| Luar Batang Mosque | |
|---|---|
Masjid Luar Batang | |
 | |
  Location within Java   Luarbatang | |
| General information | |
| Type | Place of Worship |
| Architectural style | JavaneseSundaneseHindu |
| Location | Jakarta,Indonesia |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Coordinates | 6°07′27″S106°48′25″E / 6.124273°S 106.806969°E /-6.124273; 106.806969 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 0 m2 (0 sq ft) |
TheLuar Batang Mosque (Indonesian:Masjid Luar Batang) is one of the oldestmosques inJakarta,Indonesia, located in the area ofPasar Ikan (Fish Market) inNorth Jakarta on the west side of theSunda Kelapa Harbor. The mosque was built in the 18th century and named afterLuar Batang, in accordance with the nickname of a sacred guardian of Islam,Habib Luar Batang, where his shrine is also located.
_TMnr_60046455.jpg)
Habib Husein bin Abu Bakr bin Abdillah al-Aydarus was born inMighab near Hazam inHadhramaut, but migrated toBatavia when he was relatively young, around 20 years old, to preach Islam.[1] There is a story saying that he stopped byGujarat on his route toNusantara.[2] He landed in an area calledKampungLuar Batang when the area was under the control of theDutch East India Company (VOC). Habib Husein became increasingly popular and many people began to flock to his place to live. This has led to the suspicion of local authorities. So, Hussein and his family were arrested and imprisoned in a separate room inGlodok. According to the local urban legend, at every prayer time Habib Husein always seemed to be theImam in a large holding room, but at the same time the prison officers saw him also was sleeping in his locked cell. On the basis of this miracle, then Habib Husein was released.[3] Habib Husein died on 27th ofRamadhan 1169AH or on Tuesday June 24, 1756 and buried inside the mosque complex.
Habib Husein is aSayyid ofBa 'Alawi sada family. His full name is Husein bin Abubakar bin Abdullah bin Husein bin Ali bin Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Husein bin Abdullah bin Abubakar Al-Sakran bin Abdurrahman Assaqqaf bin Muhammad Maula Al-Dawilah bin Ali bin Alwi binMuhammad al-Faqih al-Muqaddam bin Ali bin Muhammad Shahib Mirbath.
In 1791 a Chinese explorer, namedOng Hoe Hoe lingered in Batavia and wrote about a prominent Chinese among the Chinese who had long lived in Luar Batang. In Ong Hoe Hoe's report written around 1793 and translated into Dutch in 1852, he mentioned about a sage in Luar Batang. "Nek Bok Seng once lived in a wooden hut made of banana tree in a place called the shrine. He lived alone and busied himself with reading and writing books. He loved playing flute, poetry and playing chess cleverly. He was a wise and intelligent man. On Sunday the house was full of friends. He was as excited as our famous man Pok Hoe, respected for the way he entertained people ... Daze and kind of the bong Seng likeChrysanthemums while in his heart it occurred very beautiful. Actually, he may be called and regarded as a wise man of our century "[4] There is no clear explanation whether the personNek Bok Seng as described is actually Habib Husain.
