How Lailatul Qadr was celebrated in old days

A Temburong resident recalled a story told by his great grandfather about a strange thing which happened to him when he was a young boy. Saip Abas remembered a story about his great grandfather about a time when he went for an early morning swim in one of the rivers in Temburong. He placed his clothes and towel on one of the tree branches overhanging nearby. When he had done his swim, he could not find his clothes and towel.

Then he looked up and saw that the tree branch where he had placed them is now high up. The only explanation he could come up with was that the branch was low early in the morning and now it has risen. The tree was bowing. It was another old tale about strange happenings during the night of Qadr or Lailatul Qadr as it is known in Brunei.

Many remembered that in the old days, strange things are supposed to happen during the night of Qadr. Many tales are regaled about the nights and many beliefs abound.

One in particular was that children should not talk nonsense (cakap capi-capi in Brunei Malay) during the Lailatul Qadr period or otherwise they can turn into whatever it is they spoke about. Hj Awang Daud recalled another tale that was told to him when he was a young boy about this warning. It seemed that one lady was cooing her little child and telling him that, he was her gold (amasku) and lo and behold, he turned into gold.

Where did Bruneians of old got their tales from?

Most likely the old tales were twisted. Lailatul Qadr is a special night in this month of Ramadhan. So valuable is this Night of Qadr that the Al-Quran devotes a special surah to it "Lailatul Qadr is better than a thousand months" [97:3]. This one night surpasses the value of 30,000 nights. The most authentic account of the occurrence of the night indicates that it can occur on any one of the last ten, odd numbered nights of Ramadhan.

The Al-Mighty describes the night as "... peace until the rise of the morn ..." [97:5]. In various sayings, as told by Muslim, Rasullullah (SAW) described the night as serene, tranquil, and peaceful. The sun at sunrise would appear reddish and without its normal blazing and sharp rays. Ubayy (RA) said: "On the morning of the night of Qadr the sun would rise without any beams; (it is like) a wash basin until it rises."

Abu Hurairah (RA) said: "We mentioned the night of Qadr to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and he said: 'Which of you remembers when the moon rises and it is like half a bowl'." [Muslim].

Ibn Abbaas (RA) said that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "The night of Qadr is a night of generosity and happiness, it is not hot and neither is it cold. The sun comes up in its morning weak, reddish." [Tabaranee, Ibn Khuzaimah and Bazzaar].

The Prophet (SAW) added that "the angel of earth on that night of Qadr will be more numerous than all the pebbles of the earth".

In the old days when religious observations and knowledge is not as good as it is today, many created their own versions of what Lailatul Qadr was like. What should have been done during these nights as the hadiths indicated is to follow the examples of Rasullullah (SAW). The Prophet (SAW) made these nights alive with prayers, reading and reflecting on Quran. The long qiyaam prayer has been particularly recommended during the nights on which Lailatul Qadr could fall.

Combined with tales of superstitions and other beliefs, it spawned and mutated into strange observations, beliefs and tales which were passed down the generations.

Hj Bujang Masu'ut reminisced that residents in Seria kept vigil in the 1950s and 1960s by lighting up candles or sometimes their oil lamps standing on poles in front of their house lawns.

The lights were not supposed to go out throughout the night and the candles would exhaust themselves. Everyone is asked to remain awake throughout the nights. A number followed suit and asked to wait up for the night of Qadr without knowing why. All they are told is that the night of Qadr is the most blessed of all nights. Saip Abas remembered another story that he was told when he was a young boy. There was this pengalu (wandering trader) who rowed all the way to Temburong to trade during the fasting month. He was with his wife.

They had to stop somewhere along the way for the night and the wife cooked some rice. When they had completed their dinner, there was some rice left over in the pot. The wife told the husband that the left over rice is like gold, we cannot throw it away. The next morning, when they got up, the left over rice had indeed turned to gold.

One religious teacher even told his students that when you see a white spirit or apparition during the last ten nights of Ramadhan, you must go and hug that figure and pray for whatever it is that you wished for.

It seemed that in the old days, many of these beliefs were twisted from the original intention of staying up for the nights of Qadr.

Many believed too that during the last ten days of Ramadhan, blessings will be everywhere so much so that everything in the kitchen should be opened.

So all the crockery and pots lids and covers would be taken off, even the doors would be flung open and some would even place their songkoks the other way round so that it too can be open to receive whatever blessings that would come during the nights of Qadr.

Some would dress up nicely with perfumes and other scented oil so that they too can receive the blessings of the Lailatul Qadr.

During the day, some would be breaking open young coconuts and spraying the graveyards of their loved ones with the coconut water. Some even placed dry green beans on the graveyards. These were believed to make the graveyards and their occupants feel cooler.

Today all these tales are no longer heard nor practiced. Most people had understood what is meant by the night of Qadr or Lailatul Qadr and what is expected out of them.

The best activities that can be carried out during the last nights of the Ramadhan are praying and reading the holy Al-Quran.

It will be another year before the next Ramadhan comes along. Ramadhan Kareem.

The writer runs a website on Brunei at bruneiresources.com.

The Brunei Times