This delayed posting of the third place I visited this year would probably be the last one for quite a while. In the current global Covid-19 pandemic, local travel has been severely restricted. It is not clear when the lockdown would end but I guess it is better to remain at home rather than risk being infected and also spread the disease.
Our visit to the
Masjid Raja Haji Fisabilillah at Cyberjaya, Selangor was made on 8 March 2020, ten days before the Malaysian government imposed the first Movement Control Order (MCO). We made the stop at the mosque on our way back to Johor Bahru after attending a friend's wedding reception at Shah Alam the day before. The mosque itself is nothing historical. It is of modern design, in line with most other buildings within the technocrat setting of the Cyberjaya township. My interest lies with the person the mosque is named after.
Raja Haji Fisabillah Ibni Opu Daeng Chelak (1727 - 1784) was a warrior of Bugis royal lineage. He was the younger brother of Raja Lumu who later became Sultan Salehuddin Shah, the first sultan of Selangor. Raja Haji was well-known for his bravery in fighting the Dutch colonialists. He was killed during a raid against the Dutch at Teluk Ketapang in Melaka. He was initially buried in Melaka but his remains were claimed by his descendants and re-buried at Pulau Penyengat near the city of Tanjung Pinang on Bintan Island in Riau, Indonesia.
I browsed Google Maps in search of the tomb (
makam) of Raja Haji and was surprised to note that the cemetery at Pulau Penyengat is well-maintained and attracts many visitors and historians. The Indonesian government has also recognized the late warrior's achievement and awarded him with a posthumous title. In terms of straight-line measurement, the distance between the mosque at Cyberjaya and the tomb at Pulau Penyengat is only about 400km. Of course in seafaring terms, such a distance is quite amazing, considering the time period of those days.
If the Almighty permits, I would like to make a trip to Tanjung Pinang one day. As history has shown, the people of Selangor, Johor and Riau are closely related and were once the same nation.
 |
| Masjid Raja Haji Fisabilillah. Visited 8 March 2020 |
 |
| Side view |
 |
| Interior of prayer hall |
 |
| Commemorative plaque about its official opening |
 |
| Open and bright hallway |
 |
| Rear view |
 |
| Google Earth image showing locations of mosque and tomb (click on picture to enlarge) |
