The following was based on an interview by Sharifah Zahra Aljunied with the late Sharifah Aishah Alsagoff, founder of the Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS) association (the interviewee passed away in October 2010). PPIS is also known as the Young Women Muslim Association “My father’s name is Syed Abdurrahman bin Taha Alsagoff, but the villagers called him Engku Aman. There is also a lane by the name of Lorong Engku Aman. My father used to reside in a house on that lane, so the villagers simply called that particular lane Lorong Engku Aman. When the Government wanted to give the lane an official name, a cikgu said that people in the olden days called it Lorong Engku Aman. His suggestion was to retain the name as it is. He was actually Nong Chik’s son-in-law and nephew at the same time. His mother’s name is Sharifah Khadijah and she was called Engku Ijah. They called her that because some of her ancestors married the Bugis King’s children in the olden days, [hence the use of the title Engku]. Raja Daeng Tapulira was the King of Bugis. His daughter was Raja Siti. So Sheikh Ahmad bin Abdurrahman [Alsagoff] married Raja Siti, a Bugis princess. They had seven children – six girls and one boy. The boy was Nong Chik, and the girls were Engku Ijah, Engku Maling, Engku Giyang, Engku Echon, Engku Embang. (The interviewee did not mention the name of the sixth daughter) Nong Chik’s real name is actually Muhammad bin Ahmad. People in Bugis say that ‘Nong Chik’ means ‘small prince’. Nong Chik, to me, is a small-sized child. Kecil means small, so ‘Chik’ was derived from that word. All seven of the king’s children were being called Nong, because a member of a Malay family married a princess in the Bugis royal family. But we are not supposed to call them by that term (Nong), as people will think that they are foster children. So Engku Chik is Kecik, Engku ijah is Khadijah, Engku Giyah is Gayah, and Engku Ani is Mahani. Nong Chik had a son named Ahmad bin Ahmad and that is Datuk Sheikh Ahmad Alsagoff. His daughter’s name was Syarifah Zainah. When I was small, I lived in the city [known as the Alsagoff City, around the present Jalan Sultan] with the rest of the Alsagoff descendants. Engku Aman stayed in Geylang with Engku Enon. All the children of Nong Chik lived in that city. There was one big building which had a very big hall. They used to hold banquets there. It’s such a big hall; at the back there was this staircase. There was also another hall for people to gather every Friday night especially for tahlil (a recital ceremony in remembrance of the deceased). During the month of Ramadhan, people would be given a cup of water and some dates before going to pray at the Jawa mosque [the present Hajjah Fatimah Mosque]. After that they will enter the city and have a proper breaking of fast, which consisted of rice and some gravy. We used to call the guard, Jamal Pintu (Malay for door), because he guards the gate. Previously the Hajah Fatimah mosque was called Daeng Fatimah Mosque. Originally, the mosque was made of wood, and Hajah Fatimah herself was among the ones who built it. Sometime after, the mosque was being extended using Tok Habib {the interviewee’s grandfather] and Engku’s money. They fled when Japan’s armies came and invaded the city. Taha bin Alwi was my grandfather from Hadhramaut. He had a business in Singapore, exporting goods from Makkah and bringing them to our country. So he’d be in Singapore for six months, and then board a ship to Makkah to spend another 6 months there. Usually people would start boarding ships to Mekkah during the months of Rejab, Sya’ban, Ramadhan…Zulkaedah and Zulhijjah. Right after the pilgrimage (Haj), they’d return to Singapore. That’s like the peak season when everyone goes off to Makkah. About the setting up of PPIS, the Chinese had an association called the YWCA. Muslims didn’t have one. Puan Chik said that it’s not easy to set up an association and run it. One must be smart and intelligent in order to do so. So I went door-to-door to search for participants. I invited Cikgu Chik, Chik Ati, and I also went to Embak Solo’s house. I explained that this is an association for Muslims, not for Arabs, Malays or just Indians. At one point of time before the association was set up, some people was doubtful about it and asked us where the activities would be held. But I said that I would use my own house [at Palembang Road] and meet twice every month. During the first meet-ups, we appointed members of the committee and delegated jobs. Then we had sessions where we learnt how to cook from Datin Syarifah ‘Alawiyah, for subsequent meeting we conducted sewing or cooking classes, and had talks. The house at Palembang Road [number 7 and 7A] was three storey high, with two doors. Just opposite the house was Madrasah Alsagoff. When you cross the road, there would be Habib’s house, then the mosque… then the Muslim graveyard. Habib allowed me to use the house as long as the association was for women’s only. Then when we had the association house at Haig Road, many new members joined us, like Elia Ma, Puan Nor Aishah, Karimah, isteri Ma’had and the rest.
