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Surau Al-Izzah as the reminiscent of the Prophets mosque

A study done by Siraj (2004) classified the types of mosque in Malaysian into state
mosques, district mosques, qaryah mosques and privately funded mosques (as cited by Shahidah,
200, p. 3). Surau Al-Izzah [sic.], the focus of this paper can be classified under privately funded
mosques. In local language, surau connotes a smaller kind of masjid (mosque) where the Friday
congregational prayer is absence except for unusual case. Personally, the writer feels that size
does not matter when it concerns places of worship especially in Islam. The reason for choosing
this small mosque despite its considerably small size and limited compound is because it
disseminates considerable impact of Islamic spirit for the Muslims community around it that it is
non-exaggerative to note that it brings the reminiscent of the first naturally primitive
(Al-Qu it, 2007, p. 56) prophets premiere mosque in Medina. Apart from comparison in its
size, the focus of its comparison with the Prophets mosque is analysed in three different
dimensions namely the background, selection of the responsible personnel and funding of
planned activities.
It was recorded that the land where the Prophets mosque stand was purchased by
Sayyidina Abu Bakr Al-iddiq with the cost of 0 dinars from the guardian of two orphans
Mu dh ibnu fr al-Hrith (l-Qu it, 2007, p. 53). The Prophets mosque in its initial phase
covered the area of seventy ells (70 x .4m) in length and sixty ells (60 x .4 m) in width, the
surface level was over the height of a man, mud was used for the walls, the trunks of the date
palm were used for the columns and interwoven palm fronds were chosen for roofing and later
on the floor was covered with stones (ibid. 54). On the other hand, Surau l- Izzah was built on
a small piece of land in Taman Samudera, Batu Caves, Selangor, that was hand over as a gift by
the local developer of Syarikat Samudra Sdn Bhd (subsidiary of Tenaga Ehsan Sdn Bhd). The
information from its website recorded that it has been officiated on 5th March 2010 / 19th Rabi
al-awwal 1431H in conjunction with the celebration of the mawlid al-nabiyy by the then YB
Dato Dr Hj Hasan bin Hj Mohamed li, DUN (State Assembly Man) of Gombak Setia who
was also the Religious Member of the State of Selangor. The realization of this surau in principal
aims at providing a midpoint where the community in that area could possibly gather and
perform everyday congregational prayers as well as accommodating the increased number of
Muslims exercising tarawih during the Ramadhan. By the course of time, it proves to be a
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worthwhile action. Thanks to the donor and the ones who have strived hard in making the surau
lively.
In the Prophets era, only the prophet himself led the prayer except when he was sick
especially during the end of his life. It is almost clear that he chaired formal functions though
some Companions did opine and contribute whenever necessary. At present day, the scenario is a
bit different. Since the surau under study is in the state of Selangor, the administration of its
organization follows the guidelines laid down by the Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS)
known as Kaedah-kaedah Pegawai Masjid dan Jawatankuasa Kariah (Negeri Selangor)
(Pindaan) 2001. In this manner, Surau Al- Izzah is managed by a committee selected by JAIS
through nominations of 15 eligible candidates done by the residents in the presence of either the
ketua kampung (village head) or chairman of the residents body or the chairman of the surau.
The eligible posts include the chairman, the imam, the muazzin, the siak, secretary, treasurer, and
a few male and female and representatives. No election is done during the nomination phase
which is normally decided during the surau annual general meeting. They will serve a three-year
term service for example from 2013 to 2016. The chairman, imam and bilal (in emergency cases)
are those who take the responsibility to lead the prayers (imam) in the surau. In principal, the
main criterion to be considered is based on the Quranic verse:

The mosques of Allah shall be visited and maintained by such as believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish
regular prayers, and practise regular charity, and fear none (at all) except Allah. It is they who are expected to
be on true guidance. (Q. Al-Taubah: 18).
Practically, all the committee must be over 21 years old but do not exceed 65 years old. They
must be Sunnis who are physically and mentally healthy with leadership quality, literate, are not
criminals or bankruptcies and live within the community. It is especially distinctive that the
imam should be well versed in the recitation of the Quran.
l-Qu it, (2007) wrote that the Prophets mosque is not only for the congregational
prayers but a multi-functional institution in keeping with the nature of the large variety of facets
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covered by Islams comprehensive teaching (p.55). Among the functions are receiving
delegations, conducting negotiations, lecturing and instruction and providing shelter to the poor,
needy and the way-farer (ibid.). Following the categorization collated by Anis Azura (2010) on
activities managed by mosques in Malaysia, Surau Al-Izzah also organizes ibadah, education
and da`wah, social and community development and masjid management. However, perhaps
because of its limited compound, it does not have a centre of Islamic knowledge such as a small
library. The interesting part is that the activities in Surau Al-Izzah cater diverse interest groups.
Among them are Sunathon (mass children circumcision) and recognition to students who excel
in their examinations, special talks on current issues such as the conflicts in Egypt and Syria as
well as annual celebrations of the Eids. The daily activities include kuliah maghrib (a brief talk
between Maghrib and Isya prayer). The programmes do not only involved the Muslims but are
also joined by the non-Muslims who came on the Open Day as invited by the committee. It is
due to mention that, in order for any activities to take action depends on the availability of the
fund. The study done by Shahidah (2012) found out that in Terengganu the qaryah mosques
depend on the donations from the members and public. However, they can apply for funds from
the state government to repair or improve the mosque buildings. The scenario is also true in the
case of Surau l- Izzah. At present the committee has been very pro-active in organizing fund-
raising programmes such as Charity Night and distributing flyers as well as uploading the
completed activities and projects online to collect extra funds to upgrade the surau.
Concisely, the Muslims places of worship are more than just solitude places where they
are restricted as centres for communion between the believers and llah. The mosque, big or
small, such as Surau l- Izzah plays important roles not only to unite people during
congregational prayers but as hub for social activities that involved all levels of life regardless of
age and belief.




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REFERENCE
Al-Qu it, S. G. (2007). The Holy Cities. the pilgrimage and the world of islam. KY: Fons
Vitae.
Anis Azura, A. R. (2010). The Maintenance Management of Masjid Buildings in Federal
Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Putra Jaya. Unpublished Masters dissertation.
International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Shahida, S. (2012). Accounting Practices of Religious organization: the case of the mosques in
Kuala Terengganu. Unpublished Masters dissertation. International Islamic University
Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Surau Al-Izzah. (204). Retrieved February 28, 2014. http://surau-alizzah.com/v1/?page_id=7