Mawlid Parade

12 Rabi’ul Awwal, the day our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) was born, is a national holiday in Malaysia as it is in every muslim country on earth except one. In the city of Kuching, Sarawak, to where I had just moved from America, there was to be a large parade that morning as there is every year. It was held at the Padang Merdeka or Independence Square, the parade ground in the heart of Kuching’s historic district. Padang Merdeka is ringed by huge spreading shade trees that are reminiscent of our American Elms. A stage had been erected to allow government ministers to speak to the crowds.

My son and I arrived too early, and so we had to stand for a good deal of speechifying from the assembled dignitaries. Although politicians’ speeches are much the same the world over, it was nonetheless impressive to see them gather at such an occasion to praise Allah’s Praised One. Not catching much of the speech, we wandered through the crowd. All the contingents preparing to march stood with their banners and decorations. Many were splendidly dressed in loud colorful matching uniforms of pinks, reds, blues, and greens. Many gentlemen were wearing songkit, a fancy sarong woven with gold or silver threads that is worn over Baju Melayu on formal occasions. So many different patterns were on display! My son caught sight of a neighborhood friend and was soon weaving in and out of the colorful throngs, giving chase to his friends.

The day started to drizzle as the speeches ended and the various contingents from the public schools, villages, neighborhood mosques and government offices began to march. Soon the air was filled with sounds of praise for RasulAllah. The gathering gloom of rainclouds was enlivened by the colorful uniforms, and the nasheed and salawat sung out accompanied by kompang. The kompang is a hand drum about the size of a tambourine. It is always played as a group, with one half playing half the rhythm, the other half, the other. The full rhythm is heard as one when played well in unison. The love and devotion of the crowd was evident as they marched on, singing and drumming even as the rains thickened. Although our city is not a big one, I had the distinct feeling while standing there that, just as in salat, I was joining together with our muslim brothers and sisters around the world to please Allah (swt). Does not Allah (swt) say, “Verily, Allah and His angels are sending prayers upon the Prophet; O you who believe, send prayers upon him and blessings of peace.”

Soon it began to pour, and, stowing my camera, my son and I dashed back to our parking garage. From the top level of the garage, we could see that the paraders had stuck to their route despite the downpour, and we soon heard them approaching the end of the route far below.

Following the parade, many people would retire back to more private gatherings in people’s homes, where the evening would be spent commemorating Prophet Muhammad’s life through recitation of the Mawlid Diba’i or the Mawlid Barzanji, interspersed with nasheed. We carry love for the Prophet, the Best of Creation, in our hearts throughout the year. How fitting it is to gather together and reaffirm our love publicly at every possible opportunity, not least on the blessed day of his birth!

“Khayral barriyah, nathrah illayah/

Ma anta illa kanzul attiyah”

[Revised and Updated, 17/2/2007]

Better than Hip-Hop

A little while ago, the Malaysian Music Awards were on TV. At the moment I tuned in, the winners for the Rap category were being introduced. Pop Shuvit, they call themselves. I cringed to see these jokers come on stage with their pants sagging, jewerly blinging and hair done up in cornrolls. They rap in Malay, which is sort of cool, but I couldn’t get past the horribly derivative image to even bother to listen. If I’m being unfair to the Malaysian rap scene, you can set me straight.

dikir-barat-2-jpg
Pic from Halimah @ Glogster [http://www.glogster.com/halimah/myglogster]
However! There is a true Malaysian rap form that is as sincere and engaging as the KL homies are phony and dull. And that is the music called Dikir Barat. Dikir Barat is performed by groups with one lead rapper and a raucous gang that calls out the chorus, keeps the beat, and rocks and sways to the music. The lyrics are extemporaneous when performed at weddings or similar events, though at a televised competition I saw, it was much more rehearsed. Like with rap, the lyrics are key, and the style and flow of the lead MC are important. The MC is called the tukang karut, an inelegant translation of which would be “master liar”. But as has been pointed out to me, karut can also mean to versify or rhyme extemporaneously, in which case tukang karut would be more like a storyteller or even rhymemaster. The Tukang Karut stands, and often struts and gesticulates as he raps. The crew sit crosslegged, and perform the most lively dancing I’ve ever seen from people sitting down. The movements are synchronized, but the crew will shout and yell across the rap as they feel the urge. The music is all percussion, from hand claps to drums to gongs. The beats are lively and loud during the chorus, but often fall away during the rap. The beats aren’t hyper-syncopated like hip-hop, but have definite funk to them. There are downloads and a few translations here, courtesy of Fire and Hemlocke, or you can search for dikir barat on YouTube.

