Masjid Al-Taqua
Masjid Al-Taqua is a mosque located along Jalan Bilal in Bedok, Singapore. It was first inaugurated in 1986, although it had already been established years before that on a waqf land.
Etymology
The mosque's name, Al-Taqua, derived from the Arabic word taqwā which appears more than a hundred times in the Qur'an. It can be directly translated as "God-fearing piety." According to the Muslim scholar Ibn Kathir, taqwā is protecting oneself from sinning through the dangerous journeys of life, so that one can successfully complete said journeys unscathed by sin. Additionally, taqwā is a very important concept in Sufism, divided into three parts: full trust in God with respect to what has not been granted; full satisfaction with what has been granted; and full patience with respect to what has eluded.History
The date of construction of the mosque is unknown and is dated to before 1932. Masjid Al-Taqua, built on waqf land, was one of two mosques in the former Bedok village that were frequented by villagers for the Friday prayers until the other mosque, Masjid Bedok Laut, was demolished after 1984 to make way for the redevelopments in the Bedok area. Due to its perceived historic importance and the fact that it was the only mosque in the southern section of Bedok at the time, Masjid Al-Taqua was spared and was instead earmarked for renovations and upgrading works. By 1964, the mosque was rebuilt, losing its appearance as a former surau. It was also officially inaugurated into the registry of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura by the Mufti, Syed Isa Semait, in 1986.The mosque was closed in 2006 for a major reconstruction, subsequently being reopened a year later on 1 September 2007. Aside from expansion of the main prayer hall, the mosque had been completely rebuilt into a modern architectural style, while retaining some of its older village house features.