Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali
| Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali | |
|---|---|
Jawi: مسجد مولانا محمد علي | |
The main entrance to the mosque. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Rite | Shafi'i and Hanafi |
| Location | |
| Location | 80 Raffles Place, #B1-01 I UOB Plaza, Singapore 048624 |
| Country | Singapore |
Location in Singapore | |
| Geographic coordinates | 1°17′08″N 103°51′00″E / 1.2856040°N 103.8500194°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Basement, mosque |
| Style | Late-modernist architecture |
| Date established | 1950s |
| Completed | 1994 |
| Capacity | 800 |
Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali (Jawi: مسجد مولانا محمد علي; Moulana Mohamed Ali Mosque, sometimes shortened to Moulana Mohd Ali) is an underground mosque in Raffles Place, Singapore. Formerly a pair of shophouses located along Market Street that were converted into prayer halls, the mosque is now located in the basement of UOB Plaza One. It is the only underground mosque in Singapore.
Etymology
The mosque is named after Muhammad Ali Jawhar (1878–1931), known by his title Moulana.[1] He was a founding member of the All-India Muslim League, Jamia Millia Islamia and a regular member of the Indian National Congress.[1]
History
The original mosque was established in the 1950s by Indian Muslim migrants who purchased a pair of shophouses along Market Street and converted them into prayer halls to be used by the Muslims in the area.[2][3][4] It was rebuilt into a three-storey mosque building at some point of time.[5] With the expansion of the Central Business District in the 1970s, the mosque stood in the way of the development of UOB Plaza.[2][3][6] After negotiations to retain the mosque, it was agreed to let the mosque be re-established as part of the basement level of UOB Plaza One.[2][3] The old mosque was demolished and its committee and staff were relocated to the Nagore Dargah shrine in Telok Ayer, which was used as a temporary site for congregational prayers.[2][6][7]
In 1993, it was revealed that the mosque's location was a strategic attempt to attract Muslim workers in the Central Business District and Shenton Way.[5] Construction on the mosque began in 1982 but was temporarily delayed in 1984.[6] The mosque was eventually completed in 1994 with approval from the Mufti, Syed Isa Semait, but was completed late due to a severe lack of funds.[7][8] It officially opened in 1995.[3]
The mosque had not been renovated for at least 21 years, until it was closed in October 2014 for a major renovation that was completed in 2015.[9] The renovation added more air conditioning to the mosque as well as expanded the prayer hall and ablution area.[9]
Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali is currently the only functioning underground mosque in Singapore, which makes it unique amongst all of the mosques of Singapore.[2][3][10] It is mainly visited by workers in the Central Business District.[4] Currently, it has a capacity of 800 worshippers according to the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura.[11] It is also a place for bubur (porridge) distribution during the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Gallery
Exterior
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Entrance to the mosque that is accessible from Boat Quay.
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The stairs leading to the mosque.
Interior
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The entrance to the male prayer hall, ablution area on the left.
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The qibla of the mosque with minbar present.
See also
References
- ^ a b "History". Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Moulana Mohd Ali Mosque | learnislam". Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "S'pore's only underground mosque located beneath one of the tallest buildings in the CBD". Mothership. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ a b "A tidbit of the history of a mosque located under the basement of a Chinese bank". Berita Harian (in Malay). 20 January 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ a b "The new mosque of Shenton Way will attract office workers". Berita Harian. 2 December 1993. p. 3.
- ^ a b c "The construction of Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali will have to be delayed". Berita Harian. 5 July 1984. p. 3.
- ^ a b "Insufficient funds cause opening of mosque to be delayed". Berita Harian. 25 June 1994. p. 8.
- ^ "Masjid Moulana will be completed by end of this year". Berita Harian. 25 June 1994. p. 16.
- ^ a b Lai, Linette (10 April 2025). "Moulana Mohamed Ali Mosque reopens at Raffles Place". The Straits Times.
- ^ Tan, Kezia (15 December 2023). "7 Things In The Underground World of Singapore You Never Knew Existed". TheSmartLocal - Singapore's Leading Travel and Lifestyle Portal. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Mosque Directory | Moulana Mohd Ali". Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura.