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Malang Posco Media, Jember – Jami’ Al Baitul Amien Mosque, located in the heart of Jember Regency, East Java, has a different shape and architecture from Muslim places of worship in general. The mosque has become an icon of community pride and at a glance its shape resembles the MPR DPR RI building in Jakarta.

As reported by Antara, there is no official record of the foundation date of the mosque, but the Dutch government document only states that the mosque building stood on clean land verpodating the number 981 dated from December 19, 1894 with an area of ​​2,760 square meters. .

A note belonging to the takmir stated that the mosque located around Jember Square had been renovated once in 1939 and then renewed again in 1973.

The building of the mosque is unique because it has seven circular couplings which describe the extent of human needs without being limited by certain angles and the description of these needs is contained in the form of a dome which covers almost the entire body of the building .

The choice of a round shape as the philosophical basis of the construction stems from the realization that this shape influences all religions and traditions.

The mosque has seven domes as a symbol of the power of Allah SWT who created seven layers of sky and seven layers of earth, then inside the main dome there are 17 pillars which remind of the date of independence, to namely 17th August 1945 and the symbol of Nuzulul Quran on 17th Ramadan.

Upon entering the main prayer hall, you will see a Carara marble floor from Italy, also considered ancient marble as it is known to have been used in ancient Rome.

Another interesting part is the mihrab and the pulpit which consist of three arches as a symbol of the three elements of religion i.e. faith, Islam and ihsan. In the arc of the mihrab, Al Mukarom KH Achmad Shiddiq gave a fatwa to write the verses of the Quran Surah Thaha verse 14.

The Deputy Secretary of the Jami Al Baitul Amien Mosque Foundation, Dr. Zainal Anshari, said that the architecture of the new mosque which has a round dome like the DPR MPR building is from Canada, so it does not resemble the forms mosques in general in the Middle East. .

The mosque was designed by non-Muslim architect Yaying K. Kesser, an alumnus of University of California, USA. The mosque was constructed as a building similar to the MPR DPR RI building in Jakarta and a domed mosque with a tower.

According to him, the old Jami Al Baitul Amien Mosque was built with the concept of civilization of the archipelago, Europe and the Middle East, while the new Jami Mosque which resembles the MPR DPR building is from the modern civilization because the architect is European.

The mosque foundation and trustees also try to keep the iconic building of the mosque unchanged when there are damages or leaks in several places by repairing it without changing the shape of the building.

If there is a leak, the custodian of the mosque tries to repair it without dismantling the roof or the permanent building as his efforts to maintain and maintain the authenticity of the mosque building are maintained.

Since 2022, the color of the Jami’ Al Baitul Amien Mosque in the center of the city has changed to predominantly white and golden yellow, whereas previously it was predominantly green.

The renovations include changing the paint color of the dome, mosque gates, mosque courtyard floors, gates and mosque grounds.

With the uniqueness and icon of Al Baitul Amien Mosque, it is hoped that many devotees will come to worship, even during Ramadan there will never be a lack of congregational visitation including night prayer activities Or qiamul garlic in the last 10 days of Ramadan 1444 H.

Participation in society

Apart from being the center of worship for the Muslim community of Jember, the mosque is also a historical landscape not only because of its antiquity, but also because there is a history of people’s participation.

Quoted from the book People’s Representatives of Jember Regency Tempo Doeloe and Now, Soewarno Soetopamekas, while he was Chairman of the Regional Council of People’s Representatives (DPRD) Gotong Royong Jember 1958-1960, took the initiative to renovate the mosque with a bottle.

“Thank you Soewarno, from today we will build a mosque with bottles. He asked everyone who had a bottle of soy sauce to collect it. He was the one who sold the bottles and the product went to the construction of the mosque.

The people of Jember eventually accepted Soewarno’s invitation and they brought used bottles to the town square and the proceeds from the sale of the bottles could be used to renovate the mosque.

The popular participation movement was repeated again during the reign of Jember Regent Abdul Hadi in 1973-1978. At that time, the government of Jember Regency was building a new mosque on the north side opposite the old mosque, on Jalan Raya Sultan Agung.

Building a new mosque certainly requires a large sum of money, so people came back to participate by donating 11,000 tons of unhusked rice and raising IDR 518 million. The new mosque was then inaugurated on May 3, 1976.

Currently, worship takes place in the new mosque which resembles the DPR MPR building, while the old mosque, a legacy of the Dutch colonial era, is used for educational activities or schools run by the Al Baitul Amien Foundation.

While East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa during her stop at Jember also had the opportunity to perform Tarawih prayer on Saturday evening (08/04/2023) and walk around to enjoy the beautiful architecture of the Jami Al Baitul Amien Mosque which is attached in white and gold colors.

Khofifah admires the architecture of the Jami’ Jember Mosque as it is a symbol of the history of people’s struggle and the center of worship unity of all Muslims.

The former Minister of Social Affairs acknowledged that the existence of Jami’ Al Baitul Amien Mosque is proof that religious activities are always a priority for the people of Jember as it is known as a religious city.

Although it has been around for a long time, its influence and significance is very important to the surrounding community, so Jami’ Baitul Amien Mosque has become a place that unites the people of Jember City.

(ntr/jon)