KL KrashPad - Chow Kit Kita (Part 6)

From Jalan Chow Kit, we went to Masjid Pakistan which is off Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz.

There, we were introduced to Mr. Shah Mohamed, a member of the Masjid Committee.  Mr. Shah is a veteran at the Masjid and is fondly referred to as 'Chacha' which means uncle or more accurately 'father's younger brother'.

     According to Chacha, the original masjid was in High Street (now Jalan Bandar) near the police station.  The current location was offered for the Masjid when the Government acquired the original site for road construction works.  The Masjid was completed in 1963, funded by the Pakistani community here.

The main prayer hall on the ground floor.  Notice the mihrab (prayer niche) and mimbar (pulpit).

     I remember worshiping at the masjid during the early days.  In those days, the main prayer hall was on the first floor.  The ground floor was without walls and used for feasts and other such activities.

The prayer area on the first floor.  The top floors are only opened on Fridays and other occasions like the two Eid's (Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji).

The place for ablution on the first floor which is now the storage tank supplying to the many faucets on the ground floor.

The children interviewing Chacha (holding on to the gate standing, next to Fahmi)...

... and posing for a group photo before we head for our next and final stop.

Additional Information for the reader-
     As the majority of Muslims in Malaysia belong to the Syafie Madzhab (School of Jurisprudence) most masjids here will also be of the same school.  Masjid Pakistan belongs to the Hanafi Madzhab, as does Masjid India.
    Both the Syafie and Hanafi schools belong to Sunni Islam together with the Maliki and Hanbali schools, however, the Maliki and Hanbali schools are not very common locally but one can still meet persons belonging to these schools with the increasing number of Middle Eastern and African communities visiting and residing here.
   While there are differences in the judicial interpretations of the various schools, it is not so apparent in practice, but Syafies visiting Hanafi Masjids do need to be aware of the following:
-    There is no recitation of Doa Kunut during Subuh prayers;
-    The time for Asar prayers commences about 40 minutes later then that for Syafies.
    Other things to note, which is probably due to the culture in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent, and not to differences between the schools is:
-    The Iqamat is usually 20-30 minutes after the Adzan (except for Maghrib);
-    There is no long wirid after the Subuh or Maghrib prayers.

Around the Market Area

If checking out the wet market is not your thing, walk along the surrounding roads of Jalan Haji Hussin, Jalan Raja Bot and Jalan Raja Alang. There's plenty of shops selling household items, dry provisions,food and drinks, and other sundry goods.

The Masjid Pakistan (Pakistani Mosque) is located behind Jalan Haji Hussin.

There are stalls selling many variety of soups (from the usual chicken soup, mutton soup etc. to more exotic kinds) on the way to the Masjid. There is a food stall selling Naan, Chappat, Kebabs and other Pakistani cuisine within the Masjid compound.

There are 2 blocks of residential flats in Jalan Haji Hussin.

Due to the lack of facilities in buildings built before the 1980's, residents hang out their washing to dry in full view of everybody. When you have flats facing each other, the colorful display of clothing can be quite amusing, as if the residents are trying to out-do each other.

The City Villa Hotel was formerly the South East Asia Hotel and was run by a co-operative.

On the ground floor of the hotel was a supermarket, Ko-op Supermarket, also run by a co-operative. Due to its objectives of providing quality goods at competitive prices, the supermarket was very popular with shoppers. However, with the advent of and competition from the large hypermarket and supermarket chains, it lost popularity and finally closed its doors some years back and the place is deserted except of vendors who have set up shop on the five-foot way.

There is a Fire and Rescue Services Station located along Jalan Haji Hussin.

A street vendor has attracted a lot of on-lookers for his ware near the Fire Station.

The vendors attracting the most attention are usually selling some form of aphrodisiac or other. With all the action going on and the chaotic traffic in the area, I sometimes wonder how the Fire Truck will maneuver out in the event of an emergency.

The Sikh Temple Hall on Jalan Raja Bot.

Although the hall is owned and managed by the Temple committee, I've been told that the hall is available for rent to hold other functions such as wedding receptions, irrespective of the persons faith.

The temple on Jalan Raja Alang.

The Regency Kuala Lumpur hotel along Jalan Raja Alang.

Hidden along the shop-houses along Jalan Raja Alang is an old Chinese owned bakery.

It's completly hidden by the fruit stalls and has no sign-board announcing it's presence. You can get our traditional bread here, the one commonly known as roti benggali - the one with the hard crust - perfect to dip into soup. This bakery has been here a long time. I know of it because I used to buy bread dough for my mother when she wanted to make pau. This was in the 1960's, before instant yeast was common.


Bread waiting to be sliced and packed. The operations is all manual.

Bread ready for sale. The 2 loafs are the roti benggali with the top crust already removed. the other one is the usual sandwich loaf.

Looks like we've still in the Chow Kit area, Jalan TAR is going to be a long walk....