Ba Alawi Mosque – a model for inclusion
The Ba ‘Alawi mosque in Singapore is one of the best examples of an accessible, open, forward-thinking mosque. Abdul Aziz Ahmed, the Chair of Kitaba was fortunate to witness a moving display of love and mercy shown by the Muslim community associated with the mosque towards those less fortunate in society. It was also an example of the prophetic injunction to show kindness to one’s neighbours.
The event, known as the Maulid al-Yatama, literally the ‘birthday celebration for the orphans’ follows a series of events to mark the death anniversary of the mosque’s founder, al-Habib Muhammad bin Salim al-Attas. The celebration began with a recitation of Quran, followed by a reading of the Maulid al-Daibai, a short Arabic text which describes the character and role of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, in prose and poetry. It was followed by a short prayer and an address in English, on this occasion delivered by Abdul Aziz, who spoke about the duty to make mosques accessible and open to all, including non-Muslims, disabled people and those ostracised and marginalised by their community and society. Gifts were then distributed to all the guests. On this occasion there were over three hundred special guests from various institutions around Singapore. They included children from the Pertapis and Jamiya Children’s Homes, adults from the Pertapis Senior Citizen’s Home and St Theresa’s Home, two organisations that provide support for single parents and people with various disabilities from the Singapore Association of the Visually Impaired and the Moral Home for Disabled Adults.
The mosque which has no walls on two sides is physically open to the courtyard where most of the non-Muslim guests had gathered to witness the prayers and recitation while enjoying the celebratory meal. The Imam and dignitaries then went to join them to distribute gifts to those who chose to stay in the courtyard.
The Ba ‘Alawi mosque was opened in 1952 and was built by its first Imam and founder al-Habib Muhammad bin Salim. He had offered to buy the land, which is in a prime spot in central Singapore, from its owner Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Shibli. When he refused, Habib Muhammad said to him ‘neither of us are going to live long. After my death I will say “I wanted to build a mosque but Abu Bakr al-Shibli refused to sell”.‘ When Abu Bakr heard this, he donated the land as a charitable endowment. Shortly after the land was donated, the Imam had a dream that the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, was making the call to prayer in the centre of the land. The Imam dug where he had seen the Prophet and found a well of water below the place where he had seen him standing.
The Imam died in 1976 and his son, al-Habib Hasan bin Muhammad took over his duties. He decided to mark the anniversary of his father’s death as an opportunity to gather the Muslim communities from around Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for lessons and spiritual reminders. The event, known as a hawl, unlike other such gatherings is not a celebration of one person’s life or a glorification of an individual. The emphasis is on calling people to God and His Messenger and to good character. It carries on al-Habib Muhammad’s legacy without becoming a cult festival. The tradition of al-Habib Muhammad is an extension of the work of his great predecessor al-Habib Nuh al-Habashi who was famed for his love of the poor, orphans and even criminals. The hawl is a chance to revive their work and build on the principles they established.
Ten years ago, one of the community members felt that it would be nice to do something special for local Muslim orphans during the hawl. He asked the Imam if they could have a special maulid gathering for the orphans and give them a small gift. Later, the event was opened to all orphans, regardless of religion or culture. A few years later the invitation was extended to the local associations for the Blind and Disabled and senior citizens. An occupational therapist from a local institution for people with learning difficulties said this was a major event for her patients. They looked forward to the party, the balloons, food and, of course, the gifts.
Before the series of events takes place, the Imam or his son or a representative of the mosque visits each of the neighbours with a box of chocolates and an invitation to join them for the Maulid al-Yatama. All the stalls are sponsored by local Muslims and the food and activities are chosen after consulting the children. The children predictably chose lots of chocolates, burgers, satay and ice cream.
Abdul Aziz, who had been booked to return to the UK before the Maulid al-Yatama, joked that God had sent a volcano to make sure he attended this special event. The volcano also allowed him to visit Kuala Lumpur where he delivered a number of talks including one on national radio on Islam’s role in supporting the marginalised in society and the work of Kitaba.
Posted: May 17, 2010
Tags: Shaykh Abdul Aziz