The Haroon Mosque Caretaker -โต๊ะเซี๊ยะแห่งมัสยิดฮารูณ
Tucked away from the busy Charoen Krung Road in a quiet riverside neighborhood is one of Bangkok's oldest mosques. Originally named after Haroon Bafadel, whose father was an Indonesian-Arab trader from Borneo that migrated to Bangkok in 1837, the mosque later moved further back from its original location along the river to make room for the new Customs House, symbolizing the gateway to Thailand.
Mr. Muhyiddin has been the caretaker of The Harmon Mosque for more than 10 years. He grew up in the area, and his family were some of the first inhabitants of the Muslim community, now buried behind the mosque in the Haroon Cemetery. Mr. Muhyiddin wasn’t particularly religious in his early years; he was actually feared by the community. With a mosaic of clandestine endeavors behind him, he was heading down a vicious circle of guilt and stress. Things had to change. He packed his motorcycle and left for the Alkhoirot Mosque in Kanchanaburi to regain his faith. He would wake up at 4 am to call for prayer (adzan), study the Quran throughout the day, and help the local imam maintain the buildings.
He returned to Bangkok after a couple of years as a new man, and the community then decided to assign him the job as caretaker of the Harron Mosque. Along with the title came a small chamber underneath the mosque where he would now live on his own. One of his latest projects has been painting the exterior of the mosque by adding more gold instead of the original green. He has also made details such as wind chimes, carpets, wooden decorations, and installed a golden lamp he got from a Nepalese friend.
A few meters away from the mosque, his son, Mr. Sulaiman, has established his own barber shop. Though the shop is currently closed since he just got married and is now finding his way in his new life, his proud dad says, "hopefully working on expanding the family." Mr. Muhyiddin hopes to continue his job for many years, and potentially his son will follow in his footsteps, but he acknowledges that it's up to Allah the Almighty.
