Mosque Layout Design Criteria in Malaysia
Edelin Hussein1*, Siti Nur Nadhirah Rani2
1 Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor
2 Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, Seri Iskandar Campus, Perak
*Corresponding Author: edeli507@uitm.edu.my Accepted: 15 February 2023 | Published: 1 March 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.55057/ajress.2023.5.1.8
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Abstract: Mosque is an important place for all Muslims around the world as it is a place to perform religious activities. However, the design layout of some mosques nowadays is not suitable for some user mostly in the rural area where most of the user is older. This is due to lack of any standards and guidelines, mosques are being designed and built as per personal wisdom of the architects, financiers and individuals or groups responsible for its execution.
Hence, this paper has identified the mosque layout design criteria is in according to the guideline, standard and requirement of a mosque via observation checklist. The data in this research are collected using observation checklist according to the guideline, and requirement of a mosque and two mosques are involved in this research which located in Perak Tengah District. The result from this research shows that the mosques has followed the requirement but there were a few regulations that were not properly enforced and planned by the mosques which would affect the satisfaction level of user toward the mosque layout design. These findings could help all parties involved in building a mosque to properly plan the mosque design layout to avoid the occurrence of poor design.
Keywords: mosque, design layout, criteria, guidelines
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1. Introduction
Mosque is an important place for the Muslim to perform religious activities and a place for social gathering (Abdullah, Yusof, Kamarussin, & Rasam, 2013). Mosque has always been the most important and respected building for the Muslims. Throughout Muslim history, the mosque has undergone a long and complex development involving the interrelation between its functions and its architecture. Many mosques are designed under the influence of some aspect, such as the traditions, viewpoint of superiors and the architect's own inspiration for building a new place of sanctity. To have a good and amazing mosque in Malaysia is depending on the architects in carrying out a good design practice. It is because the existing mosque in Malaysia has different layout by following its concept, requirement, guideline, scale and additionally feature. Accessibility is important to be provided for all Muslim regardless of ability to pray at Masjid comfortably and safe (Rahim & Samad, 2014). Therefore, it is important for the architect to designing the mosque following the concept "design for all" so all kinds of people can easily use it.
1.1 Problem Statement
Mosques are a place for every Islamic society and are primarily a place where spiritual and social connections among Muslims are expressed and established. Users who are usually come
to the mosque are mostly elder people especially in rural area and they deserved a comfortable and easy place to perform their prayer. However, design criteria of some mosques are not suitable for some user especially elderly which they mostly intend to spend their life by worshiping at the mosque, but it will give them difficulties just to go to the prayer hall. Malik, Mujahid, and Jamil (2019) stated, due to lack of any standards and guidelines, mosques are being designed and built as per personal wisdom of the architects, financiers, decision-makers, and individuals or groups responsible for its execution. It has been generally observed that there are many flaws everywhere in term of plot orientation, placement of different functions of mosque, planning layout, etc.
Moreover, people with disabilities also have the right to enter and using services or building that open for public such as mosque. There are 5,300 mosques built in Malaysia as of November 2017 and the number is increasing as the years pass, but the accessibility of amenities for the PWDs is still a major problem (Rusli & Mydin, 2018). The requirement and the needs for the PWDs are not fulfil by most of mosque in Malaysia. it can be stated that there is poor design, week enforcement and lack of awareness among the stakeholder, local authority, and designer of the mosque regarding the disabled facilities (Shobri, Zakaria, & Salleh, 2018).
1.2 Aim
The research aims are to improve users’ satisfaction towards the future mosque layout design criteria in Malaysia.
1.3 Research Objective
To identify the mosque layout design criteria according to the guideline, standard and requirement of a mosque.
2. Literature Review
2.1 Mosque in Malaysia
In general, a mosque is a place, any house, or an open area for Muslim to perform their prayer.
