ITS HISTORY

Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh sits on piece of waqaf land within the bustling Central Business District. The mosque is flanked to the left by the elevated East Coast Parkway and on its right by Mount Palmer on which sit two important shrines of Habib Noh and Habib Abdul Rahman. The mosque was built by Haji Muhammad Salleh a merchant from Batavia, now known as Jakarta, who lived in Singapore in the mid 19th to the early 20th century. Haji Muhammad Salleh was a friend of Habib Noh, whom he highly revered. Habib Noh frequented Mount Palmer to pray in seclusion and Haji Muhammad Salleh intended to build a surau there for his beloved friend to pray in ease however Habib Noh passed away before his wish was fulfilled.

Haji Muhammad Salleh donated a piece of land at the foot of Mount Palmer and began construction of a mosque to serve the visitors of the shrine. The mosque was completed in 1903, during his lifetime. In 1987, MUIS upgraded the mosque at cost of $1 million. The upgrading was undertaken following a decision by the authorities not to demolish the mosque to give way to the contruction of the expressway, but to curve the expressway around it. The new mosque was designed with a prayer space to accommodate 500 worshippers.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Assalamualaikum Wr Wb

Alhamdulillah. All praises for Allah SWT. All blessings and salutations upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW and his family and companions.

It is through the bounties of Allah that this mosque was preserved in the wake of the rapid development that swept across the central business district and was given a new lease of life with the upgrading that was undertaken by MUIS in 1987. Our warmest greetings and gratitude to all who had contributed so generously to help us upgrade this mosque. Without the grace of Allah and your support we would not be where we are today. We hope that your good deed will be rewarded by Allah, the Bestower of all:

Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times? And it is Allah that decreases or increases (your provisions), and unto Him you shall return.

(Al-Baqarah-245)