Masjid Al-Ikhlas Lingkungan Sukaraja Perluasan

Within the rapidly growing city of Mataram on the western coast of the Indonesian island of Lombok, Masjid Al Ikhlas serves the residents of the Sukaraja Perluasan neighbourhood with daily prayers, weekly Friday gatherings and a full programme of community learning. Lombok itself has a distinctive Islamic heritage shaped by the indigenous Sasak people whose conversion to Islam took place during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries through missionary work by Sunan Prapen of Giri and other Javanese preachers. The island is sometimes called the island of a thousand mosques, reflecting the Sasak devotion to building houses of prayer in every hamlet, and Mataram as the provincial capital concentrates hundreds of neighbourhood masajid.

The name Al Ikhlas refers to the short but luminous Quranic chapter affirming the absolute oneness of God, a text recited daily by every Muslim and beloved for its directness. The building is a modest modern structure in pale yellow concrete and white trim, topped by a single green painted dome and a slender minaret rising above the neighbourhood rooflines. Ablution pavilions at the side offer taps arranged along a low marble bench shaded by a tin roof, and a paved forecourt provides space for overflow worshippers on Fridays.

Inside, the main prayer hall is a square room floored with ceramic tile overlaid by pale green carpets, and ceiling fans circulate the warm tropical air. The mihrab is finished in white tile with a calligraphic inscription of Surat al Ikhlas itself, and a wooden minbar of jati wood stands beside it, carved in the characteristic Sasak style with gentle floral arabesques. Tall arched windows glazed in light blue admit the island sun and the sound of cicadas from the surrounding gardens. A separate women's section to the rear is accessed from a side entrance.

The congregation includes Sasak families who have lived in Sukaraja Perluasan for generations, newer arrivals from other parts of Lombok and a growing contingent of Javanese and Balinese Muslims who have relocated for work in the tourism and construction sectors. Friday sermons are delivered in Indonesian with occasional Sasak passages for the older members. Children's Quran classes run every evening after maghrib under the guidance of a local ustadz, and a monthly tafsir circle for adults meets on Sundays. During Ramadan the forecourt hosts a communal iftar with rice packets, sate, sayur urap and the distinctive Lombok kelor soup. Travellers arriving in Mataram on their way to the southern beaches or the Rinjani volcano are welcomed here with warm smiles and sweet iced rose syrup during the cool evening hour.