MUSLIM SPACE and the

Philippine Islamic
Architecture

Islam was brought to the Philippines by means of

two cultural routes: southeast asia and the lberian
peninsula !hen muslim traders and missionaries
came "ia the nearest Southeast Asian outpost# they
e"entually settled and systematically inroduced a
new culture to our ancestors in the Southern
Philippines

$he earliest e"idence of muslim presence in Sulu#

and possibly of a muslim settlement that can be
found is the tomb of $ahun Ma%balu &Mu%balu' who
died in ()* A+ or ),)*
ISLAM I- $.E P.ILIPPI-ES

$he Islami/ation of Southeast Asia commenced

between the eight h and nineth century# a
period when Arabs were e0tensi"ely trading
with Chinese $hese traders established trading
centers in Southeast Asia as their regular
commercial stopo"ers on their way to China

1ut with the political uphea"al in South China

during the later period of the $2ang +ynasty#
foreign merchants# including the Arabs# were
e0pelled from China

In the interim# these traders established new

economic routes in the ad3acent islands of insular
Southeast Asia As trade became 4rmly entrenched#
the stations of commerce de"eloped in guaranteed
the permanent into ports and business hubs

Soon after# the Arab traders forged economic

relations among the wealthy nati"e population
Marriage with the rich nati"es and local headmen
guaranteed the permanent consolidation of their
business partnership# often ta5ing the daughter of
the local chief who himself con"erted to Islam

In these trade centers# the need for Muslim education

was soon felt Muslim teachers and missionaries were
also among the 4rst transmitters of Islamic religion
$hey came from the Arab region# such as 1aghdad

+uring the last %uarter of the thirteenth century# if not

earlier# a muslim community in Sulu already e0isted
.istorically# the introduction and di6usion of Islam in
the Philippines is attributed to $uan Masha2i5a and later
to 7arim ul8Mah5dum# the leading 4gures in the
Islami/ation of Sulu# who came to mentor the children
of the rich merchants of Sulu and assimilate all the
people in the area to the message of Allah

Some scholars argued# howe"er # that the

indigenous population themsel"es were simply and
spontaneously attracted to Islam because of the
beautiful rituals# stories# and art Moreo"er# the
feeling of belonging to a larger community# to a
group of e%ual people# the brotherhood of Islam#
con"inced the nati"es to the path of con"ersion

Many nati"e practices sur"i"e# and people found

ways to combine islamic religion with their local
beliefs# tradition and practices that led to the
de"elpment of fol58islamic traditions

Communities which resonded fa"orly to the ways

of islam were gathered together under the
Mos%ue# the locus of communal spirituality Islam
accultured the people to a no"el way of life !ith
it came the alliance of economic and social
in9uences into political power and authority

In Sulu# the oldest mos%ue is in $ubig# Indangan#

Simunul Islands $he original mos%ue# built in the
fourteenth century# is attributed to 7arim ul8
Mah5dum It has been reconstructed many times

In Maguindanao# most of the tarsalis8 written

genealogical accounts interwo"en withoral
traditions or fol5lore8 impartan impression that
the wor5 of con"ersion was mainly the
singular wor5 of Sharif Muhammad
7abungsuwan around ):): it is asserted that
the process of religious con"ersion in these
areas was a result of the institution of a
system of political alliances and plural
marriages on the part of 7abungsuwan after
he had been able to install himself as the ruler
of Maguindanao

Maranao traditions cite the arri"al of Sharif

Alawi to what is now 5nown as Misamis
riental !ritten and oral lore also tell of the
spread of Alawi2s teaching in Lanao and
1u5idnon 1y all accounts# Islam was brought
to La5e Lanao by the +atus who were
con"erted to the faith by means of marriage
and alliances with Muslim Iranuns and
Maguindanao +atus# predominantly with the
former

