Muslim cemeteries in Singapore

In Singapore, there are numerous cemeteries that house Muslim graves. Many of them are not in use currently as most of the burials take place at Pusara Aman in Choa Chu Kang. This is a non-exhaustive list of the Muslim cemeteries that have been demolished such as Bidadari Cemetery, as well as cemeteries that have not been in use for years. Included in this list are Keramats (Mausoleums) that are present in Singapore.

Pusara Aman Cemetery and Pusara Abadi Cemetery are Muslim cemeteries located along Jalan Bahar and Lim Chu Kang road, respectively. These two cemeteries represent the largest burial area reserved for the Muslim community, and graves within are typically cleared of weeds and debris before Eid ul-Fitr, during which Muslims customarily visit them.^[1] Pusara Aman Cemetery is the older, and has at its edge a mosque which was built in 1975. Pusara Abadi Cemetery, on the hand, is newer, and is where the Muslims exhumed from Bidadari Cemetery are interred to rest.

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.^[2]

The cemetery accepted its last burial in 1972. By 2006, all known graves were exhumed to make way for development of the Bidadari Estate.^[3]

Jalan Kubor Cemetery, sometimes called Victoria Street Cemetery, is a historical royal Muslim cemetery located at Victoria Street, near Kampong Glam neighbourhood in Singapore.^[4] This cemetery is one of the oldest Muslim cemeteries in Singapore and houses many graves of important Muslim figures in the 19th and 20th centuries. The cemetery features tombstones with inscriptions in a diversity of languages and writing systems, reflecting the indigenous peoples of Singapore, including Malay, Javanese script, Buginese Lontara script, Arabic, English, Mandarin and Gujarati.^[5]

Kubur Kassim (translated to Kassim Cemetery from Malay) is located at 426 Siglap Road, right in the middle of a private housing estate. The cemetery stopped accepting burials in the 1970s but the physical ground is still present. There is also a small surau in the middle of the cemetery, which is still in use by the cemetery's caretaker.

The entrance of Kubur Kassim is signified by a vivid yellow and green coloured gate that has Arabic inscriptions on it.

The usage of the colours yellow and green signifies the important colours in Islam. Green is commonly related to paradise, the Prophet, birth and nature.^[6] Yellow on the other hand signifies royalty.^[7] The tombs that lie in this cemetery, are different as compared to the Muslim cemeteries that are present nowadays. Many of the tombs in Kubur Kassim are square-shaped, and not rectangular-shaped.

There was also a widespread belief that supernatural beings were buried in this cemetery.^[8] These supernatural beings are called the Orang Bunian. These beings are spirits that come from a different dimension, yet live their lives on Earth like human beings.^[9]

Kubur Kassim also houses graves of significant members of the Malay Community. For example, Dr Hafeezudin Sirajuddin Moonshi currently lies in Kubur Kassim. Dr Moonshi opened the first Muslim clinic in 1916.^[8] Another important figure that lies in this cemetery would be Che Lembek Binte Abdin, who is the former headmistress of Kampong Glam Girls' School during the Second World War.^[10]

Keramats are defined as the graves or tombs of deceased Muslim men who played a significant role in religion, such as Muslim saints.^[11] These sites that house the Keramats are typically visited as part of a pilgrimage to wish for something, or to pay their respects in the case that their wish got granted. However, the definition has evolved over the years to include graves or tombs of not only saints, but also rulers such as Sultans and Temenggongs.^[12]

Keramat Habib Noh is a Muslim mausoleum dedicated to Habib Noh, a wali or saint in the Sufi tradition,^[13] specifically as the "patron saint of Malay sailors".^[14] It is located at 37 Palmer Road, top of Mount Palmer.

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.^[15]

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.^[16] Some believe that Iskandar Shah was the successor of Parameswara.^[16] 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.^[17]

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.^[18] 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).^[18] Ultimately, his identity and name are commemorated in Singapore through the shrine in Fort Canning Hill.

Keramat Bukit Kasita (Also known as Makam Diraja Johor Telok Blangah) is located next to Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim in Telok Blangah. There are 32 graves in the cemetery, including the grave of Temenggong Abdul Rahman (Also known as Engku Abdul Rahman), Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, and their family members.^[19] However, the tombs of the Temenggongs are placed inside the mosque, as a mausoleum (Keramat). The land that the mosque and cemetery lie on belongs to the Johor Sultanate, to this day.^[20]