The early Tamil immigrants first established the Masjid Al-Abrar in 1827 with a makeshift thatched hut that they used for worship until it was replaced by a brick building between 1850 and 1855. An 1856 painting by Percy Carpenter, entitled "Telok Ayer Street as seen from Mount Wallich", features an early visual record of the brick mosque. In 1829, the of the mosque was granted a 999-year lease for the land on which the mosque stood. The lease was held in trust by Hadjee Puckery Mohamed Khatib. In 1910, five new trustees were appointed. They were K. Mohamed Eusope, Thambyappa Rarooter, S. Kanisah Maricayar, V.M. Kader Bux and J. Sultan Abdul Kader. The trustees were responsible for all three Chulia mosques: Masjid Al-Abrar, Masjid Jamae and Nagore Durgha.