Sahabat Masjid: Masjid Ahmad
Situated at the junction of South Buona Vista Road and Lorong Sarhad and surrounded by bungalows and terraces, many might miss the sight of Masjid Ahmad, especially if you’ve never heard of this mosque.
For our team, it was the first time we visited this mosque, located in the vicinity of Pasir Panjang.
Located at the same plot of land since 80 years ago, Masjid Ahmad has seen some major constructions over the years. More prominently, the mosque had to be ‘pushed back’ after the Land Transport Authority (LTA) declared that the area would be affected due to the expansion of the South Buona Vista Road. However the mosque couldn’t be longer or wider; it could only go higher.
We met Haji Muhammad Tajwid, an active volunteer of the mosque and sat down with him for a short interview on the history of the mosque for the first episode of our new segment, Sahabat Masjid.
Haji Tajwid grew up with the mosque. It was his ‘playground’, the place where he learned about Islam, the place that changed the direction of his life for the better.
"That was my starting point to change, I got closer to the mosque, started being involved in mosque activities,” Haji Tajwid shared with us.
When he was younger, his family lived in the house right beside the mosque. His family also has a long relationship with the mosque. His father was one of the board members of the mosque committee, as his brother had been a few decades later.
As an active volunteer, many have mistaken him for a mosque committee personnel as well.
His love for the mosque started as early as in his teens, even though it wasn’t an easy start.
Haji Tajwid shared that he was waiting for his o’level results and had nothing to do for three months. His father coaxed him to actively do the Call to Prayer (azan) at the mosque - he was 17.
“My father said, ‘rather than spending time doing nothing at home, why don’t you do the call to prayer?’ But because there were only a few elderly who attended the mosque at the time and they didn’t want to lead prayer, I had to step up and be the Imam too. So I started giving the call to prayer, then I became the Imam. Since then, I have been active with the mosque.”
According to Haji Tajwid, there are a few popular names that are associated with the mosque that people might not know of. For one, former Mufti of MUIS - also Singapore’s third Mufti - Dr Fatris Bakaram, had been one of the Chairman of the mosque in the past. Also, former Member of Parliament, the late Mansor Sukaimi was associated with the mosque as well.
The mosque however, has been mistaken for Masjid Ahmad Ibrahim by the general public.
“Many have mistaken the mosque for Masjid Ahmad Ibrahim, but I’m confident that Masjid Ahmad was built first in Singapore, and Masjid Ahmad Ibrahim afterwards. Hence, the need to put a longer name. But we have programs planned to introduce the mosque to the general public. Some might not know of a mosque in such a unique location.”
What are some of these programs?
Tune in to the first episode of Sahabat Masjid on our IGTV to find out more!