Masjid Banda Hilir, Melaka (6)

Senarai nama Imam Masjid Banda Hilir

Masjid An nur
Bandar Hilir Melaka
Dibina pada tahun 1820
Pengasas
Dato' Shahbudin bin Mohd Amin
Berasal dari Cheribon
Tanah Jawa

Founder's plaque

His grave is at Jalan Kubur Panjang, Melaka
https://goo.gl/maps/sqKGPFUWkrp

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There were several imams who were placed in charge of the masjid at Banda Hilir in Malacca. A modern yellow plaque with blue words lists the names of the imams but no dates are available on record. Thus, the exact terms that they served are unknown.

Senarai Nama Imam
Lembaga Masjid An-Nur
Bandar Hilir, 75000 Melaka

1. Tn Hj Ashari bin Mohd Salleh

2. Tn Hj Mohd Shariff bin Ismail

3. Tn Hj Mohd Nordin bin Ismail

4. Tn Hj Ahmad bin Awal

5. Tn Hj Jaafar bin Hj Ashari

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6. Tn Ustaz Ibrahim bin Hj Hashim

7. Tn Hj Halim bin Hj Ali

8. Tn Hj Osman bin Majid

List of Imams

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As far as I know from my late father, the imams were related (semua imam Masjid Bandar Hilir bersaudara). Hj Mohd Sharif bin Ismail was my paternal great grandfather - I have his Will (Wasiat). According to my father, his grandfather Hj Mohd Sharif died early. Hj Mohd Sharif had 3 sibs - himself was eldest, bearded Hj Noordin @ King George V or VI (middle brother) and Zainal or Zenal @ Tok Zainal Klang (youngest brother) lived in Klang and was a tutor to Sultan Abdul Samad of Selangor. According to Mahadhir Mohamad only the first 5 imams are related.

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The land surrounding Masjid Banda Hilir has been endowed (wakaf) to Masjid Banda Hilir by Hj Mohd Sharif (tanah 1 ekar diwakafkan kepada Masjid Banda Hilir). The tanah wakaf of Masjid Banda Hilir was entrusted to his middle brother (Hj Mohd Noordin) and later his son Hj Abdul Rahim bin Hj Noordin, and then my late father (Hj Abdul Rashid bin Mohd Yusope). 

Today, Masjid Bandar Hilir has about 1 acre of endowed land (tanah wakaf). The confines of this endowed land are in a land map sent to me by Mahadhir Mohamad today, 7 April 2013. According to the map provided by Mahadhir Mohamad, Masjid Banda Hilir occupies Lot 96 which measures 4377 sq ft in total. The land is a long piece of sandy soil that runs from Jalan Banda Hilir down to the beach, back then before land reclamation was done. Hj Mohd Sharif build his big house circa 1897 after his return from the Hajj circa 1896. There was an older house on site before, probably built by Dato Shahbuddin for his family. 

In 1958-1963, there were a few houses extant on the grounds of Masjid Banda Hilir, which is Tanah Wakaf Masjid Banda Hilir. These houses were:-

1. Rumah Hj Mohd Sharif bin Ismail (built 1897-demolished 2007) - status: Rumah Abu
2. Rumah Mahani bt Hj Mohd Sharif (built 1897-demolished 2007) - status: granny flat
3. Rumah Alijah bt Hj Mohd Sharif (built 1900s-demolished 2007) - status: rumah atap, lantai tanah
4. Rumah Inchek Sarah bt Mohd Yusope (built 1962) - status: occupied by her youngest son, Mustafa bin Atan
5. Rumah Asiah bt Hj Mohd Sharif (built 1963) - status: occupied by her adopted son, Nordin.
6. Rumah Pak Habib (built before 1958) - status: occupied by his descendants

After major renovations of Masjid Banda Hilir in 2007, another small brick building was built in front of Rumah Asiah, for Hj Abdul Rashid bin Mohd Yusope (my father). This became the meeting venue for the mosque committee.

There was also an outdoor bucket latrine (jamban) behind Rumah Asiah (Nek Ya) before her house was built.

Beyond these family homes were zinc huts build by Hj Mohd Sharif for Chinese labourers. These zinc huts were rented out to Chinese labourers and their families. They were not Muslims but celebrated Chinese New Year. These families rented the zinc huts and paid rent. However, these families have taken over control of the zinc huts and taken them as their own. They have stopped paying rent once but have continued to pay rent to Hj Mazlan. Since Hj Mohd Sharif had wakaf his entire land to Masjid Banda Hilir, the zinc huts and all the houses on Lot 96 belong to Masjid Banda Hilir. Have the Chinese renters returned the land and huts to the rightful owner - Masjid Banda Hilir?

Among one of the renters of the zinc huts here was Sultan Husain, the last Sultan of Singapore. He rented for a while and then went to rent at Masjid Kg Keling area. He later passed away and is interred at Makam Sultan Husain, Masjid Tengkera at Tengkera.

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11 April 2013: What else needs to be done?

Update 2016: Masjid Banda Hilir is now classified as a Masjid Warisan (Heritage Mosque). 

Update 2020: Masjid An-Nur Banda Hilir is 200 years old (1820-2020).