1/9/10 A SMALL THOUGHT OF THE MALAYS AND LAILATUL KADAR....

Ramadhan and even the eve of Aid Fitri this year would be very much different from all those days that I have normal gone through. When both my kids were small, and as I could foresee, they won’t be able to comprehend the tough life that I have gone through at their age, occasionally and sort of compulsory during the nearing Aid Fitri days, I would drive them to Kg. Gersik to Bintawa. My idea was to expose them to real tough lives of the Malays in their quest for lives. These Kampongs, Gersik to Bintawa sort of representing poor, medium and modern living of the Malays within their traditional perspective. Redeveloping of these Villages into the future longer strenght of these Villages in fact, I tried to initiated in the late 1980s through the KPLB (now KKLW) which when I have chace to chat with Chiw Jew Bui (Datu) in his room just overlooking the Villages, these Villages always form part of our discussion.

(2) After taking them to those Villages, I would then drive them to BDC and Tabuan Jaya. These are much well organized, educated, mixed culture societies. All these are to enable me to communicate and implant into their mind and heart the need for them to synthesize the live of the Malays, and who knows, Insha’Allah they would be able to contribute better for the good of their societies and State. This year, I spent most of my Ramadhan in MyKampung. Not because I'm abondoning Gersik-Bintawa, which in fact now the Rejuvenating Plan of these Villages is on our Drawing Board; I just want to make peace with MyKampungLife!

(3) Tonight, after my breakfast with some friends in Kuching, I drove back to MyKampung. All the ways from UiTM junction to MyKampung, streets and villages were lighted no more by kerosene lamps, but proper electrified facilities. Light of better lives had struck them well!

(4) On the far horizon in the sky, the twinkling stars took my memory to the far past, though my mind also need to focus to the wheel. The night was cool after the good down pour late this evening. This one and half hours drive, about 10-15 years ago, cost our folks at Nonok (now Asajaya) and Pendam (Sadong Jaya) at least 6-12 hours to travel down to Kuching. We either took the motor launch, express, or even speed boat to get to Kuching. Mobility was strictly depending on tide.

(5) About five to ten years ago, the livelihood of the local folks was very much depending on the sale of copra, banana, fishing and others crops. Life was in fact still very tough despite the road has been well built.

(6) These couple of days, I have been running up and down of Pendam-Muara Tuang (Kota Samarahan) Road. I began to noticed, the people here have changed their livelihood from all those traditional earning to a much enterprising culture. Oil palm fruits were piling along the road ready for pick up to the mills. Fresh and peeled matured coconuts being traded though in hap hazard stalls along the road. Same goes for all sorts of vegetables, water melon, rock melon, honey dew, all sorts of bananas, yam, cassava, etc.

(7) Fish mongers mushrooming on the road side in front of the Kampongs. I wonder, in fact are those fish really the catch of the locals or supplied from Kuching. Checking around, in fact, there has been not much fishing boat around. Most of the so called fishermen had gone for optional retirement. Nonetheless, I admire their fast learning of the trick of the business!

(8) Tonight, feeling guilty for longing has not been posting an article for the loyal followers of MyBloq, upon reaching MyKampungHome, I just try my luck to log on the internet. Indeed I was surprised to be able to get a Four Bars Celcom Broadband Service at this once a place of nowhere just like Timbuktu (now Timbuktu is a place where the Muslim must work hard to preserve and uncover, I hope one day I could write on such a noble place but had been ‘look down and down played’ by the West!). The sound of the frogs in my pond, the ‘whistling of the artificial swallows’, the nice whispering of the crickets, and many others insects, plus of course the mosquitoes, accompanied by nice instrumentals of Tranquility of Jawa and Free as a Bird by Omar, came to my mind to give my perspective of Lailatul Kadar.

(9) Most Malay Muslims believe that Lailatul Kadar is a night; one would be bestowed with great luck (rahmat). But, as I see it, this is an old and simple teaching for the Malays to have great respect of Ramadhan especially the last seven nights before the Aid Fitri. Just like small kids or even the dolphins, or even the Chimpanzees, it is the best way to get them to learn fast to give them some rewards. Thus, in those days, I believe to encourage the ‘just’ Islamized Malays, the best way to have their great respect over Ramadhan is to promise them ‘special reward’ by Allah on those last seven nights.

(10) Of course, Ramadhan has been classified as the most holy month of Islam, for those who really observed the Terms and Conditions (T&C) for being a holy Muslim, would definitely be greatly honored by Allah. Those T&C are tough to comply. One need to be really patience (sabar), committed (patuh), focus (khusuk) and purified (bersih) in order to be bestowed with such great luck. Unfortunately, most Muslim (Malays) are committed and focussed to be a 'holy' person for the last seven days of Ramadhan!

(11) If one recalls, a Muslim should realize in those olden days, what were those that had been happening during the month of Ramadhan. Since Prophet Adam to Muhammad, Allah in fact had bestowed them with knowledge. From the day of the creation of Adam, Allah had told the Angels and the Satans that Adam and all his decedents would be the leader on earth. As a leader, definitely they must have knowledge (and skills). Allah taught Adam some knowledge, that enable him to be better than the angels and satans, and surely we would be wondering, what sort of knowledge did Allah impart on to Adam?

(12) Did Allah teach Adam all those subjects such as Chemistry, Physic, Biology, Medical, Engineering, Economic, Commerce, Legal, Accounting, Finance, Military, Martial Arts, Musics, Painting, Management, even hunting and gardening and all sorts, to make him a knowledgeable person? I would believe Allah did not. What I would guest, the creation of Adam himself was totally different from the creation of the angels (from the wind) and satans (from fire). Adam was created from the mud, a solid substance. With such a creation, Adam (human) was developed to the perfect creation that Allah want. Thus, Adam had everything that angels and satans didn’t have, and most particularly the brain!

(13) With the brain, Adam has the ability to think (and want) and thereon to develop (interpret)the knowledge and skills that would enable him to survive and rule the world!

(14) Thus, in Ramadhan, one of the key instructions was for the Muslim to read the Quran. The Quran is the knowledge that Allah had transcended through Holy Ghost (Gibrael) to Muhammad for the good of the Muslim (and humankind). With the brain, that the Muslim (human being) inherited since Adam, they are suppose to read, research, analyze and comprehend the meaning of all those verses in the Quran, and thus to apply all those knowledge for the good of Ummah (and mankind). If such could be applied, surely the Muslim (human being) would be the real leader of this world.

(15) Did Allah not challenge the Muslim openly in the Quran: “….did you not think….”, and the “…best and only mukjizat (miracle) that He bestowed onto Muhammad was the Quran…the perfect Adeen (Way of Life: Civilization and Culture), the source of knowledge”. If we the Muslim (Malays), could seriously rethink on our perspective of Lailatul Kadar along the need to recaptured the true and truth of the knowledge in the Quran, I would believe, ‘Lailatul Kadar’ would always be around.

(16) I do hope, my driving and the tranquil (cool, calm and bright sky) kampong life that I’m enjoying tonight, with a little bit of thinking, I could give a different perspective of Lailatul Kadar! I also do hope, pray, (and feel hurt), if the British, had named us as the Malays, just because we were Malas to think! Malays, Mala(y)s! Melayu, malas you thus becoming Mala(y)s!

Terasi, Pendam, Simunjan
7 Sept., 2010