Makam Habib Noh

Makam Habib Noh or Keramat Habib Noh is a Muslim mausoleum in Singapore located on the hill between Palmer Road and East Coast Parkway. Today the mausoleum and its adjacent Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque are owned by Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).

History

The makam originally sat at the bottom of Mount Palmer, but following an 1890 refurbishment by Syed Mohamad bin Ahmad Alsagoff, it was rebuilt at the top of a flight of 52 stairs.[1]

Habib Noh

Sayyid Habib Noh bin Muhamad Al-Habshi (1788 – 27 July 1866 [14 Rabiulawal 1283 AH])[2] was an Islamic sufi and one of the seven Islamic saints (wali) of Singapore. Born in 1788 into a family of four brothers onboard ship en-route from Penang to Palembang, sources suggest that he arrived in Singapore around 1819,[2] just prior to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of the island colony.[3] Habib was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad[2] and was named after the Prophet Nuh (Noah).[4] He came to be held in high regard by the Muslim community and seafarers as well as renowned for distributing cash to local children.[5] According to some sources Habib Noh's father, Syed Mohamad Al Habsyi (also spelled as Al Habshee) worked as a palace official under Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II. The seat of the Kedah government then was at Kota Kuala Muda. When his wife died Syed Mohamad married Ku Pahmah, widow of Syed Yassin Al Anggawi who was killed at Limbong Kapal when Siam attacked Kedah in 1821. After the marriage, the family moved to Penang. Habib Noh also has a sister by the name of Sharifah Aloyah whose descendants still reside in Penang.

After Habib died, folklore tells of how on his body's journey to the traditional place of burial in Bidadari Cemetery, the pallbearers could no longer bear the weight of the coffin. When the mourners remembered Habib had wanted to be interred on Mount Palmer, they could once more lift the coffin.[1] According to the Straits Times, after Habib's death a kramat or shrine was built over the grave, which became a place of Muslim pilgrimage and attracted Hajj visitors from afar afield as the Dutch East Indies and China on their way to Mecca.[5]

Death Anniversary (Haul)

Habib's death anniversary ceremony (or haul) is often held on the last day of the month Rabiul Akhir. It starts about 'Asr with various invited 'ulamas or religious scholars from within Singapore and overseas giving lectures.

Maulid and tahlil are read after Maghrib. Generous food is then served to the hundreds of guests regardless of race or religion, after Isya' prayers.

Offspring

Habib fathered four children:[4]

Administration

Habib Noh's family at first administered the makam through a trust fund, with responsibility for the tomb's upkeep later transferred to the Muslims and Hindus Endowment Board in 1936, and finally in 1968 to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bonny Tan & Marsita Omar. "Keramat Habib Noh". Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board of Singapore. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Imran bin Tajudeen (12 November 2012). "Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh (Makam Habib Noh)". Singapurastories.com. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  3. ↑ Sheikh Hassan Abdullah Al-Khatib, caretaker of Habib Noh’s mausoleum. "Noh bin Muhammad Al-Habshee". Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Maqam Habib Noh". Mosque Management Board, Haji Muhammad Salleh Mosque. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Ceremony at Singapore's Most Famous Muslim Shrine". Straits Times. 23 April 1940. p. 11. Retrieved 10 June 2014.

Further reading