Darul Makmur Mosque reopening

President of MUIS, Mr Mohamed Sa’at,

Deputy Chief Executives of MUIS, Mr Khairul Anwar and Mr

Azree Rahim,

Deputy Mufti of Singapore, Ustaz Izal Mustafa Kamar,

Respected members of Darul Makmur Mosque

Management Board, Mosque Leaders, Mosque Partners,

Staff and Volunteers,

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

1. Alhamdulillah, today we celebrate a meaningful milestone — the official completion of Darul Makmur’s Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP). This milestone exemplifies the faith, perseverance, and shared purpose as a community to strengthen our religious life. At the same time, we honour the legacy of service by our forefathers to build a mosque that can benefit future generations.

Remembering the heartbeat of Darul Makmur

2. In the early 1980s, the Muslim community came together with unity and determination to build a mosque. They organised charity walks, donation drives, and outreach efforts. This collective effort led to the opening of Darul Makmur Mosque in 1987.

3. Over the last 40 years, dedicated leaders such as our former Mufti, Ustaz Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, a familiar face here in this part of Singapore, and former mosque Vice Chairman, Haji Buzari Kayat, have reminded us that a mosque is built not just on bricks, but on faith, care, and trust. As Ustaz Fatris once said, “It is the people who make a mosque truly a mosque – and it is the people who can make it otherwise.” These values continue to guide our community today.

4. I am heartened to see that the same spirit of togetherness still remains strong during the mosque’s upgrading. Our volunteers, mosque officers and residents worked together to keep prayer sessions and community programmes running smoothly. Because of this unity in spirit, we have officially completed the upgrading of the mosque with minimal disruption to the community.

5. On this note, I’d like to share my personal experience with regards to what I saw throughout the whole process of the upgrading and first came up close to Darul Makmur in early 1990s when I was a student at NUS. I did a project about mosques, and I had to interview mosque volunteers and officials as part of my thesis. I came to Yishun, and I saw from below this very nice brightly lit mosque from below and above the hill. And that was when I came close and spoke to people here.

6. Following that - I was born in the East and seldom came to this part (of Singapore) - when I was posted here, I realised that that brightly lit mosque up there has a lot of substance in it. I saw the beauty of not only the mosque, but the beauty of the Singapore story. How a religious institution adds cohesiveness to the development of Singapore. And how it shows it doesn’t only matter about Muslims, but it matters the whole society. So religious groups and institutions in Singapore are an asset to our development and in our quest to build a cohesive community and society - rather than a platform to be used to keep people and society apart. I’ve had my counterparts who shared with me that they have been trying to build a mosque for the last five decade, but they just cannot build a mosque there. Why? Because their society is not like what we have here in Singapore. So when I meet some of my counterparts who share their stories, the more I feel grateful and appreciative of our lives here in Singapore.

7. Closer to the upgrading period, I really saw the beauty of Singapore. In particular, the beauty of Nee Soon. The mosque was going through the upgrading, and it was Hari Raya prayers. I remember Minister Shanmugam and I got together, and as grassroot advisors, we wanted to see together with the other grassroot advisors how we can help the mosque during the upgrading process. It was not difficult because we already built the bond. As a grassroot organisation, we want to make sure that it’s not only about the mosque, but how the rest of the religious groups and the residents can own every institution and every element within the GRC to continue this journey of building a cohesive community. I saw face to face how the various groups of people from different races and from the various grassroots organisations and the mosque came together (and said) let’s make it possible. Let’s ensure that while the mosque is going through the upgrading, we will look after the Muslims in Nee Soon.

8. And I must say, during Hari Raya day, I was busy during visiting. I was on my phone trying to arrange, but I was touched with how I worked together with the mosque and MUIS to facilitate such a platform to ensure the religious needs of the Muslims here continue to be taken care of while the mosque was going through upgrading. Not only that, but people from different races asked “How can I contribute to some of the expenses?” - it came from different races. This, I don’t think you can see in many other parts of the world. Throughout the journey, Minister Shanmugam always asks me, “Faishal, how is it going? Anything we can help? Don’t worry, the grassroot organisations will be there to help.” This is a very good case study about how we have been building Singapore together. Not perfect, but it is something that I think if we are able to write a story about the journey of Darul Makmur’s MUP, it can be a case study for many communities from around the world where they can learn from to build towards a more cohesive community.

9. So I want to congratulate the management of Darul Makmur Mosque together with the volunteers, the grassroot organisations, as well as the community leaders in this part of Singapore, and with the strong support of MUIS, we are able to develop this. Please joining me in giving them a big round of applause. So in Singapore, religious groups, religious institutions are an asset to our development, rather than an element that breaks us apart. We must continue to journey this with everyone - every religious group and every institution - so that we can continue to deepen and enhance our society towards a greater sense of unity.

Enhanced facilities in the upgraded mosque

10. The upgraded Darul Makmur Mosque will better serve the community in various ways. It can now accommodate 4,000 congregants, an increase from its previous capacity of 3,000. Its enhanced infrastructure includes modern, well-equipped classrooms, barrier-free access for congregants, improved ventilation, and enhanced audio systems throughout the prayer halls for a more conducive environment.

