Historic Mosque in Wani: Witness of Mute Syiar Islam in Central Sulawesi

That afternoon, the sky was bright blue. A typical Central Sulawesi sun sting began to pierce into the skin. I spurred a vehicle into one of the hamlets with a long history of syiar Islam in Central Sulawesi.

The name of the village is Wani. Wani is located in the north of the city of Palu. Wani is located approximately 35 kilometers from the city of Palu. Administratively, Wani entered into Tanantovea District, Donggala District.

Discussing the history of Islamic development in central Sulawesi, it is incomplete if it does not include Wani in it. Wani's presence as one of the central syiar of Islam in Central Sulawesi, marked by the establishment of two mosques that became a silent witness Islamic travel journey in Wani. The two mosques are named Al Mujahidin Mosque, and Al Amin Mosque. The two mosques are still standing strong despite being hundreds of years old.

Al Mujahidin Mosque is located at Jalan Masjid Jami, Dusun Malambora, Wani II Village. According to Imam Masjid Al Mujahidin, Tanwir H. Amboedo, the mosque was built in 1912, through the initiative of a trader as well as a bugis sailor named H. Amboedo. H. Amboedo together with Taganda and H. Lamane is the pioneer of the construction of this mosque.

Mosque with Bugis typical architectural style when built, still with ironwood walls. The mosque has undergone three renovations. The first renovation was done in the 1980s, the second renovation was done in the 1990s, and the third renovation was done in 1996.
The pillars of this mosque amounted to 12 pieces with details of 8 small pillars and 4 large poles. The pole is made of ironwood imported from Singapore. Tanwir recounts that the wood was carried by H. Amboedo, while sailing home from Singapore.

Now, evidence of historical relics of the mosque that has been hundreds of years old lives in the form of poles buffer and dome mosque.

In addition to Al Mujahidin Mosque, there is another mosque in Wani that is hundreds of years old. The mosque is Al Amin Mosque located on Sayyid Agil Street, Dusun Malambora, Wani II Village, Tanantovea District, Donggala District.

The mosque has been designated as one of the cultural heritage sites by the Central Sulawesi Culture and Tourism Agency (now changed to the Department of Education and Culture, and the Department of Tourism and Creative Economy) built in 1906 on the initiative of a woman named Saripa Isa binti Sayd Yahya Al Mahdali. For the sake of building this mosque, Saripa donated his land area of 45x54 meters with a letter of waqf dated December 3, 1906.

Saripa is the grandson of Sayd Agil Al Mahdali, one of the preachers who broadcast Islam in the Wani area. He is from Hadramaut, South Yemen.
Before the arrival of SIS Al Jufri to Palu, there were Arabs who first lived in Wani, among them Sayd Agil Al Mahdali, Ahmad bin Ahmad Al Mahdali, Husein Assegaf, Hasan bin Ali Makarama, and Abdullah bin Hasan Al Husni. They lived in Wani to trade, because at that time (estimated around 1850s) Wani is one of the ports located in the territory of Banawa Kingdom with its own port of Donggala. Arabs live in Wani with the approval of King Banawa. They had a close relationship with the Banawa nobles of the time.

Al-Amin Mosque was originally wood-walled ulin. After the renovation process, the mosque is now concrete walled. The mosque has 8 pillars with 4 main pillars. In the ceiling of the mosque, there are 4 calligraphy in every corner and 1 calligraphy in the center. According to the spokesman for Al Amin Mosque, Thahir Syarief Al Mahdali, 4 main pillars and 4 calligraphy in the corner of the mosque ceiling symbolize 4 companions of the Prophet (Khulafaurrassyidin).

Mosque pillars made of ulin wood imported from Borneo. The roof of the mosque is equipped with ornaments on the ends. The ornament is known to originate from Singapore.

Thahir said that the mosque had been visited by several important figures such as H.O.S. Tjokroaminoto, Buya Hamka, to SIS Al Jufri.

Since its founding in 1906, this mosque has 12 priests. The first Imam is Hanafi Al Mahdali and the current imam is Jaudah Syarief Al Mahdali.

In this mosque, there are some old handwritten Qur'an. Unfortunately the condition has now been damaged by termites. In addition to the mosque, there is the tomb of Saripa Isa bint Sayd Yahya Al Mahdali along with several other tombs of the Al Mahdali family.

The condition of the mosque is currently quite well maintained but there are some damages that appear such as porous walls and wood roofing, ceiling leaks, and broken ceramic floors in some corners. According to Thahir, assistance from the government for the improvement of this mosque is still minimal. Thahir said that his party has proposed improvements to the relevant agencies but until now there has been no response. Practically, at this time, it only relies on the help of the community.

The presence of these two historic mosques is a legacy of identity for the next generation. This legacy must be preserved and preserved so that the next generation will not lose their identity, because those who forget their identity will forget their history.