As recorded on the mosque door in 1916, the building was completed on 20Muharram 1152 AH coincides with the 29 April 1739 CE. TheQibla direction on this mosque was not precise so it was corrected by Muhammad Arshad al-Banjari (d. 1812 CE) during a stopover on his way home from theHejaz toBanjar in 1827 CE. The orientation of the mosque is not really directed toKaaba, similar to Kebon Sirih dan Cikini mosques. Therefore, there are scholars such as Abubakar Atjeh who assume that the original space of the mosque was used as a former residence of the person (Habib Husein) who later used it asmusolla ormosque.[3]
The newspaperBataviaasche Courant on May 12, 1827, also mentioned it in the essay about theLuar Batang Mosque. As noted in this newspaper, Habib Husein died approximately in 1796, after a long preaching journey betweenSurabaya andBatavia. In 1812 his grave was signed with some stones and still located outside the mosque until 1827 CE. Apparently, at that time charity was no longer given to the commander (a sort of headman) of Luar Batang village, but instead given directly to the mosque committee so the building could be expanded.[3] The newspaper also mentioned that the Sacred Luar Batang Shrine is famous in Batavia. Habib Husein died inside home of Commander Abdul Raup and buried beside an existing mosque. Muhammad Lebe and Abdul Hamid Malik requested to beautify the tomb of Habib Husein, and were granted permission in 1812. People then began to believe that each vow spoken near the tomb is always fulfilled. People requested the mosque committee to often present black goat and its horns decorated with gold cover.[3]
One version of the story why he is so calledHabib Luar Batang tells that when Habib Husein died and en route to be buried in the Batavia suburb aroundTanah Abang, his body suddenly was not in the coffin. The phenomena lasted up to three times of their attempts. Finally, the congregation then agreed to bury him in the current location instead and the location was then calledLuar Batang (Luar, outside; andBatang, body inBetawi language) means a body outside (a coffin). Since then, the late habib was calledHabib Luar Batang.[5]
Another story version which makes more sense is that not long after VOC was founded, the VOC authorities started a surveillance on boats entering theSunda Kelapa harbor, especiallyperahus belonged to indigenous people. To block the perahus, the VOC authority applied a long wooden beam (which is literally translated toBatang (trunk) in the local language). These perahus could not enter the port and had to wait for days outside the post until the 'batang' lifted, so the local people called the perahus were in "Luar Batang" (Outside the beam). While waiting, many of the crew went ashore. Later they set up temporary huts and became a village. Initially, the village was like an island because it frequently flooded due to the tide water.[6]
In around 1660, VOC brought fishermen fromEast Java. These fishermen were placed in the village which then was calledKampung Luar Batang orLuar Batang Village. The leader of this fishermen namedBagus Karta was given the honorary rank oflieutenant in 1677. Residential location "Luar Batang" had been aswamp, but soon the swamp silted with mud fromCiliwung river.[6]
In 1739, the VOC Governor General gave a small piece of land on the western side of Ciliwung River across Sunda Kelapa port to Habib Husein. According to local folklore, Habib Husein hadkaromah (supernatural power) and was influential in spreading and leading Muslims on the northern area of Batavia.[7]
Theshrine and mosque is located in approximately 14 hectares area ofKampung Luar Batang, about 3 km fromPekojan. The mosque, consideredkeramat (sacred) to many people, is one of the cultural heritage ofJakarta, overlooking the port of Sunda Kelapa and is one of the attractions to visitors coming toOld Jakarta.[5]
In around 1870s began an affair what was then calledPerkara Luar Batang, which is an affair related to the large amounts of charity income the mosque received. At first, two commanders of Luar Batang tried to get the charity, but were hindered by thefatwas of various scholars, notably by the fatwa issued byHabib Usman bin Yahya, who confirmed that Habib Husein's descendants were eligible for the charity. The fatwa was approved of in 1878 byAhmad Zayni Dahlan, theGrand Mufti of Mecca and aShafi'i scholar. Since the decision was made, it triggered family quarrel among the Arabs. On the advice ofChristiaan Snouck Hurgronje, the mosque courtyard was then closed by the Dutch government until they reach a deal. The resolution process went quickly, and theLuar Batang Affair ended in 1905.[3]
At the entrance to the complex there is a big whiteGapura (gate) which was originally in Javanese Hindu architecture. The mosque structure is square in shape. Inside, the mosque has two large halls, inside hall and outside hall. Each hall has 12 poles, which added up to 24. The number of poles indicating the number of hours in a day, 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. Besides the outside hall, there is a room which is the location of the tomb of Habib Husein and his student, Haji Abdul Kadir. There has been a few renovations performed, so many of the structure and ornaments are no longer the same as the original,[5]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