Continuing a mission of faithful service to the community

11. Beyond improving our infrastructure, Darul Makmur Mosque will continue to strengthen support for the community.

12. The mosque will launch two key initiatives:

    • The Santunan Emas programme, which will provide comprehensive support for seniors and their caregivers through religious talks and active ageing activities in partnership with healthcare and community organisations. In fact, I shared in my Parliament speech, as part of my effort among the three areas that I have laid out, one of them is the socioeconomic life of our people. And an aspect of socioeconomic life, is about aging well within the community. So a programme like Santunan Emas is something that is very important, so that whoever you are and whatever your profile is, there is an option for you to get support from the religious angle and socioeconomic aspect where we will connect you so that you can age well no matter where you live in Singapore.

    • The Youth Outreach and Development Programme, which will nurture emerging community leaders through leadership camps and volunteering projects in collaboration with the District North Mosques Youth Network.

13. These programmes reflect our commitment to fostering intergenerational connections and developing social responsibility across all age groups in our community, from our respected elders to our promising youth. I thank dedicated leaders like Ustazah Suhanah Ahmad who has devoted over 37 years as a Mosque Religious Officer (MRO), to guide and steward the mosque’s mission in uplifting those in need. In fact, Ustazah Suhanah is an icon in Darul Makmur Mosque. Thank you Ustazah.

Closing reflections

14. I would like to thank the Mosque Management Board, generous donors, grassroots partners, staff and volunteers for making this vision a reality. May Allah SWT bless this mosque and its community with barakah and may Darul Makmur Mosque continue to shine as a beacon of faith and compassion for generations to come, InsyaAllah.

15. Please allow me to share my remarks in Malay.

16. Alhamdulillah, hari ini kita meraikan majlis pembukaan rasmi Masjid Darul Makmur setelah menjalani Projek Peningkatan Masjid (MUP). Majlis ini melambangkan semangat perjuangan dan perpaduan masyarakat Islam yang telah berganding bahu sejak masjid ini dibina pada tahun 1980-an.

17. Masjid Darul Makmur yang telah dinaik taraf boleh menampung lebih ramai jemaah, serta kemudahan moden seperti bilik darjah serba lengkap, akses tanpa halangan, sistem pengudaraan yang lebih baik dan sistem audio yang lebih jelas.

18. Sebagai pusat pembelajaran, pembangunan belia dan penglibatan masyarakat yang progresif, masjid ini akan terus memainkan peranan penting dalam menghulurkan bantuan kepada mereka yang memerlukan serta bimbingan kepada masyarakat kita.

19. Seperti yang saya katakan tadi dalam bahasa Inggeris, kerja-kerja projek peningkatan masjid ini, prosesnya kita dapat lihat bagaimana kita di Singapura telah membangunkan bukan sahaja masyarakat yang kohesif, tetapi satu rangkaian yang boleh meyokong kita ke arah masyarakat kohesif yang lebih baik - tahun demi tahun, dekad demi dekad. Dan ia menunjukkan bagaimana kerjasama kita, iaitu masyarakat berbilang bangsa di Singapura, adalah sebagai satu aset. Institusi seperti masjid-masjid dan kumpulan-kumpulan agama adalah aset bagi kita untuk membangunkan masyarakat yang kohesif dalam negara kita.

20. Di negara lain, kita lihat ia sebagai satu elemen yang memecah-belahkan masyarakat. Jadi di Singapura, amat penting untuk kita meneruskan usaha ini. Dan kita tahu kerana ini adalah kekuatan kita dan jangan kita mengikut negara-negara yang lain yang tidak mempunyai prinsip untuk membangunkan negara mereka dengan memecah-belahkan masyarakat.

21. Justeru, ini adalah aset kita dan kekuatan kita. Selagi kita bersyukur dengan apa yang diberikan kepada kita, kita juga mahu meneruskan usaha ini supaya kita boleh membangunkan satu masyarakat yang kohesif. Kerja-kerja naik taraf ini adalah contoh yang baik untuk berkongsi dengan rakan-rakan di dalam dan luar negara kita bagaimana institusi agama, badan-badan agama, ataupun pelbagai bangsa boleh menyumbang kepada masyarakat kohesif dalam negara masing-masing. Ini adalah satu usaha yang sangat penting, kerana dengan apa yang kita lihat di dunia kini, banyak berpecah-belahan akan berlaku - termasuk kalau kita tidak memikirkan dengan mendalam dan juga mengukuhkan lagi apa yang kita telah makmurkan. Ia mungkin akan menjejas kehidupan kita bersama, dan juga masyarakat kohesif yang kita mahukan.

22. Akhir kata, saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Lembaga Pentadbir Masjid, para dermawan, rakan akar umbi, kakitangan dan sukarelawan masjid yang telah menjayakan visi ini. Semoga segala usaha anda diberkati Allah s.w.t, dan semoga Masjid Darul Makmur terus mekar serta berjaya dalam membimbing, membangunkan dan menyatukan masyarakat Islam Singapura, InsyaAllah.