Masjid Al-Firdaus
Mosque in Choa Chu Kang, Singapore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Masjid Al-Firdaus (Jawi: مسجد الفردوس) is a mosque located off Jalan Ibadat in Choa Chu Kang, Singapore. Built in 1962 by Muslim personnel of the nearby Tengah Air Base, it is located on Temporary Occupation License (TOL) land.[1] It is one of the last rural mosques in the country alongside Masjid Petempatan Melayu Sembawang and Masjid Omar Salmah.[2]
| Masjid Al-Firdaus | |
|---|---|
Jawi: مسجد الفردوس | |
 Masjid Al-Firdaus during the Friday prayers in 2026. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam |
| Location | |
| Location | 11 Jln Ibadat, Singapore 698955 |
| Country | Singapore |
.svg)  Location in Singapore | |
| Coordinates | 1.3749581°N 103.7164712°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque |
| Style | Modern, Malay architecture |
| Established | 1962 |
| Completed | 1962 (original structure) 1999 (current building) |
Etymology
The name of the mosque, Al-Firdaus, is taken from the word Jannat al-Firdaus, the highest level of heaven in Islamic belief.[3] Masjid Al-Firdaus is hence one of two mosques in Singapore to be named after a level of heaven, the other being Masjid En-Naeem at Kovan which is named after the fourth level of heaven, Jannat an-Na'im.[4][5] The road leading to the mosque, Jalan Ibadat, translates to "Road of Worship" and was erected specifically for the mosque.[6]
History
Masjid Al-Firdaus was built in 1962 by the Muslim personnel of the Tengah Air Base, with the aim of having a mosque to serve the soldiers stationed at the military facilities along Old Choa Chu Kang Road, such as the Home Team Academy headquarters and the former Keat Hong Camp.[7][8][9] The land the mosque was constructed on was under the Temporary Occupation License (TOL) scheme.[7] At the time, the mosque did not have a name, and upon the official opening ceremony in 1968 it was given the name Al-Firdaus.[10] The official inauguration ceremony for the mosque to celebrate its opening anniversary was held at Teck Whye in 1983, along with a sporting event to raise funds for a renovation project that was headed by Abdul Rahman Haji Hamid, the head of the mosque committee.[8][11] This project would fix the dilapidating toilets in the mosque as well as expand the mosque to accommodate more worshippers.[8]
The mosque was completely rebuilt in 1999 with a drastically different appearance from its former self, with a noted feature being the lack of a dome unlike the old mosque.[7] The rebuilt mosque held local significance as being a kampung ("village") mosque due to its presence in a rural landscape, far from the city, but near to military institutions in the area.[2][7][12] It was popular amongst Bangladeshi and Indian Muslim migrant workers.[13] The mosque was one of the few mosques in Singapore to hold the sacrifice of sheep during the Islamic occasion of Eid al-Adha. The mosque also held funerary services in collaboration with another mosque, Masjid Pusara Aman, also located in Choa Chu Kang.[14] It was among the mosques affected by the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
In 2025, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, announced that Masjid Al-Firdaus would be demolished in 2030 to make way for redevelopments in the area.[9][12][15] It was also announced that a larger mosque along the Forest Drive road would replace Masjid Al-Firdaus. This new mosque is expected to be completed in early 2030 and will adopt the name "Firdaus" to commemorate Masjid Al-Firdaus, which will be already closed down by then.[9][12][15] For now, the mosque will still operate until the new mosque has been completed.[9][12][15]
It is not to be confused with Surau Al-Firdaus, a surau in Kampong Lorong Buangkok that serves as a mosque for the villagers.
Transportation
Bus services 172 and 495 lead to the mosque, and also connect it to Masjid Pusara Aman and the Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery, as well as the Boon Lay neighborhood.[16][17] There are no MRT stations in the immediate vicinity of the mosque, while the nearest MRT station would be Choa Chu Kang on the North–South line, which has a distance of 4.2 kilometres from the mosque.[18]