$he Islamic tradition found fa"orable

reception from the -ati"es of the Sulu
archipelago# 1asilan# Palawan# and Mindanao8
predominantly the Samal# 1ad3ao#tausug#
;ama Mapun# <a5an# Maranao# Iranon And
Maguindanao $hey wholeheartedly embraced
the new culture and integrated into their ow
traditional wa of life $he wisdom deri"ed from
the 7oran became the "orte0 of their belief
system

!ith the coloni/ation of the Philippines by

Spain beginning in the si0teenth century
came the in9u0 of Mude3ur culture to the
archipelago 1efore the ascendancy of
=erdinand and Isabella to the Spanish throne#
parts of Spain were under Islamic reign

Islamic in9uence is predominant in the

Southern regions of Spain where Moorish
leaders once built their palace
Philippine Muslim Concept of
Space

As one religio8cultural group bound together by

Islam and common historical e0perience# the
Philippine Muslim belong to a larger Islamic and
Southeast Asian grouping In the Southern
Philippines there is no boundary that separates
Mindanao and Sulu from Celebes and 1orneo# and
from the rest of the islamic cosmos for they all
a>liated under the uni"ersal ummah and
incorporated into the global religious community
called darul Islam $he ummah# therefore# trancends
long ?established tribal boundaries to create a
degree of political unity among the Muslm =aithfuls

Philippine Muslims constitute some thirteen

ethnolinguistic communities $he ma3or
groups include the $ausug of Sulu# Samal of
$awi8$awi# <a5an of 1asilan# Maranao of Lanao
Pro"inces# and the Maguindanao of Cotabato
regio !ith such plurality of ethnoliguistic
roots from which Islamic tradition was grafted
upon# =ilipino Muslim o"er history ha"e "aried
widely in their cultural li"es through they
share certain practices dependent on space

Islamic theology a6ects all aspects of Muslim life

Muslim2s submission of their will to Allah ideally
reappropriates space and reorgani/es temporality Salat
&formal prayer' re%uires space both physically and
mentally =asting m5es demand s of mental and spiritual
space# while altering temporality $he ha33 demands its
space and time In salat # for instance# boundaries are
formed when the prayer space is isolated e"en in a plain
prayer rug $he calling of adhan &the summon for an
obligatory prayer' and the i%amah &to stand up for a
prayer' signals mo"ement from one reality to another as
the Muslim stand before Allah In salat# the indi"idual
merges with the global ummah in a time for @odthat is
distinct and boundless

Muslim scholar Abraham Sa5ili maintains that

Islamic architecture is entangled with Islamic
space# and the understanding of the Muslim
concept and use of such apace should be
probed in relation to the fundamental Islamic
doctrine of $awhid $he $awhid is further
elaborated through the articulation of Islamic
Cosmology and "iew of Man as 7halifa or Aice8
regent of @od in this world $he correlation of
these three principles# he substantiates# has a
profound and dirct bearing on the Islamic
concept and use of space on Muslim
Architecture

$he $awhid means BUnity of AllahC It is the single most

important doctrine of Islam# which at the basic semantic le"el
means monotheism $he Islamic $awhid# as an all8go"erning
concept# considers e"erything in relation and in unity with
@od Muslim aesthetics and architectural ornamentation ha"e
always been the pursuit of geometri/ation and
denaturali/ation of form to di"ert one2s imagination away
from human nature and direct the thoughts toward the
contemplation of the di"ine Islam instructs its belie"ers that
no material things should be considered sacred $hus# there
is a widespread use of calligraphic inscription# lifted from the
"erse of 7oran# as ornament on Muslim structure in order to
shift human consciousness from the material world to the
realm of spirituality

A Muslim belie"es that the 7oran is the

precise and literal words of AllahD thus#
inscriptions must be inscribed in Arabic# the
language of +i"ine re"elation $he choice of
7oranic "erses may be dictated by a building2s
function =or instance# thefollowing "erse is
most commonly inscribed on mos%ue
doorways:

