Our host Edward returns - this time into the world of Islam during the holy month of Ramadan. He is introduced to Masjid Hajjah Fatimah and spends a day learning about their practices, and experiencing his first Iftar.
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00:00We are exploring the rich spectrum of beliefs that shape our cultural landscape.
00:06From ancient practices to contemporary expressions of faith,
00:10delve into the vibrant tapestry of rituals, customs and spiritual narratives flourishing in Singapore.
00:21The holy month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
00:27You might know Ramadan as the month where Muslims all over the world fast from dawn to sunset.
00:34But I know that there is more to Ramadan than abstinence from food and water,
00:39so I'm here to personally find out more.
00:42Hi!
00:43Hello!
00:44I'm Edward.
00:45I'm Abdullah. Welcome to Masjid Haji Fatima.
00:47Thank you very much. Thanks for taking the time to show us around the place.
00:50What is your role here?
00:51I'm a mosque officer. I'm in charge of HR and Finance for the operations of this mosque.
00:56And I'm happy to tell you that I'm working at the mosque that belongs to the great-grandmother of four great-grandparents of mine.
01:04So you're actually descended from Haji Fatima herself?
01:07Yes.
01:08Alright. We'd definitely love to ask you more about that and also about Islam
01:11because many of our viewers, like myself, are new to Islam and would like to know more about Islam.
01:16So we need to trouble you for that.
01:18No worries. Let's go.
01:19Okay.
01:21This mosque has been around for almost two centuries.
01:25Almost, yes. Since 1846.
01:27And so when it was built, and there is a bit of history behind this,
01:31I heard that Haji Fatima decided to build this because of something that happened to her.
01:35Oh yes.
01:36She felt very thankful because there were two arson and two robbery cases that happened to her
01:41and she didn't suffer and she was not affected.
01:45No one was harmed and she felt very grateful for that.
01:49So she decided to build a mosque.
01:51So speaking of which, I'd like to ask you about the practice of Islam.
01:55We're right outside the main prayer hall.
01:58Can you tell us a bit about how Muslims practice their faith?
02:04Right in front there, you see that curve? That's the mihrab.
02:08So that is the point where the imam would stand.
02:13So where the imam stands, the congregants pray behind him.
02:16So we are definitely praying in the qibla, the direction towards Ka'bah.
02:21And Ka'bah is in Mecca, where you know the black boxes.
02:24Ah, I see.
02:25So why do Muslims pray towards Mecca?
02:29It is just a point for unity, for all Muslims of different parts of the world
02:34to go and face one direction when we pray.
02:37Otherwise, you have people pray in different directions
02:39and it's like, where is your, you know, you're not uniform.
02:43I know very little about it.
02:45What actually is Islam?
02:48The word Islam, it comes from the Arabic spelling of three main consonants,
02:54sin, lam and mim.
02:56And sin, lam, mim is also the consonant combination to form the word salam.
03:01Let's salam, we shake hands.
03:02Ah, I see.
03:03So it's like we are making peace with one another.
03:05So peace be upon you, which is like a familiar phrase that you hear.
03:08So Islam, having the same root form with the word salam,
03:12it also means a religion of peace.
03:14So how do Muslims practice the Islamic faith?
03:19What are the fundamentals of Islam?
03:21First and foremost, we need to know that there are five pillars in Islam.
03:24So the first pillar is to take the oath in creed,
03:27to state that you accept that the God is almighty.
03:30There's one true God.
03:32And the last prophet, Prophet Muhammad is his messenger.
03:36Second pillar is we have to pray five times a day.
03:39Third pillar is we need to do our fast in the month of Ramadan,
03:43which is now actually.
03:45And the fourth is to pay alms.
03:47It's what we call zakat.
03:49And the fifth one is to perform your hajj if it's within your means.
03:53And we are in the month of Ramadan.
03:55Yes.
03:56Can you tell us about that?
03:57When we are fasting, it's not purely no drinking, no eating.
04:01It's more than that.
04:02It's about more than abstinence.
04:04It's also about reflection.
04:05It's about appreciation of what you have versus what you don't.
04:10And later on, you'll be giving out some food and alms
04:15and goodie bags to some of the people in this area, right?
04:19Correct.
04:20Could I help out with that?
04:21Most definitely. That's why you're here.
04:23Okay, let's get some work done.
04:25All right, let's go.
04:26Besides giving back to their community,
04:29Muslims believe that giving to others purifies their own wealth
04:34and is a reminder that everything they have is from God.
04:40Zakat is a form of worship.
04:44All right.
04:47So, we have about 120 bags to pack.
04:49So, start.
04:50Okay.
04:59Three down, 117 to go.
05:01Okay.
05:04So, notice I'm the one packing all the rose syrup in.
05:09What's in the bag?
05:10There's also cooking oil.
05:12There's soy sauce.
05:14There's chilli sauce.
05:16There's tomato sauce, ketchup.
05:19There's sugar and salt.
05:21And also some condensed milk.
05:25And it could really last you quite a while
05:29even if you have a few people in your family.
05:32Abdullah, we've got all these items here.
05:34How do you decide who it goes to and how do you choose which items?
05:37We collaborate with this group called WEMA,
05:39United Indian Muslim Association.
05:41Most of the members live in this area and so they know the locals
05:45and they go house to house and see their SES level.
05:49And the choice of items are the things that we take to give them
05:52can be stored for a long time with or without refrigerator
05:55because some of them may not own these.
06:01So, that's the call to prayer.
06:03All right, let's head on down and...
06:05OK, ready?
06:10So, I can't be inside the main prayer hall,
06:13but I can observe from the outside.
06:27There is something to be said about solidarity in the Islamic faith.
