Tag: Mosque

  • A Story On The First Day Of Syawal

    A Story On The First Day Of Syawal

    A CONVERSATION ON THE FIRST OF SHAWWAL

    ISYAK: They came for me at the Masjid every night in Ramadhan… every night! I really thought they came for me. And I only realised I was wrong when our guest Mr Tarawih told me that they came for him and not me. I mean.. come on.. Im wajib and he’s sunnat..

    MAGHRIB: Me too bro… they were anxiously waiting for me to come every evening! They actually memorised my arrival time man! I was so happy until Mr Iftar told me they were waiting for him and not me.

    SUBUH: You guys should be thankful… They only came for me in the Masjid in the last 10 nights of Ramadhan. I thought they came for me but realised I was wrong when Mr Laylatul Qadr told me they came for him. And the saddest part was yesterday on 1st Shawwal. So many came although they were late. So many of them came. It was more than the numbers who came for Mr Jumaat. And then I realised they came for Mr Eid. Not me.

    LAYLATUL QADR: And those who knew my story, they only came on 5 of the odd nights, not 10. Imagine if Allah had revealed to them my actual date!

    ZUHUR & ASAR: [Silent, not understanding a single thing]

     

    Source: Aydarus Alhabshi

  • Hajjah Fatimah Mosque To Be Restored, Minaret’s Tilt Preserved

    Hajjah Fatimah Mosque To Be Restored, Minaret’s Tilt Preserved

    Singapore’s own “leaning tower” – the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque’s minaret, which tilts at an angle of six degrees – will be restored to its former glory.

    Although the slant will remain, the structure, alongside the rest of the 1846 compound, will undergo a year-long $500,000 restoration to address issues such as moisture damage or plaster cracks on walls.

    The project will be co-funded under the National Monuments Fund, administered by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) division. The National Heritage Board (NHB) said yesterday $2.22 million of the $9.77 million set aside to co-fund the restoration of national monuments will be disbursed this year to eight recipients, including the mosque and St Joseph’s Church.

    To qualify for the grant, the monuments must be non-profit or religious. Of the 72 here, 31 are eligible.

    Mr Alsagoff Mohdar, 74, chairman of Hajjah Fatimah’s mosque management board, said: “The restoration could transform it into a more conducive place of worship for Muslims, make it more presentable for the tourists who often come by.”

    Based on old maps, the land on which the Beach Road mosque sits used to be a mangrove swamp, a factor contributing to the moisture damage across the site.

    The tilt of the minaret is a result of its hand-made bricks. They are less compact than machine-made ones, resulting in moisture seepage and shifting over time, said Mr Chern Jia Ding, assistant director of PSM’s architecture and inspectorate.

    While the tilt cannot be rectified, steps have been taken to monitor the slant. To deal with weakening bricks, salt will be extracted from the structure. Chemicals will be injected into it to form a water barrier. Existing layers of paint will be stripped away and replaced by a new coat of mineral paint.

    Another recipient of the restoration fund is the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. The ongoing restoration of the Queen Street building, to finish in the third quarter of the year, is slated to receive $1.37 million from the authorities. PSM had disbursed close to $1.49 million under the first tranche of the fund, which was introduced in 2008.

    The funding for the cathedral will partly cover structural reinforcement work. The total cost of restoring the monument is $11.8 million.

    Mr Lim Boon Heng, former Cabinet minister and chairman of the steering committee for the restoration and renovation of the cathedral, described it as a long journey.

    The work involved restoring its neo-classical ceiling and retiling its floors to mirror its original design. There is still more to be done – another $2 million is needed for the construction project, which is expected to cost about $40 million in all. This includes the restoration of a two-storey rectory and the building of a new three-storey block.

    Mr Lim said: “We have to make sure this monument stays a long, long time for Singaporeans. It’s part of the collective memory of Singaporeans, not just Catholics.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • S$104,000 Raised For Yusof Ishak Mosque Building Fund

    S$104,000 Raised For Yusof Ishak Mosque Building Fund

    About 3,500 Woodlands residents turned up on Saturday (Jul 25) and walked along Champions Way in tribute to the Republic’s first President Yusof Ishak. At the event, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan presented S$104,000 to the Chairman of the Yusof Ishak Mosque Building Fund, Mohamed Ayub Johari.

    The funds were raised from a series of the events led by Sembawang GRC MPs in the past two months for the new 4,500-capacity mosque in Woodlands which is due to open late 2016.

    Among those who participated in the tribute walk were students from Raffles Institution, which was Mr Yusof’s alma mater, PCF pre-school students, footballers from the LionsXII and volunteers from the Yusof Ishak Mosque. Mr Khaw and his fellow MPs from Sembawang GRC Ellen Lee and Vikram Nair also joined in the walk.