Abdullah, Yusof, Kamaruddin, and Rasam, (2013) stated, some of the mosque in Malaysia provided space for learning activities to allow it to function as an education sector. Baharudin, and Ismail (2015) stated that mosque is an important religious structure that symbolizes the Islamic faith as well as to serve the multi needs of Islamic community. Besides the main religious activity centre, the mosque also places for teaching, learning Al-Quran, Hadith and Sunnah for various ages and gender. Mosque in Malaysia encouraged all Muslims to come and participate in the mosque activity that conducted by the mosque because it can strengthen the relation between the community. Widely in Malaysia today, many main Mosque has opened their door into organizing public events such as religious talks and seminars, weddings receptions and solemnization events that requires the public’ participation (Rahim & Samad, 2018).
2.2 Common Issue from Mosque Layout
According to Kalaici and Celik (2014), design specialist and art historians naturally perceive mosques from their professional and/or academic point of view that usually does not consider public opinion or user response to buildings. The architect of mosque today is too carried away by glorious external look hypo style of mosque and forgets about the aim of mosque which is for the users because they too focus on external features or look of mosque. The issue that commonly comes from the mosque layout is the unsuitable design layout, inappropriate location and distance, inadequate size and narrow space of ablution area and no facilities for
PWDs. The lack of access creates physical barriers that burden the Person with Disabilities (PwDs), the temporary ambulant disabled and the elderly (Rahim & Samad, 2014). Primary attention should be given on the mosque’s internal components instead of its external features as most religious activities are held inside of building. The design of monumental mosque often causing mudharat and psychological distance between the mosque and the communities, because the mosque was attended with their prominence, but they were so alienated from the surrounding environment (Maslucha, 2012).
2.3 Design Guideline for Mosque
In Malaysia, to construct a mosque in the neighborhood is based on the Guideline for Planning Mosque and Surau. Sarkawi, Rashid, Othman, and Sharif (2016) stated that as far as Malaysia concern, there is a guideline in the provision of masjid, musalla and worship places issued by the Department of Town and Country Planning, Peninsula Malaysia under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government namely Planning Guideline for Masjid and Surau which stated the regulation on the suitable location to construct mosque and there also guideline produced by the Department of Standards Malaysia which MS 2577Architecture and Asset Management of mosque. However, those standards should be read together with other codes of practice such as MS 2015-1, Public toilet, MS 1184, Universal design, and accessibility in the built environment, UBBL Selangor Rev2012, etc, which related to build a mosque. However, available guidelines in Malaysia such as the JPBD and MS 2577:2014 merely described technical and planning requirement with gender addressed only in its location.
3. Methodology
This research is using quantitative method and purposive sampling. The population for this study is the users of the mosque from Perak Tengah District because they tend to come to the mosque, and they will know the problem that affects their satisfaction toward the mosque. From every mosque in Perak District, there is two multi-storey mosques that have been selected as case study by using purposive sampling which is in Seri Iskandar and Kampung Gajah. The mosques that have been identified as multi-storey were Sultan Yussuf Izuddin Shah Mosque from Seri Iskandar and Bandar Baru Seberang Perak Felcra Mosque from Kampung Gajah.
According to Robinson (2014) as cited in Gamber, Greenwood, Prior, Shearer, Walkem, Young, Bywaters and Walke (2020), the reasons for adopting a purposive strategy assume that, given the aims and objectives of the study, specific kinds of people may hold different and important views about the ideas and issues at question and therefore need to be included in the sample.
This research would be conducted in these two mosques to identify if the mosque layout design criteria according to the guideline, standard and requirement of a mosque. Direct observation is used to achieve the objective which is to identify either the mosque layout design criteria are according to the guideline, standard and requirement of a mosque. The observation for this research is directed by using the observation checklist which the checklist was adopted from the UBBL and others guideline, standard and requirement got from the literature review.
4. Discussion
The result of observation on the Sultan Yussuf Izuddin Shah Mosque and Bandar Baru Seberang Perak Felcra Mosque have succeeded in fulfilling the layout design criteria according to the guideline, standard and requirement however there are still some aspects of the layout
design are not meet the guidelines. The result is shown in the table below, noted that A is Sultan Yussuf Izudin Shah Mosque, B is Bandar Baru Seberang Perak Felcra Mosque.
