KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — History on Abdullah Hukum who opened up Kampung Sungai Putih, currently known as Kampung Abdullah Hukum in Bangsar here, continues to be preserved and his 100-year-old house now proudly stands at KL Eco City, here.

Abdullah Hukum’s grandaughter, Normadiah Mahmud, 59, was glad a mosque named after his grandfather, ‘Masjid Jamek Abdullah Hukum’ has been built on the land that belonged to his family, now transformed into commercial and residential area.

She said this was among the conditions requested to SP Setia, the developer of the project who bought the ancestral land.

"At that time, I have asked the former Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Seri Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin. He was the one who helped me in maintaining the name of Abdullah Hukum.

"Alhamdulillah, my intention has been fulfilled. We did not look at the money, what important was that our heirs, grandchildren could see the name of Abdullah Hukum maintained and standing stately. The memory will always be with us,” he told Bernama, here today.

Abdullah Hukum was one of the pioneers involved in the development of Kuala Lumpur in the 1880s. He was also responsible for opening up areas such as Pudu-Bukit Bintang and also Sungai Putih area which is now known as Bangsar.

He was also a Kuala Lumpur community leader who was appointed by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Abdul Samad with the title of Tuk Dagang Dianjuk.

Normadiah, who is the youngest of five siblings, said the mosque and the used of her grandfather’s name could more or less leave the family and the heirs of the famous national figure a memory to remember.

The Masjid Jamek Abdullah Hukum is the one-of-its-kind two-storey mosque in the federal capital built on top of a parking lot and can accommodate more than 3,000 worshipers at one time.        

Meanwhile the restoration project of the Abdullah Hukum ancestral home was jointly agreed by SP Setia and Kuala Lumpur City Hall to ensure that the new generation would get a glimpse of the history of the area as the house would be made an icon in the area.

Abdullah Hukum or Muhammad Rukun came from Sumatra and was of Kerinchi descent.

He migrated to Malaya with his father in 1850 when he was only 15 years old, and had been living in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor until his death.

He died at the age of 108 in 1943, and left behind 18 children Beside the mosque, a LRT station in Bangsar was also named after him.