Muslim Cemeteries In Singapore

Muslim cemeteries in Singapore have existed as long as before the colonial period. Currently, the only Muslim cemetery that is still active and open for burial is the Pusara Aman Cemetery and related burial ground that is shared within Choa Chu Kang Cemetery.

Active cemeteries

Pusara Aman Cemetery

The Pusara Aman Cemetery, located within the grounds of the Choa Chu Kang Cemetery complex of burial grounds is currently the only active Muslim cemetery in Singapore. Within the grounds of the cemetery is also a mosque, Masjid Pusara Aman, that was built in 1972. Not only does the mosque serve the worshippers during funeral procession, it also hosts the Friday prayer and all daily prayers.

Historical cemeteries

Jalan Kubor Cemetery

The Jalan Kubor Cemetery, located near Victoria Street adjacent to the Kampong Glam neighbourhood, is a historic cemetery comprising three Muslim burial grounds: one for the royalty of the Johor Sultanate, one for the regular Muslim community of Singapore, and the last one being the Tittacheri Muslim Cemetery on which the Malabar Mosque is built on.

Buried in the cemetery are aristocrats with blood ties to the Johor Sultanate as well as early Bugis and Arab traders and prominent figures of the Malay Muslim community like Ambo Sooloh, one of the founders of the Malay-language newspaper Utusan Melayu. The cemetery is also a burial ground for the Aljunied family before their remains were exhumed and reinterred at Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka.

Kubur Kassim

Kubur Kassim is located at Siglap and named after Ahna Mohamed Kassim bin Ally Mohamed, the founder of the cemetery. It is located in the middle of a residential area and has stopped accepting burials since 1970. The cemetery houses the grave of Hafeezudin Sirajuddin Moonshi, the first man to open a Muslim-owned clinic in Singapore.

The cemetery, while not open for burial anymore, is still visited by followers of a Sufi tariqa as they have a khanqah (Sufi lodge) within the cemetery. There is also a shrine for the tariqa's Sufi mystic, Khwaja Habibullah. Another Sufi mystic buried in the cemetery is an unspecified Sheikh Ali whose grave has a keramat shrine built over it.

The cemetery was the subject of local folkloric traditions which claimed that the mythological cryptids Orang Bunian were buried in the cemetery.

Marang Road cemetery

Located adjacent to Mount Faber and the VivoCity shopping centre, the cemetery at Marang Road is the remnant of a former village known as Kampong Marang. When the village was demolished for urbanisation, the cemetery was left abandoned and untouched. At least 200 tombs exist in the cemetery with unclear history behind them.

Kampong Wak Selat cemetery

Similar to the aforementioned Marang Road cemetery, the Kampong Wak Selat cemetery is the only remnant of a village of the same name that was cleared for urbanisation. It is located in the Kranji suburb.

Makam Diraja Johor Telok Blangah

The Makam Diraja Johor Telok Blangah is the royal cemetery containing the mausoleum of Temenggong Abdul Rahman and the graves of his relatives and descendants. The cemetery is located within the grounds of the Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim mosque. Both the mosque and cemetery are on land that is not owned by Singapore, rather by the government of Johor, hence the mosque is not under the management of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).

Kubur Boyan

Kubur Boyan is a small cemetery located at Bedok South behind the Lucky Heights residential estate. The cemetery is also known as the Tanah Wakaf Nyaii and is associated with the Baweanese people.

Keramats

A keramat is a shrine dedicated to a Muslim holy figure; such shrines exist throughout Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia as well. They are typically built on top of the graves of Muslim saints.

Keramat Habib Noh

The Keramat Habib Noh is a mausoleum dedicated to Habib Noh, a Muslim man who was regarded as a wali by the locals as well as Sufi tradition. Some cited Habib Noh as being the patron saint of Malay sailors. The mausoleum is located at 37 Palmer Road, top of Mount Palmer. Buried in the mausoleum is not only Habib Noh, but also his son Abdurrahman.

Keramat Iskandar Shah

The mausoleum of Iskandar Shah is located at the top of Fort Canning Hill. It is housed under a hut at the top of Fort Canning Hill, and is open at all times for visitors.

Sultan Iskandar Shah (also known as Parameswara and Sri Tri Buana) was either the leader of pre-colonial Singapore in the 14th Century, or the son of the founder of Melaka who subsequently moved to Singapore. His identity is contested amongst scholars in the history field. Some scholars think that Parameswara and Iskandar Shah are the same person, while others think that when Parameswara came to Singapore, he converted to Islam and his name became Iskandar Shah. Some believe that Iskandar Shah was the successor of Parameswara. Iskandar Shah is also associated with another name, Sri Tri Buana (also known as Sang Nila Utama), who was the first king of Singapore in the Malay Annals.

In the Malay Annals, it is written that he and his companions sailed to Temasek where they saw an unknown animal while walking around the island, looking for food. His companion informed him that the animal they saw was probably a lion and so Sang Nila Utama (Or Sri Tri Buana) decided to name the land they were on Singapura (Lion City). Ultimately, his identity and name are commemorated in Singapore through his keramat in Fort Canning Hill.

Shrine of Radin Mas

Located in the locality of Radin Mas, this shrine is built atop the alleged grave of Radin Mas, a semi-legendary Javanese princess who was murdered.

Keramat Bukit Kasita

Located at Bukit Purmei, the Keramat Bukit Kasita contains a burial ground dedicated to both the royalty of the Johor Sultanate as well as Muslim saints of a Sufi tariqa. The place dates back to between the 16th-18th centuries CE. The Keramat Bukit Kasita had the reputation of having the burials of Sang Nila Utama's alleged descendants. The keramat is currently hidden amongst a residential area as well. Access to the keramat is currently restricted and is only allowed for descendants of the entombed.

Keramat of Sharifah Zainah

Located at Moonstone Lane and adjacent to the Kallang River, this keramat is located within a warehouse complex. It entombs the remains of an unspecified woman named Sharifah Zainah and dates back to the 1930s. For a time, the shrine was managed by an Indian man who maintained the structure. In 2019, exhumation plans for the keramat were postponed until further notice.

Demolished sites

Bidadari Cemetery

Bidadari Cemetery is a defunct cemetery which used to serve the Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Sinhalese communities, and accepted burials between 1907 and 1972. The site of Bidadari Cemetery used to be Istana Bidadari, the home of Che Puan Besar Zubaidah, who was the second wife of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor Istana.

The cemetery accepted its last burial in 1972. By 2006, all known graves were exhumed to make way for development of the Bidadari Estate.{{Cite news , date=29 February 2008 , title=Advertisement by the British High Commission , page=21 , work=The Straits Times

Keramat at Kallang

A keramat existed at Kallang, which contained the grave of a female Muslim saint, as well as a burial ground for other Muslim saints, male or female. The keramat was demolished in 2010, with the graves being exhumed.

References

Islam in Singapore
Religious buildings and structures in Singapore
Cemeteries in Singapore