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The Luar Batang Mosque () is one of the oldest
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
s in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, located in the area of '' Pasar Ikan'' (Fish Market) in
North Jakarta North Jakarta (; ), abbreviated as Jakut, is one of the five administrative cities (''kota administrasi'') which form Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. North Jakarta is not self-governed and does not have a city council, hence it is ...
on the west side of the
Sunda Kelapa Sunda Kelapa () is the old port of Jakarta, located on the estuary of the Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" ( Sundanese: "Coconut of Sunda") is the original name, and it was the main port of the Sunda Kingdom. The port is situated in Penjaringan D ...
Harbor. The mosque was built in the 18th century and named after ''Luar Batang'', in accordance with the nickname of a sacred guardian of Islam, ''Habib Luar Batang'', where his shrine is also located.


History

''
Habib Habib (; ; also romanized as Habeeb) is an Arabic masculine given name, occasional surname, and honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "my love", or "darling". It also forms the famous Arabic word ''"Habibi"'' which is used to refer to a friend ...
Husein bin Abu Bakr bin Abdillah al-Aydarus'' was born in Mighab near Hazam in
Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...
, but migrated to Batavia when he was relatively young, around 20 years old, to preach Islam. There is a story saying that he stopped by
Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
on his route to Nusantara. He landed in an area called
Kampung A kampong (this term is in Za'aba Spelling, ''kampung'' in both modern Malay and Indonesian) is a term for a type of village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "dock" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especi ...
''Luar Batang'' when the area was under the control of the
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
(VOC). Habib Husein became increasingly popular and many people began to flock to his place to live. This has led to the suspicion of local authorities. So, Hussein and his family were arrested and imprisoned in a separate room in
Glodok Glodok () is an Villages of Indonesia, urban village of Taman Sari (Jakarta), Taman Sari, West Jakarta, Indonesia. The area is also known as Pecinan or Chinatown since the Dutch colonial era, and is considered the biggest in Indonesia. Majority of ...
. According to the local urban legend, at every prayer time Habib Husein always seemed to be the
Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...
in a large holding room, but at the same time the prison officers saw him also was sleeping in his locked cell. On the basis of this miracle, then Habib Husein was released. Habib Husein died on 27th of
Ramadhan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting ('' sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed to have been rev ...
1169 AH or on Tuesday June 24, 1756 and buried inside the mosque complex. Habib Husein is a
Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...
of
Ba 'Alawi sada The Ba 'Alawi sada (), or the House of Ba 'Alawi (), is a group of Hadhrami Sayyid families and social group originating in Hadhramaut in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. They trace their lineage to Ahmad al-Muhajir who was born i ...
family. His full name is Husein bin Abubakar bin Abdullah bin Husein bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Husein bin Abdullah bin Abubakar Al-Sakran bin Abdurrahman Assaqqaf bin Muhammad Maula Al-Dawilah bin Ali bin Alwi bin
Muhammad al-Faqih al-Muqaddam Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī Bā ʿAlawī () commonly known as al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam (), ; 574 H - 653 H or 1178 CE - 1232 CE) is known as the founder of Ba 'Alawiyya Sufi order which has influenced Sufism in Yemen, Pakistan, India and Southeast Asia ...
bin Ali bin Muhammad Shahib Mirbath. In 1791 a Chinese explorer, named ''Ong Hoe Hoe'' lingered in Batavia and wrote about a prominent Chinese among the Chinese who had long lived in Luar Batang. In Ong Hoe Hoe's report written around 1793 and translated into Dutch in 1852, he mentioned about a sage in Luar Batang. "Nek Bok Seng once lived in a wooden hut made of banana tree in a place called the shrine. He lived alone and busied himself with reading and writing books. He loved playing flute, poetry and playing chess cleverly. He was a wise and intelligent man. On Sunday the house was full of friends. He was as excited as our famous man Pok Hoe, respected for the way he entertained people ... Daze and kind of the bong Seng like
Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...
while in his heart it occurred very beautiful. Actually, he may be called and regarded as a wise man of our century " There is no clear explanation whether the person ''Nek Bok Seng'' as described is actually Habib Husain. As recorded on the mosque door in 1916, the building was completed on 20
Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...
1152 AH coincides with the 29 April 1739 CE. The
Qibla The qibla () is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the salah. In Islam, the Kaaba is believed to ...
direction on this mosque was not precise so it was corrected by Muhammad Arshad al-Banjari (d. 1812 CE) during a stopover on his way home from the
Hejaz Hejaz is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah, Al-B ...
to Banjar in 1827 CE. The orientation of the mosque is not really directed to
Kaaba The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...
, similar to Kebon Sirih dan Cikini mosques. Therefore, there are scholars such as Abubakar Atjeh who assume that the original space of the mosque was used as a former residence of the person (Habib Husein) who later used it as musolla or
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
. The newspaper ''Bataviaasche Courant'' on May 12, 1827, also mentioned it in the essay about the ''Luar Batang'' Mosque. As noted in this newspaper, Habib Husein died approximately in 1796, after a long preaching journey between
Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...
and Batavia. In 1812 his grave was signed with some stones and still located outside the mosque until 1827 CE. Apparently, at that time charity was no longer given to the commander (a sort of headman) of Luar Batang village, but instead given directly to the mosque committee so the building could be expanded. The newspaper also mentioned that the Sacred Luar Batang Shrine is famous in Batavia. Habib Husein died inside home of Commander Abdul Raup and buried beside an existing mosque. Muhammad Lebe and Abdul Hamid Malik requested to beautify the tomb of Habib Husein, and were granted permission in 1812. People then began to believe that each vow spoken near the tomb is always fulfilled. People requested the mosque committee to often present black goat and its horns decorated with gold cover.