Table 1: Location of Mosque
Location of Mosque A B
1 Location of mosque located near residential area / /
2 Distance from residing area by walking not more than 250 to 300m X X
3 Mosques have good accessibility to the users / /
Both mosques are in a strategic area which are surrounded by facilities, housing institutions and government department. The mosques are also easily accessible as they are located close to the road. However, the distance between the mosque and the residential area is more than 250m to 350m by walking. These two mosques give excellent accessibility, with huge entrances and lots of parking space. The mosque also has parking for people with disabilities.
Table 2: Ablution Area
Ablution Area A B
1 The ablution area is inside the clean zone X /
2 Appropriate distance between ablution area and the praying area X /
3 Separate ablution area for male and female / /
4 Closed ablution space for women / /
5 Ablution platforms in mosque are user-friendly and ergonomic / /
6 Provide ablution facilities for disabled people X X
Seberang Perak Mosque and Seri Iskandar Mosque has a spacious ablution area. However, the ablution place of Seri Iskandar Mosque is not in the clean zone which requires users to wear shoes to perform ablution as stated in Table 2. The ablution and prayer area for Seri Iskandar Mosque are not located nearby which will give difficulties to users, especially the disabled people. Both mosques provide user-friendly and ergonomic ablution areas that are easily accessible to users but facilities for the disabled are not provided in the ablution area.
Table 3: Toilet Area
Toilet A B
1 Located in strategic location X X
2 Toilet distance from the prayer hall placed nearby X X
3 Easily access by the users including PWDs X X
4 Separate toilet for male and female / /
5 Provide toilet facilities for PWDs X X
Based on Table 3, the placement of the toilets for the two mosques is not located in a strategic area because its position is far from the place of prayer. However, Seri Iskandar Mosque toilet has good access where users can enter it easily, including the disabled, but vice versa with the Seberang Perak Mosque. Both toilets do not provide facilities for people with disabilities to use toilets unless they have provided ramps for wheelchairs.
Table 4: Prayer Area
Prayer Hall A B
1 Designed and located in strategic location / X
2 Easily access by the users including PWDs X X
3 The adequacy and size of prayer hall / /
4 Separation between gender / /
5 Adequate space for women prayer area / /
6 Good light and air ventilation / /
7 Universal design considering people with disabilities / X
Based on Table 4, the prayer area at Seri Iskandar Mosque is designed and located in strategic location as all kind of users can get access to it including PWD if the user gets off at the upstairs car park. Prayer area of Seberang Perak Mosque is located on the first floor and there are no facilities for the disabled to access it. It can also be difficult for older people to get there because they must climb the stairs. Both of mosque have adequate size of prayer hall and have separation between men and women area.
Table 5: Staircase Area
Staircase A B
1 The riser is 180mm width maximum / /
2 The thread is 225mm minimum / X
3 The flight not more than 16 rises / /
4 The handrail height is from 825mm to 900mm measure from stair nosing / /
All staircase at Seri Iskandar Mosque follows the rules provided by UBBL. Staircase for Seberang Perak Mosque are also following the guidelines by UBBL such as riser and handrail but there are guidelines that are not practiced such as, all the stairs in the mosque do not follow the guidelines of the stair thread which is the width does not reach 225mm minimum.
Table 6: Signage
Signage A B
1 Signage is installed at proper location (Main entrance, Prayer Hall, Toilet, Ablution area, etc)
/ /
2 Clearly shows the direction and information / /
3 Signage is equipped with braille instruction X X
From Table 6, both mosques provide signage in strategic locations where everyone is aware of it such as main entrance, prayer hall, toilet ablution area and so on. All directions and information are clearly indicated on the signage and users can find the place easily, but they do not provide signage equipped with braille instructions.
5. Conclusion
In a nutshell, Sultan Yussuf Izuddin Shah Seri Iskandar Mosque and Bandar Baru Seberang Perak Felcra Mosque has followed the guideline, standard and requirement of a mosque. Even so, there were a few regulations that were not properly enforced by both mosques. This study found that designers should always plan the layout of the mosque based on the users and local authorities including policymakers need to enforce the policy regarding the design layout of the mosque especially design towards PWD as it will surely make users feel satisfied with the design layout criteria of the mosque.
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