Merdeka Special - Jalan Sungai Pinang

‘Romance’ of Maqbul mosque

It’s about 150 years old and was said to have been built by Bugis pirates.

Even better, it is believed that prayers or requests are very often fulfilled or maqbul when the faithful pray in the tiny, unpretentious mosque.

Located at a T-junction, Masjid Maqbul remains pretty much unchanged over the years, although its surroundings have changed.

Today, progress in the form of new buildings threatens to swallow up the little mosque.

Local folklore has it that a Japanese soldier stole a big ikan kaloi from the mosque compound (this was during the Japanese Occupation) but his car crashed as he drove away. The fish was then returned to the mosque. Ah, the stuff of legends.