Kampung Luar Batang

One version of the story why he is so called ''Habib Luar Batang'' tells that when Habib Husein died and en route to be buried in the Batavia suburb around
Tanah Abang Tanah Abang () is a districts of Indonesia, district of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. The district hosts the biggest textile Market (place), market in Southeast Asia, Tanah Abang Market. It also hosts Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Kelurahan Gelora ...
, his body suddenly was not in the coffin. The phenomena lasted up to three times of their attempts. Finally, the congregation then agreed to bury him in the current location instead and the location was then called ''Luar Batang'' (''Luar'', outside; and ''Batang'', body in
Betawi language Betawi, also known as Batavian, Jakartanese, is a creole language spoken by the Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the native language of perhaps 5 million people; a precise number is difficult to determine due to the vague use of the nam ...
) means a body outside (a coffin). Since then, the late habib was called ''Habib Luar Batang''. Another story version which makes more sense is that not long after VOC was founded, the VOC authorities started a surveillance on boats entering the
Sunda Kelapa Sunda Kelapa () is the old port of Jakarta, located on the estuary of the Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" ( Sundanese: "Coconut of Sunda") is the original name, and it was the main port of the Sunda Kingdom. The port is situated in Penjaringan D ...
harbor, especially
perahu The ProA is the second-tier league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 16 teams. Officially the ProA is part of the '' 2. Basketball Bundesliga'', which consists of the two hierarchical leagues ''ProA'' and ''ProB'' ...
s belonged to indigenous people. To block the perahus, the VOC authority applied a long wooden beam (which is literally translated to ''Batang'' (trunk) in the local language). These perahus could not enter the port and had to wait for days outside the post until the 'batang' lifted, so the local people called the perahus were in "Luar Batang" (''Outside the beam''). While waiting, many of the crew went ashore. Later they set up temporary huts and became a village. Initially, the village was like an island because it frequently flooded due to the tide water. In around 1660, VOC brought fishermen from
East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
. These fishermen were placed in the village which then was called ''
Kampung A kampong (this term is in Za'aba Spelling, ''kampung'' in both modern Malay and Indonesian) is a term for a type of village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "dock" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especi ...
Luar Batang'' or ''Luar Batang Village''. The leader of this fishermen named ''Bagus Karta'' was given the honorary rank of
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
in 1677. Residential location "Luar Batang" had been a
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
, but soon the swamp silted with mud from
Ciliwung The Ciliwung (often written as Ci Liwung as the "ci" prefix simply translates as "river"; also as Tjiliwoeng in Dutch, Sundanese: ᮎᮤᮜᮤᮝᮥᮀ) is a 119 km long river in the northwestern region of Java where it flows through two pr ...
river. In 1739, the VOC Governor General gave a small piece of land on the western side of Ciliwung River across Sunda Kelapa port to Habib Husein. According to local folklore, Habib Husein had ''karomah'' (supernatural power) and was influential in spreading and leading Muslims on the northern area of Batavia. The
shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...
and mosque is located in approximately 14 hectares area of ''Kampung Luar Batang'', about 3 km from
Pekojan Tambora is a district (''kecamatan'') of West Jakarta Administrative City, Indonesia. Tambora District is bounded by a railway to the west and to the north, Kali Krukut - Kali Besar canal to the east, and Duri Selatan Road to the south. The R ...
. The mosque, considered ''keramat'' (sacred) to many people, is one of the cultural heritage of
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
, overlooking the port of Sunda Kelapa and is one of the attractions to visitors coming to Old Jakarta.


