Aljunied family
{{Short description|A family of Arab Singaporeans of Yemeni origin}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox tribe
| name = Aljunied family
| local name = الجنيد
| image = File:Tombs at Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka.jpg
| location = Yemen and Singapore
| ethnicity = Hadhrami Arab
| religion = Sunni Islam
| caption = Tombs of the Aljunieds at Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka
}}
The Aljunied family (Arabic: الجنيد) was a Hadhrami family of merchants and traders who migrated to Singapore from Palembang in the 1820s. Setting up their business in Singapore, the Aljunieds also established the oldest surviving mosque in Singapore, the Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka in 1820. The suburban area of Aljunied and its adjoining MRT station is named after them.
History
The Aljunied family were originally a fanily of traders and merchants who hailed from Hadhramaut.{{cite news|title=Arab trader's role in Singapore landmark|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/arab-traders-role-in-singapore-landmark|work=The Straits Times|date=24 September 2015|access-date=5 July 2016}}{{Cite book |last=Buckley |first=C.B. |url=https://archive.org/details/ananecdotalhist00buckgoog |title=An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore: 1819–1867 |date=1902 |publisher=Fraser & Neave Ltd}} They were Sayyids, descended from the Quraysh through the Islamic prophet Muhammad.{{Cite journal |last1=Latifah Abdul Latiff |last2=Mohamad Redzuan Othman |title=Hadhrami sayyids in Malaya, 1819–1940 |url=http://e-journal.um.edu.my/filebank/published_article/6921/Jurnal.Usuluddin.38.2013-07.Latifah.Sayyids.pdf |journal=Jurnal Usuluddin |pages=152 |via=University of Malaya}} Their business was originally based in Palembang, which was under Dutch control at the time. Due to Singapore's status as a free port, the Aljunieds found it profitable and migrated there. The patriarchs of the Aljunieds, Syed Mohammed and Syed Omar, arrived in Singapore between 1820 and 1821. Syed Omar donated land under a waqf scheme for the construction of the Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, which was rebuilt by his son Syed Abdullah in 1855.{{Citation |last=Sharifah Zahra binte Syed Junied Aljunied |title=A Reverent Journey: Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, 1820–2020 and Beyond |date=2022 |work=Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka |editor-last=Abdul Rahman Aljunied |editor-first=Abdullah |place=Singapore |publisher=Opus Editorial Pte. Ltd |isbn=9811483663}}Fern, O.S, "Five of Singapore's Oldest Places of Worship" The Straits Times. 13 March 2014. Syed Omar also donated land to be used as a Muslim burial ground, now known as the Jalan Kubor Cemetery.Nor Afidah Abd Rahman (9 March 2016). "[https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=c6f37686-b57a-46d6-a87f-ccc92dc3a83d]". National Library Board. Retrieved 25 April 2018. The Aljunieds resided in their mansion at High Street until they sold it in 1919, years after Syed Omar had died.{{Cite news |date=3 March 1919 |title=Page 8 advertisments, column 1 |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19190303-1.2.38.1.aspx |work=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser}}
In 1927, Syed Abdul Rahman Aljunied, a former Justice of Peace, established a madrasa (Islamic school) on Victoria Street, known as the Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah.{{Cite news |date=21 April 2000 |title=Sejarah penubuhan madrasah disingkap |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/beritaharian20000421-1.2.39.1 |pages=24}} In 1940, the Aljunieds established a shophouse for textiles and fabric within Arab Street, known as Toko Aljunied, which still is in operation to this day.{{Cite web |title=Toko Aljunied |url=https://www.roots.gov.sg/places/places-landing/Places/landmarks/Kampong-Gelam-Citizen-Engagement/Toko-Aljunied |access-date=28 February 2025 |website=www.roots.gov.sg |language=en}} In 1994, the Aljunieds and Alsagoffs had a dispute in court over the ownership of three shophouses near Jalan Besar MRT station, which was eventually resolved in 2016 with the Alsagoffs winning the dispute in court.{{Cite web |date=7 January 2016 |title=Alsagoff clan wins 3 shop houses from Aljunied family after 22-year battle |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/alsagoff-clan-wins-3-shop-houses-from-aljunied-112747314.html |access-date=2 March 2025 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-SG}}
The early Aljunieds, including Syed Omar, were buried at the Jalan Kubor Cemetery, until their graves were exhumed in the early 2000s to be reinterred in the grounds of the Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka.{{Cite web |title=Memperingati 200 tahun Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka - masjid tertua dan tempat ibadat pertama S'pura |url=https://berita.mediacorp.sg/singapura/memperingati-200-tahun-masjid-omar-kampong-melaka-masjid-tertua-70481 |access-date=28 February 2025 |website=BERITA Mediacorp |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka |url=https://www.roots.gov.sg/places/places-landing/Places/surveyed-sites/Masjid-Omar-Kampong-Melaka |access-date=28 February 2025 |website=www.roots.gov.sg |language=en}}
Legacy
The Aljunied neighbourhood and Aljunied MRT station are named after this family. The oldest mosque they established, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, would be gazetted as a national monument of Singapore by the National Heritage Board in 2001.National Heritage Board (2002), Singapore's 100 Historic Places, Archipelago Press, {{ISBN|981-4068-23-3}} They are mainly remembered for their contributions to colonial early Singapore's economy and society.