06:32Right now, Muslims all over the island in mosques
06:37are facing the same direction and praying together.
06:48Abdullah, we're in the family cemetery.
06:51Family plot, yes.
06:52It's on the premises of the mosque.
06:54Correct.
06:55Can you tell us a bit about this place?
06:57These are all the descendants of Hajar Fatima.
07:00Because this was her piece of land, private burial was allowed.
07:04So, these people were buried up to the year 1973.
07:09So, when I go to work, basically, I do meet my family.
07:12It's a come-meet-the-family day every day for me, yes.
07:15I have a trick question for you.
07:17Not looking at the names here,
07:19how can you tell if the grave belongs to a male or a female?
07:27Correct.
07:28Correct.
07:29So, which is which?
07:31Oh, this is going to be a tough one.
07:35Okay, this is just a guess.
07:36Definitely.
07:37The ones with the domes are male?
07:39Okay.
07:40And then?
07:41The ones with the more, the sort of triple-rounded?
07:46You're right, but the distinctive feature of a female tombstone
07:50is that they have two flat sides.
07:52I see.
07:53That's a very clear distinction.
07:55For the male, it's very curvaceous.
07:57And at this point, I tell my visitors,
07:59don't ask why.
08:01So, this is where Haji Fakimah is buried.
08:05Okay?
08:06And this is her daughter from another husband.
08:09This was built especially for her by her descendants
08:13because sometimes the visitors would like to come and sit long
08:16at this area just to do prayers here.
08:18Not like the prayers that you see outside,
08:20but it's a different prayer for the ones who have passed on.
08:24It's time to give out the goodie bags that we packed earlier.
08:28And Abdullah is really putting me to work here.
08:32So, each of the beneficiaries will actually get one bag of rice
08:36and they also get two other bags.
08:38One is a black tote bag with all the goodies,
08:43the snacks and the sweets.
08:45And also that red bag we were packing earlier
08:47with the sugar, the salt, the cooking oil, soy sauce
08:52and of course, the condensed milk and the rose syrup
08:54because it is not Hari Raya without bandung.
08:58Look, we've made it here.
09:00It was a longer journey than I expected.
09:02It's 180 kilos of rice.
09:04This is the evidence of the work that I've done.
09:06Look, I'm not fasting, okay?
09:08And already like that.
09:09I don't know how the volunteers do it when they're fasting.
09:13It's really amazing.
09:14Really hats off to all of them.
09:16And yeah, this is actually quite satisfying to do.
09:19So, thanks Abdullah.
09:23I'm fasting.
09:27I'm not joking.
09:28This is really, really tiring work.
09:32Each of these care packages are delivered by hand to the residents.
09:41You can see that there's decorations here in the corridor.
09:43It's really nice and music too.
09:45So yeah, if you can hear it, it's quite festive.
09:53It's so delicious.
09:56Peace be upon you.
09:59It's so delicious.
10:06I am totally wiped out.
10:08It has been an exhausting day for me
10:11and I can't even imagine what it must be like
10:14for the volunteers who are fasting.
10:17But it is Ramadan,
10:19which means that we have to get back on our feet
10:22before the sun begins to set.
10:25Every day during the fasting month,
10:27Masjid Haja Fatima gives out food to anyone
10:31who is looking for a meal.
10:33So, it's about 6.40pm now.
10:35People are preparing to break fast.
10:37They're coming to collect the food.
10:39Correct.
10:40So, there's a food collection station.
10:42Then there's a teh tarik and the bandung section station.
10:45So, once you get your food,
10:46you find your place sitting along the corridor there
10:49and you eat with your fellow friends.
10:51So, you can either sit on the floor
10:52or the elderly might take a table.
10:54For those who cannot sit on the floor,
10:56they will have a chair there ready for them to sit.
10:58Some Muslims may also choose to break their fast
11:02at the mosque itself.
11:04And I too am very excited
11:07to experience my first iftar in a mosque.
11:11So, we're going to find a spot on the ground now,
11:14just outside the prayer hall.
11:17Because we're able-bodied, so we can sit on the floor.
11:20Okay, so where should we go?
11:22I'm going to follow Abdullah.
11:23Here is okay, I think.
11:25Just this corner.
11:28So, this is rice.
11:31Wrong item.
11:32White rice with chicken curry.
11:34It's good stuff.
11:35Right before Maghrib,
11:37which is the call to prayer for breaking fast,
11:40there is some extra food to give out.
11:43Some of these are provided by the mosque
11:46and some are donated.
11:48So, the sun is setting.
11:49We're about 15 minutes away from breaking fast together.
11:52It's my first time breaking fast at a mosque.
11:55So, really excited.
11:56You can see everyone is here already.
11:57We're all getting ready.
12:14This is a very special moment for me.
12:18After a particularly hot and tiring day,
12:21watching everyone break their fast together
12:24and being able to join in,
12:27I'm truly thankful to be here.
12:49You don't know what you're missing out on.
12:52It's really amazing what a little bit of spice can do for you guys.
12:59And the papadum is unexpected,
13:04but this is a perfect mix of flavours.
13:10So, I have to say that was a really fulfilling day
13:12to be able to help out at the Haja Fatima Mosque.
13:15The manual labour, I have to say,
13:17actually wasn't that tough for me.
13:19But for everyone else,
13:20all the other volunteers were fasting.
13:22They're amazing!
13:23And then I got to learn about the history of the place
13:25from Abdullah, whose ancestors actually founded this mosque,
13:29and to see the charity work they do.
13:32And then also, to meet the people here,
13:34to be able to break fast with them,
13:35that was something really special.
13:37And maybe one day, that's something you'd like to do.
13:40So share that experience with your Muslim friends.