Raya visit to Belait interior
Good gesture: Guest of Honour, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Rahman Haji Mohiddin (2nd L) shares a few words with one of Kampung Sukang's residents upon his arrival to the LongHouse. Picture: Dewi Mohd Sofri
Friday, October 19, 2007
MUSLIMS living in Kampung Melilas and Kampung Sukang — located in the interior of the Belait District — received a Hari Raya visit from around 30 staff members from the Islamic Da'wah Centre yesterday.
The annual Hari Raya Aidil Fitri visit is looked forward to by both the civil servants and the village residents, as it has been a long-standing tradition for over two decades.
Present as the guest of honour was the permanent secretary of Religious Affairs, Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Mohiddin.
The travelling party, which consisted of officers, staff and the press, took three helicopters from the Rimba Airforce Base.
The first stop was the longhouse at Kg Melilas, where the guest of honour and his entourage were warmly greeted by the Muslim families there.
An assortment of furniture was pooled together from all the homes and arranged outside in a common area to accommodate the guests and visitors.
The families joined forces as they welcomed everyone and served them cool drinks as well as an assortment of cakes, biscuits and sweets.
A recitation of the Surah Al-Fatihah was read by the resident religious officer, Ustaz Shahrin Abdul Halim.
This was followed by welcoming remarks from the acting penghulu of Mukim Melilas, Pehin Haji Mohd Ali Abdullah Itam and the presentation of a souvenir to the guest of honour.
The hosts and guests mingled freely, exchanging news from different corners of the country while enjoying the buffet spread prepared especially for the occasion.
The officers and staff from the centre were not strangers and were welcomed as extended family members as they have regularly come to visit, the most recent one was during the Ramadhan where they held a mass tarawikh and tadarus after breaking the day's fast together with the Muslim members of the longhouse families.
Before leaving for the next venue, a doa selamat was held to bless the event followed by a group photo session. The group took another helicopter ride to reach the neighbouring Kg Sukang, as the flooded roads rendered it inaccessible.
There, the entourage were whisked off to the longhouse in four wheel drive vehicles. The village gathered at the longhouse welcomed them warmly into the decorated common room.
Similar to the previous village, a Surah Al-Fatihah was also recited to begin the event.
The welcoming remark was made by Cikgu Mohd Noh, the brother of the village penghulu, Datu Maharaja Setia Muhammad Simpok Datu Maharaja Setia Dian, who was not able to join the openhouse. He had met with a minor accident earlier during the day and was at the Suri Seri Begawan Hospital receiving treatment when the event took place.
Nevertheless, it did not dampen the festive mood of the residents who were told to enjoy themselves regardless. There was a souvenir presentation to the guest of honour before the visitors, joined by pilots from the Royal Brunei Air Force, were invited to enjoy a lunch buffet together with the residents.
The hearty meal was accompanied by live music as residents entertained their guests with their skills on the traditional gulintangan instrument.
Twenty-year-old Dk Bibi Nurzaitun Pg Hj Ali Hussin was there to visit her grandmother, a Kg Sukang resident, for the Aidil Fitri celebration.
"I came here on the fourth day of Hari Raya and am staying here for the week," said Dk Bibi, who enjoys the natural atmosphere of the village.
According to her, spending the festivities in the village is different as one can "feel it more" and experience how the older generations were used to celebrating the occasion.
At the present time, 80 per cent of the Kg Melilas residents have converted to Islam.
The Brunei Times
The annual Hari Raya Aidil Fitri visit is looked forward to by both the civil servants and the village residents, as it has been a long-standing tradition for over two decades.
Present as the guest of honour was the permanent secretary of Religious Affairs, Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Mohiddin.
The travelling party, which consisted of officers, staff and the press, took three helicopters from the Rimba Airforce Base.
The first stop was the longhouse at Kg Melilas, where the guest of honour and his entourage were warmly greeted by the Muslim families there.
An assortment of furniture was pooled together from all the homes and arranged outside in a common area to accommodate the guests and visitors.
The families joined forces as they welcomed everyone and served them cool drinks as well as an assortment of cakes, biscuits and sweets.
A recitation of the Surah Al-Fatihah was read by the resident religious officer, Ustaz Shahrin Abdul Halim.
This was followed by welcoming remarks from the acting penghulu of Mukim Melilas, Pehin Haji Mohd Ali Abdullah Itam and the presentation of a souvenir to the guest of honour.
The hosts and guests mingled freely, exchanging news from different corners of the country while enjoying the buffet spread prepared especially for the occasion.
The officers and staff from the centre were not strangers and were welcomed as extended family members as they have regularly come to visit, the most recent one was during the Ramadhan where they held a mass tarawikh and tadarus after breaking the day's fast together with the Muslim members of the longhouse families.
Before leaving for the next venue, a doa selamat was held to bless the event followed by a group photo session. The group took another helicopter ride to reach the neighbouring Kg Sukang, as the flooded roads rendered it inaccessible.
There, the entourage were whisked off to the longhouse in four wheel drive vehicles. The village gathered at the longhouse welcomed them warmly into the decorated common room.
Similar to the previous village, a Surah Al-Fatihah was also recited to begin the event.
The welcoming remark was made by Cikgu Mohd Noh, the brother of the village penghulu, Datu Maharaja Setia Muhammad Simpok Datu Maharaja Setia Dian, who was not able to join the openhouse. He had met with a minor accident earlier during the day and was at the Suri Seri Begawan Hospital receiving treatment when the event took place.
Nevertheless, it did not dampen the festive mood of the residents who were told to enjoy themselves regardless. There was a souvenir presentation to the guest of honour before the visitors, joined by pilots from the Royal Brunei Air Force, were invited to enjoy a lunch buffet together with the residents.
The hearty meal was accompanied by live music as residents entertained their guests with their skills on the traditional gulintangan instrument.
Twenty-year-old Dk Bibi Nurzaitun Pg Hj Ali Hussin was there to visit her grandmother, a Kg Sukang resident, for the Aidil Fitri celebration.
"I came here on the fourth day of Hari Raya and am staying here for the week," said Dk Bibi, who enjoys the natural atmosphere of the village.
According to her, spending the festivities in the village is different as one can "feel it more" and experience how the older generations were used to celebrating the occasion.
At the present time, 80 per cent of the Kg Melilas residents have converted to Islam.
The Brunei Times
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