    The walking route was near the Yusof Ishak mosque site and the Singapore Sports School, in remembrance of Mr Yusof’s passion for sports.

    Mr Mohamed Ayub said a total of S$3.2 million, out of a targeted S$3.5 million, has been collected so far.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Belia Bangun Aplikasi Bantu Jemaah Elak Masjid Sesak

    Belia Bangun Aplikasi Bantu Jemaah Elak Masjid Sesak

    Aplikasi bimbit yang membolehkan pengguna menilai tahap kesesakan sebuah masjid sebelum memilih tempat bagi menunaikan sembahyang Jumaat.

    Itulah idea daripada sekumpulan belia yang membangunkan prototaip atau versi awal aplikasi tersebut dalam tempoh 24 jam menerusi satu peraduan Cabaran Teknologi Masjid (MTC) yang berakhir semalam.

    Kumpulan yang merangkul tempat pertama dalam peraduan itu terdiri daripada tiga mahasiswa – Encik Muhammad Hadziq Sulaiman, 23 tahun, dari Universiti Teknologi Nanyang (NTU); Encik Tengku Muhammad Hafidzuddin, 22 tahun, dari Universiti Nasional Singapura (NUS); dan Encik Muhammad Syafiq Hanafee, dari Institut Teknologi Singapura (SIT).

    “Kami berharap aplikasi itu akan dapat membantu mengurangkan masalah kesesakan di masjid sewaktu solat Jumaat,” ujar Encik Hafidzuddin, seorang mahasiswa sistem maklumat.

    Menerusi aplikasi yang dinamakan Go Mosque SG itu, orang ramai juga boleh ‘check-in’ atau daftar masuk ke masjid bagi mendapat ‘markah’ dengan lebih banyak markah diberikan bagi solat pada awal waktu.

    Ini bertujuan menggalakkan orang ramai ke masjid dan mendirikan sembahyang secara berjemaah, kata Encik Syafik pula.

    Kumpulannya merancang melancarkan aplikasi itu kepada orang ramai dalam masa setahun.

    Acara MTC dianjurkan buat julung-julung kalinya oleh Kelab Mendaki dengan kerjasama IslamicEvents.SG, EchoedLabs, Majulah Community, 12 Geeks, dan Kelompok Masjid Tengah Utara.

    Peraduan itu diadakan di Masjid An-Nahdhah.

    Seorang penganjur, Cik Rufaidah Mohd Kamal daripada EchoedLabs berkata:

    “Menerusi acara ini, kami menggalakkan belia memikir tentang cabaran yang dihadapi masyarakat dan mencari huraian baginya.”

    Seramai 15 belia dalam empat pasukan menyertai peraduan itu.

    Selain idea aplikasi Go Mosque SG, idea lain termasuk menggunakan ‘crowdfunding’ (membiayai sesuatu usaha secara beramai-ramai) bagi membantu masjid mengumpul dana, memadankan sukarelawan dengan projek kemasyarakatan serta projek keusahawanan sosial bagi membolehkan suri rumah mengambil tempahan makanan daripada jemaah di masjid.

    Turut hadir dalam acara penyampaian hadiah peraduan itu semalam ialah Menteri Perhubungan dan Penerangan (MCI), Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, yang berkata inisiatif itu sejajar dengan usaha negara menjadi Negara Bijak.

    “Pemerintah boleh sediakan prasarana Negara Bijak tetapi apa yang perlu dibangunkan ialah aplikasi.

    “Ini tidak boleh datang daripada pemerintah tetapi daripada mereka yang berminat dan mampu menghuraikan satu cabaran,” ujar Dr Yaacob semasa ditemui media di acara itu.

     

    Source: http://beritaharian.sg

  • More Mosques To Be Built In Singapore

    More Mosques To Be Built In Singapore

    We are happy to report that many mosques are being upgraded and new mosques being built to meet the needs of the community.

    Five more mosques are being upgraded this year. They include En-Naeem, Sultan, Sallim Mattar, Al-Khair and Al-Falah Mosques. Al-Ansar Mosque in Bedok is due to be re-opened in April.

    Al-Islah Mosque in Punggol is scheduled for completion before Ramadan this year. Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands and Maarof Mosque in Jurong West should be completed in 2016.

    As Tampines expands, a new mosque will be built in Tampines North in the next few years to serve new residents there and neighbouring Pasir Ris, as well as industrial estates in both areas. We will also upgrade Darul Ghufran Mosque in 2016 to provide 1,000 more prayer spaces and expanded Islamic learning facilities.

     

    Source: MUIS