cemetery is still considered as Malaysian soil. The fact that Consul General Ataullah Efendi was laid to rest in the same tomb together with the royal family members is surely evidence of the high respect accorded to the Ottoman Empire by the Sultanate of Johor.
  12. ^ "Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque gazetted as 68th national monument". TODAY. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  13. ^ "Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim (Mosque) - 30 Telok Blangah Road (S)098827". www.streetdirectory.com. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
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