Bthe mos%ues of allah shall be "isited

and maintained by such as those who
belie"e in Allah and the Last +ay#
establish regular prayers# and
practice regular charity# and fearnone
&at all' e0cept Allah It is they who are
e0pected to be on true guidanceC ?
7oran E:)F

A designer# therefore# who applies Islamic

calligraphy# "egetal reliefs# or geometric
patterns in intertwining and continuous
patterns to architecture yearn for# abo"e all#
the creation of a "isual pattern that will
deli"er the wie"er to an instincti"e perception
of di"ine trancendence $he basic structural
components of the mos%ue are concealed
through an elaborate but in4nitely repeating
geometric patterns# for the architecture of the
mos%ue encloses a space considered sacred
by belie"ers

Muslim architects attempt to craft an

en"ironment in which the transient and
temporal characters of material things are
emphasi/ed and within which the sparseness
and "acuity of the architectural container is
bestowed with prominence Surface
decoration# therefore# reduces the importance
of structural elements by redirecting the
attention away from natural materials to the
abstract denaturali/ed ornamentation of
buildings $he percipience of space leads one
to re9ect on the di"ine

Intertwined with $awhid is the Muslim "iew of

the uni"erse $he Islamic cosmos is based on
the Emphasis upon @od as the Uni%ue origin
of all things or beings on the hierarchy of
e0istence who are all dependent upon .im
$he Muslim "iews the cosmos or the whole of
nature in all its dimensions not as a
phenomenon di"orced from the real world# but
as signs of @od Islamic cosmology ran5s @od
at the top and# at the same# recogni/es .is
encompassing presence in e"ery dimension in
the Muslim BhierarchyC of creation

$he di"ersity of space in the Islamic uni"erse is

aligned and polari/ed by means of a foccal point in
Mecca# which is the 7aGaba# a s%uare building inside
the great mos%ue in Mecca containing a holy 1lac5
Stone said to ha"e been gi"en by @od to man $he
7aGaba is the most sacred architecture of Islam It is
the liturgical a0is with which the mihrab of e"ery
mos%ue is aligned E"ery Muslim turns towards its
direction to pray Muslim pay high re"erence to the
7aGaba not as an ob3ect of worship but as a point of
con"ergence where the spiritual and material life of
the Muslims comes into contact

$he 7aaba is a cuboid8shape structure which

is made ofgranite%uarried from nearby hills
Standing upon a I:*cm &EFin'marblebase
that pro3ects outwards about ,:cm &)Jin'
K)L
It is appro0imately ),)m &J,ft' high# with
sides measuring ))*,m &,MIft' by )IFMm
&JIIft'
KMLK(L
Inside the 7aaba# the 9oor is
made of marble and limestone $he interior
walls are clad with marble halfway to the roof
$he marble is inset with NurGanic inscriptions

$he wall directly ad3acent to the entrance of

the 7aaba has si0 tablets inlaid with
inscriptions $he top part of the walls are
co"ered with a green cloth embroidered with
gold NurGanic "erses Careta5ers anoint the
marble cladding with scented oil used on the
1lac5 Stoneoutside $hree pillars stand inside
the 7aaba# with a small altar set between one
and the other twoLamp8li5e ob3ects &possible
cruciblecensers' hang by a rope abo"e the
platform An enclosed staircase leads to the
roof

$he spot on which the 7aGaba is constructed is

belie"ed to be the 4rst part of the world to be
created It is the a0is mundi of the Muslim
cosmos 1eing the location at which
communication between celestial and
terrestrial realms is possible $he harmony#
dimension# stability# and symmetry of the
7aGaba are design principles that inspire and
guide Muslim designers and builders all o"er
the Islamic world

Al-ajaru l-Aswad# Othe1lac5 StoneO# is located in the 7aabaGs eastern

corner Its northern corner is 5nown as theRuknu l-rq# Othe Ira%i
cornerO# its western as theRuknu sh-Shm# Othe Le"antine cornerO#
and its southern asRuknu l-YamanOthe <emeni cornerO
K)LK(L
$he four
corners of the 7aaba roughly point toward the fourcardinal directions
of thecompass
K)L
Its ma3or &long' a0is is aligned with the rising of the
starCanopustoward which its southern wall is directed# while its minor
a0is &its east8west facades' roughly align with the sunrise of
summer solsticeand the sunset ofwinter solstice
KFLKEL

