A Mosque of Arab origin in Singapore : History, Functions and Networks - article ; n°1 ; vol.53, pg 61-83
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Archipel - Année 1997 - Volume 53 - Numéro 1 - Pages 61-83
Mona Abaza
This paper attempt to draw a close picture on an Arab origin mosque in Singapore, the Ba'alawi mosque. It attempts to bring detailed material on the physical and social setting of the mosque to reveal the networks with the Middle East and the cosmopolitanism of its Imam. This paper will briefly highlight the history of the Arabs and this mosque. It will moreover focus on everyday activities of the mosque and upon the hawl (the commemoration of the death of the father of the Imam).
23 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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Publié le 01 janvier 1997
Nombre de lectures 103
Langue English
Poids de l'ouvrage 2 Mo

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Mona Abaza
A Mosque of Arab origin in Singapore : History, Functions and
Networks
In: Archipel. Volume 53, 1997. pp. 61-83.
Abstract
Mona Abaza
This paper attempt to draw a close picture on an Arab origin mosque in Singapore, the Ba'alawi mosque. It attempts to bring
detailed material on the physical and social setting of the to reveal the networks with the Middle East and the
cosmopolitanism of its Imam. This paper will briefly highlight the history of the Arabs and this mosque. It will moreover focus on
everyday activities of the mosque and upon the hawl (the commemoration of the death of the father of the Imam).
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Abaza Mona. A Mosque of Arab origin in Singapore : History, Functions and Networks. In: Archipel. Volume 53, 1997. pp. 61-
83.
doi : 10.3406/arch.1997.3392
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/arch_0044-8613_1997_num_53_1_3392NOTES
Mona ABAZA
A Mosque of Arab origin in Singapore
History, Functions and Networks a>
Introduction
There is a growing appeal in the study of the biographies, life-worlds of
religious scholars and the channels of transmission of religious knowledge
which is to be observed in the writings of Middle Eastern specialists in recent
years. W With the success of the Iranian revolution and the expanding impact
of the 'ulama, a renewed interest in the significance and ambivalence of the
role of "traditional intellectuals" can also be observed. There is much debate
among social scientists regarding the dual system of education in Muslim
countries. It is seen as having generated an antagonism between the 'ulama,
who are the product of the traditional religious educational system, and the
1. 1 would like to thank imam H. Hasan al-Attas in Singapore for his patience in nurturing me with
generous information about his family background and his mosque. Naimah Talib, Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies Singapore, commented thoroughly the paper and provided me with
references on the Arabs in Southeast Asia, I am most thankful to her. I have shared intensive
discussions with Professor Yusof A. Talib, National University of Singapore, to whom I am very
thankful. I would also like to thank Sharon Siddique for her comments. Professor Syed Naguib al-
Attas and Professor Werner Ende, the University of Freiburg, Germany, commented both
extensively on the final version of the paper, I am indeed very thankful to them. I nevertheless
bear the sole responsability for any mistakes.
2. To quote a few examples see for instance the recent joint work of Marc Gaborieau, Nicole
Grandin, Pierre Labrousse and Alexandre Popovic, Dictionnaire biographique des savants et
grandes figures du monde musulman périphérique, du XIXe siècle à nos jours, Paris, Groupe de
Recherche du CNRS-EHESS, 1992. Of particular importance is the work of Nikki R. Keddie (éd.),
Scholars, Saints and Sufis : Muslim Religious Institutions since 1500. Berkeley/Los Angeles :
University of California Press, 1972. See also Roy Mottahedeh, The Mantle of the Prophet,
Religion and Politics in Iran, New York, Simon and Schuster, Inc. , 1985, and Dale F. Eickelman,
Knowledge and Power in Morocco. The Education of a Twentieth-Century Notable. Princeton,
New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1985.
Archipel 53, Paris, 1997, pp. 61-83 62 Mona Abaza
Western-trained intelligentsia, who dispute with them about legitimate
interpretations of religious texts. The paradoxical position of the 'ulama in
changing societies has been widely discussed by Eickelman, Kepel and
Richard. (3) Dale Eickelman considers that although traditional intellectuals
place a particular value upon the past they are not necessarily stagnant, and
that traditional social thought is revealed to be politically dominant. From
another perspective, Michael Gilsenan's Recognizing Islam depicts a vision of
the differing symbolic utilizations of spatial locations such as mosques and
markets, and how the public space is being revised as a field of action and
politics. W
While introducing detailed material on the physical and social setting of a
mosque, the main topic is the modernity. Although many studies on Islamic
ritual attempt to emphasize spirituality, I, wish here to stress the
interconnection between mundane, everyday practices and the sacred realm
associated with a space such as a mosque.
