Soko Wali Mosque

Soko Wali Mosque

This Mosque is one of the religious tourism destinations in Nongkosawit village after being designated as a tourist village. The building is not maintained and is not enabled for worship. It is said that this Mosque was founded by Sheikh Hasan Munadi. The Mosque was considered evidence of the first entrance of Islamic religion in Nongkosawit village. According to Suyono, the elders of the village, Mosques were built during the process of Islamization. Supported by Soko Papat (four pillars), this Mosque is now a part of the heritage of the village together with Beduk[1] Sidogori and bendhe[2].

Mbah Parmin, another village elder, believes that the Mosque of Soko Wali is about 700 years old, older than the great Mosque of Demak. Based on said story, after Sheikh Hasan Munadi built a Mosque that located now in RW[3] 1, along with his beduk. According to Warsono, after the beduk was no longer used, the Shaykh moved it to the present district called Randusari. This is where Nurul Huda Mosque is located in RW 2 and becomes the oldest Mosque in Gunungpati district. While Soko Wali Mosque is abandoned, Nurul Huda Mosque is increasingly crowded.

As for the version of Mbah Parmin, after the departure of Sheikh Hasan Munadi and built Soko Wali Mosque, came a wali[4] named Den Bagus Mukmin who move the Mosque. To move the Mosque, Den Bagus communicate and ask permission first. This becomes a condition when someone will renovate or destroy the Mosque. They obliged to ask for permission to the current descendants of Shaykh Hasan Munadi and ask permission to the descendants of Kings of Demak. After the death of Sheikh Hasan’s, it was said that the people of Nongkosawit returned to the old habits, only a small part of the people solemnly worship as Islam. This is the main reason why the Mosque moved.

The third version about the Mosque which is currently trusted by the community of Nongkosawit, the Mosque that moved from RW 1 was established around 1892 by K.H. Muhammad Hadi Giri Kusumo who originated from Giri Kusumo area. The story evidenced by the placing of the first stone by K.H. Muhammad Hadi Giri Kusumo in Nurul Huda Mosque. The Mosque has undergone restoration and renovation in almost all parts. Now the first evidence of the Mosque was Beduk Sidogori and Mustaqa from the previous Mosque.

Although it is not used, the remaining buildings of Soko Wali Mosque can still be found. The damage is almost 50%. But we still can see the four saka and a roof that has nine tundagan (motif like stairs on the roof of the Mosque). Currently the Mosque is owned by the ninth generation, namely Mbah Sukari. Strange events arose when the family of Sukari and his descendants would renovate or dismantle the Mosque. For example, when the Mosque is about to be renovate, the worker on the roof part has possessed. And then, when the daughter of Sukari accidentally hammered one of the Saka in the Saka Mosque, she suddenly sick for a few days until healed by a shaman.

According to Parmin, events that have occurred in the Mosque is because the Mosque is a relic of the wali or the word of wali. So the people can not just do something on the building as they want. According to Parmin, in the Mosque of Saka Wali, there are still various heirlooms such as keris, spears, swords, and so on. Previously, the Mosque was also handed over to tourism and cultural services as a heritage site. But it seems that the “change of status” did not make the Mosque even better.

[1] Beduk is a kind huge drum used among the Moslems in Java.

[2] Bendhe is a kind little gong used by the residents since long time ago to call the villagers to gather for a festival or when the king or any royal emissary came to the village.

[3] RW is an abbreviation of Rukun Warga, an administrative division under Kelurahan (village), in the formation of local community’s service. Rukun Warga is further divided into Rukun Tetangga, the lowest administration division in Indonesia.

[4] Wali is an Arabic word, means literally “friend of God”.