Luar Batang Affair

In around 1870s began an affair what was then called ''Perkara Luar Batang'', which is an affair related to the large amounts of charity income the mosque received. At first, two commanders of Luar Batang tried to get the charity, but were hindered by the
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
s of various scholars, notably by the fatwa issued by Habib Usman bin Yahya, who confirmed that Habib Husein's descendants were eligible for the charity. The fatwa was approved of in 1878 by
Ahmad Zayni Dahlan Ahmad Zayni Dahlan () (1816–1886) was the Grand Mufti of Mecca between 1871 and his death. He also held the position of Shaykh al-Islam in the Hejaz and Imam al-Haramayn (Imam of the two holy cities, Mecca and Medina). Theologically and juridi ...
, the
Grand Mufti A Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is a title for the leading Faqīh, Islamic jurist of a country, typically Sunni, who may oversee other muftis. Not all countries with large Sunni Muslim populations have Gra ...
of Mecca and a
Shafi'i The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...
scholar. Since the decision was made, it triggered family quarrel among the Arabs. On the advice of Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje, the mosque courtyard was then closed by the Dutch government until they reach a deal. The resolution process went quickly, and the ''Luar Batang Affair'' ended in 1905.


Structure

At the entrance to the complex there is a big white Gapura (gate) which was originally in Javanese Hindu architecture. The mosque structure is square in shape. Inside, the mosque has two large halls, inside hall and outside hall. Each hall has 12 poles, which added up to 24. The number of poles indicating the number of hours in a day, 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. Besides the outside hall, there is a room which is the location of the tomb of Habib Husein and his student, Haji Abdul Kadir. There has been a few renovations performed, so many of the structure and ornaments are no longer the same as the original,


See also

* Masjid Luar Batang *
Timeline of Islamic history This timeline of Islamic history relates the Gregorian and Islamic calendars in the history of Islam. This timeline starts with the lifetime of Muhammad, which is believed by non-Muslims to be when Islam started, though not by Muslims.Esposito ...
*
Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...
*
Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslims, Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across ...
* List of mosques in Asia * List of the oldest mosques in the world *
List of mosques Lists of mosques cover mosques, places of worship for Muslims. These lists are primarily arranged by continent, with the exception of lists for the largest, tallest, and oldest mosques. Asia * List of mosques in Asia ** List of mosques in Afghani ...
*
Islam in Indonesia Islam is the largest religion in Indonesia, with 87.06% of the Indonesian population identifying themselves as Muslims, based on Civil registration, civil registry data in 2023. In terms of denomination, the overwhelming majority are Sunni ...


References

* * {{Mosques in Indonesia Mosques in Jakarta 18th-century mosques in Asia 1739 establishments in the Dutch Empire Religious buildings and structures completed in 1739 Mosque buildings with minarets in Asia