This essay thus focuses on a mosque of Arab origin in Singapore : the Ba-
'alawi Mosque (5), located in Lewis Road in the area of Bukit Timah. My
reasons for choosing to explore this mosque among the ninety-two mosques in
Singapore are many. First, because of the interesting family history of its
imam, H. Hasan al-Attas, who is a first generation Singaporean Hadhrami. (6)
He was born and grew up in Singapore, he represents a concrete illustration of
Hadhrami influence, and he entails a good case in point, regarding cross-
regional exchanges and the expansion of Muslim international networks
between the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Second, the lively activities
provided and the significance this mosque holds for the Muslim community in
Singapore, is another point which I will highlight : in particular the fact that its
founder is esteemed for having disseminated all over the Archipelago a text of
3. See for instance Gilles Kepel and Yann Richard (éd.), Intellectuels et militants de l'islam
contemporain, Paris, Seuil, 1990.
4. Michael Gilsenan, Recognizing Islam, London and Sydney, Croom and Helm, 1982, see in
particular pp. 165-180.
5. 1 knew imam Habib (hereafter H .) Hasan during my first stay in Singapore in 1990-1992. 1 have
conducted with imam H. Hasan a series of long interviews and meetings during the months of
October-November 1994, and later checked the accuracy of information gathered at various
meetings during the months of March-May 1995. 1 also attended the ceremony of the howl in 1991
and various Thursday evening prayers at his mosque. The language used in interviews was mainly
English, but it was filled, and quite often intruded by, a large body of Arabic terminology. In fact,
my field notes are a mixture of both languages.
6. Hadramawt is today located in Yemen. The Hadhramis are known as eminent scholars, Sufis,
travelogues and migrants. This is probably due to the very harsh climatic conditions of
Hadramawt, which entail long seasons of draught and heavy rains. The Hadhramis created many
colonies in different parts of the world, such as in the Middle East (Egypt, Mecca), in Africa (in
Ethiopia, Zanzibar, Djibuti, Somalia and Madagascar). In the world of Southeast Asia we are told
that Hadhrami sailors reached the Southern China Sea already before the 13th century. There are
also Sultanates that were founded by Hadhrami emigrants, among others, the Sultanate of
Pontianak in Borneo; see Alain Rouaud, "L'émigration yéménite" in Joseph Chelhod (éd.),
L'Arabie du sud, histoire et civilisation : culture et institutions du Yemen, Paris, Maisonneuve et
Larose, Vol. III, 1985, p. 243. For more details about the region see Joseph (éd.), du sud, histoire et : le peuple yéménite et ses racines, Vol. I, L'Arabie du
sud, histoire et civilisation : la société yéménite de l'hégire aux idéologies modernes, Vol. II,
1984.
Archipel 53, Paris, 1997 A Mosque of Arab origin in Singapore 63
religious incantation called ratib al-'Attas. Third, there is the striking fact of
the considerable number of women who visit and seek consultation with the
imam. This is a point which I should like to address in detail in this paper. The
imam's modernist outlook in counselling women about familial problems
regarding polygamy and divorce, and in taking their side, has made him
popular. Although he is himself a saiyid and is addressed as a habib (7) he does
not object to Singaporean sharifas (female title of saiyid and sharif) marrying
non-saiyids among the Malay male population. (8) All of these reasons
prompted me to look more closely at the institution of the mosque and at the
person of the imam H. Hasan himself.
According to Che Man, Singapore has 92 mosques which serve about
412,000 Muslims. These are divided into "old generation" and "new
generation" mosques. The old generation mosques were constructed during the
period since the turn of the century up to 1975, while the new generation
mosques were constructed from 1975 up to the present day. There are 77 which are classed as old generation mosques, which were constructed
with funds resulting from various donations, and the Ba'alawi Mosque is one
of those. W Before expanding on the history and daily functions of the
Ba'alawi Mosque, let me first give the reader a general overview of the history
and the present position of the Arabs in Singapore. (10)
A Brief History of the Arabs in Singapore
Without denying the significance of the maritime empires, and the
extensive trade relations which existed in the Malay world before British
penetration/11) Singapore's modern history is associated with its founder, Sir
Stamford Raffles, who was an agent of the East India Company. In the year of
its foundation,

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