$he entrance is a door set I),m &(ft' abo"e the ground on the north8
eastern wall of the 7aaba# which acts as the faPade
K)L
In )E(E the
,**5g gold doors made by chief artistAhmad bin Ibrahim 1adr#
replaced the old sil"er doors made by his father# Ibrahim 1adr in )EJI
K)*L
$here is a wooden staircase on wheels# usually stored in the
mos%ue between the arch8shaped gate of 1anQ Shaybah and the
Ram/am !ell

Meezab-i Rahmat# rainwater spout made of gold Added in

the rebuilding of )MI( after the pre"ious yearGs rain caused
three of the four walls to collapse

@utter# added in )MI( to protect the foundation from

groundwater

Hatim# a low wall originally part of the 7aaba It is a semi8

circular wall opposite# but not connected to# the north8west
wall of the 7aaba 5nown as thehatm $his is E*cm &,:in'
in height and ):m &JEft' in width# and is composed of
white marble At one time the space lying between
thehatmand the 7aaba belonged to the 7aaba itself# and
for this reason it is not entered during thetawa Some
belie"e that the gra"es of Ismail and his mother.agar
K)L
are
located in this space

Al-Multazam# the part of the wall between the 1lac5

Stone and the entry door

!he Stati"n " Abraham# a glass and metal

enclosure with what is said to be an imprint of
AbrahamGs foot Abraham is said to ha"e stood on
this stone during the construction of the upper parts
of the 7aaba# raising Ismail on his shoulders for the
uppermost parts
K))L

Corner of the 1lac5 Stone &East'

Corner of<emen&South8!est' Pilgrims traditionally

ac5nowledge a large "ertical stone that forms this
corner

Corner ofSyria&-orth8!est'

Corner ofIra%&-orth8East' $his inside corner# behind

a curtain# contains the#abut !aubah$+oor of
Sepentance# which leads to a staircase to the roof

7iswa# the embroidered co"ering 7iswa is a blac5 sil5

and gold curtain which is replaced annually during the
.a33 pilgrimage
K)ILK),L
$wo8thirds of the way up is a
band of gold8embroidered Nuranic te0t# including the
Shahada# the Islamic declaration of faith

Marble stripe mar5ing the beginning and end of each

circumperambulation

!he stati"n "&abriel

K)JL

At the core of Islamic law stand the =i"e Pillars in

Arabic# it literally means BCTS-ESSC' $his does not
e%uate to an architecture of faith that is pentagonal#
for the pillars are con4gured in a pattern of a
%uincun0 &an arrangement of 4"e ob3ects in s%uare#
with four at the corners and one in the center' $he
4rst pillar S.A.A+A &the profession of faith that
begins with the "erse B there is no @od but Allah and
Muhammad id the prophet of AllahC' is the center to
which the remaining four are peripheral: SALA$
&prayer'D SI<AM &fasting'D RA7A$ &charity ta0'# and
.A;; &pilgrimage' $he pillars which ha"e an
architectural implication are the salat and ha33
$he Mos%ue and the A0is of
Prayer

$hrough worship# the congregation of faithful

becomes one with @od in a sublime state of
humility and re"erence# best attained in the
mos%ue# which in its Arabic e%ui"alent# mas3id#
literary translates to a Bplace of prostrationC $he
function is clearly established in Sura IJ# Aya ,M:
Bin house which Allah has permitted to be e0alted
and that .is name may be remembered in them#
there glorify .im there in the mornings and the
e"eningsC &7oran IJ:,M'

Architecturally# the Mos%ue2s basic shape is

deri"ed from early Christian churches# with
their important entry courtyards# and from
Middle Eastern courtyard houses# possibly
because the prophet Muhammad# Arab
founder of the Islamic faith# addressed his
4rst followers in thw courtyard of his house

At the outset of its inception # the mos%ue

structure consisted only of a courtyard
bordered by a wall# patterened after
Muhammad2s house in Medina# Saudi Arabia#
which consisted of a courtyard surrounded by
a bric5wall of li"ing rooms and a latrine $his
courtyard was the place where the early
Muslims congregated for their daily prayers

$he 4rst embryonic mos%ue# characteri/ed by

an open %uadrangular court# soon de"eloped
into a building comple0 e%uipped with a
number of functional and decorati"e elements
and incorporating spatial arrangements
uni%ue from components and buildings of
earlier religions

$he mos%ue can be de4ned as a building

erected o"er an in"isible a0is $his a0is is the
principal determinant of the mos%ue design
$he muslim uni"erse is distributed li5e a
centrifugal wheel with Mecca as the hub# with
lines drawn from all mos%ues in the world
forming the spindle $hese lines con"erge on
the city of Mecca and the centerpoint is the
7a2aba Mecca# the birthplace of Muhammad#
is Islam2s saced city ang the goal of the
pilgrimage $he 7a2aba# a hollow cube of
stone# many times rebuilt# is the a0is mundi of
the Islamic cosmology

Prayer# the second pillar# can be construed as

the use of the hori/ontal a0is by which one
relates to the "ertical a0is as represented by
the 7aGaba $he Mos%ue becomes grounded
around a single hori/ontal a0is#the 5ibla #
which tra"ersesin"isibly down the middle of
the 9oor and# issuing from the far wal#
terminates e"entually in Mecca $he
orientation of the edi4ce along the 5ibla is in
compliance with the regulation ro"ided by
Sura I Ayah )J:# which states that:

Band now we will turn you indeed

towards a Nibla which shall please
you So turn your face Kin prayer L
toward the Sancti4ed Mos%ue# and ye
Ko muslimsL whereso"er ye 4nd
yoursel"es# turn your faces Kli5ewiseL
toward itC &7oran I:)J:'

$rimmed to its essentials# the mos%ue# therefore# is

no more than a wall at right angles to the 5ibla
a0is At the point where the 5ibla a0is intersects
with the wall an indentation is produced# a
directional ninche called the mihrap# which is a
liturgical a0is made "isible $he mihrab is the "isual
and liturgical clima0 of the mos%ue It is in relation
to the 5ibla a0is that the principal liturgical
furniture is distributed and arranged $he imam# as
the leader of mos%ue prayer # stands 3ust within the
niche $o the right of mihrab stands thw mimbar a
raised pulpit where the imam deli"ers his sermon

$he minaret# the dome# and the ablution area

comprise the e0ternal features of the mos%ue
$he mue//in# a mos%ue o>cial# summons
Muslims to prayer from a minaret 4"e times a
day $he dome is a cosmic symbol in almost
e"ery religious tradition In islam# it
represents the "ault of hea"en in the same
way that a garden pre4gures Paradise

=ormal prayer in Islam consists of repeated

se%uences of standing# bowing# prostration#
genu9ection Islamic prayer is not only a
mental and "erbal act but also a physical one
in"ol"ing the entire being

Prayer is established at four le"els: the

indi"idual# the congregation# the total
population of a town# and the entire Muslim
world

$he Architecture of the Philippine

Mos%ue

$he 7oran contains no special or speci4c

instruction for the architectural form of its
worship space =ilipino Muslim architects are
free to interpret these basic re%uirements in
accordance with their own pree0isting ideas
$hey ha"e no e0act indigenous e%ui"alent
from which to pattern the mos%ue $he
mos%ue is a totally new building type $he
physical feature of early Philippine mos%ues
ha"e been ascertained through the
amalgamation of Islamic and Indigenous
notions about the form which sacred
architecture should assume