Other informational sources for dikir barat:

www. Dikir Barat .com

Kelantan Royal Net

Dikir Barat Page

Dikir Barat in Singapore

Rabbani Does Dikir Barat

On the subject of dikir barat, the excellent nasheed group Rabbani has a song that is done with a dikir barat flavor, called Ingat 5 Sebelum 5, “Remember 5 Before 5”. You can find it on Kazaa if you are outside of Malaysia. I thought I’d try my hand at translating the lyrics this afternoon, since it is something I can do while rocking my 2-month old in her buaian. I didn’t try too hard to make the translation poetic, just reasonably close to the meaning. Corrections or critiques are most welcome.

Ingat 5 Sebelum 5

Duhai teman dan tuan-puan — O dear friends, sirs and ladies
Mari kita berpesan-pesanan — Come let us take advice together
Baik lelaki juga perempuan — Come boys and girls
Duduk di kampung atau di pekan — Whether in the village or the market
Zaman in zaman kemajuan — This time is a time of prosperity
Kebendaan menjadi ukuran — Material wealth has become the measure [for which]
Hidup saling bersaingan — Life has become a competition between us
Jika lalai tinggal sendirian — And the one who is uninterested is left behind aloneNabi junjungan pernah berpesan — The Holy Prophet once advised us
Agar hidup ada pegangan — So that this life may be grasped
Semak selalu jangan lupakan — Always pay heed, don’t forget
Agar tak susah di hari kemudian — So that there is no difficulty on the Day to come

Kena diingat lima perkara — We must be mindful of five things
Sebelum tiba lima perkara — Before five things occur
Aaa… aaa… — Aaa… aaa…
Semoga hidup aman bahagia — For life to filled with peace and joy

Waktu lapang buatlah amalan — In time of leisure, do good works
Sebelum sibuk pelbagai urusan — Before you become busy with your various affairs
Isilah dengan amal kebajikan — Fill it with good deeds
Menuntut ilmu dan baca Al-Quran — Seek knowledge and read the Quran

Waktu senang beringatlah — In time of ease, act prudently
Sebelum tiba waktunya susah — Before difficulties arise
Jika datang ancaman musibah — If great disaster arrives
Mampu bersedia selesai masalah — You will be capable to solve the problem

Bila sihat jagalah badan — In time of health, look after your body
Sebelum derita sakit tak keruan — Before heavy suffering and pain
Kawallah makan untuk kesihatan — Guard your food for health
Ringan ibadah nak dikerjakan — It will lighten the effort of worship

Jika kaya bermurah hati — If you are rich, be generous
Dapat pahala menolong orang — You will get the reward of helping others
Aaa… aaa… — Aaa… aaa…
Jikalau miskin apa pun tak ada — And if you are poor, and have nothing at all

Waktu kita hidup di dunia — Our time in this worldly life
Sediakan bekalan sebelum mati — Is to prepare our provisions before we die
Walaupun susah banyak halangan — Even though it may be fraught with much difficulty
Tabah dan sabar Allah kan sayang — Be steady and persevere, Allah will love you

Ingat-ingat kita semua — Take care, O we all
Jangan mudah sombong diri — Don’t fill your self with pride so easily
Insafilah pesanan ini — Realize that this advice
Untuk kita suluh diri — Is for us to illuminate our selves

Semoga lembut hati kita — In order that we may soften our hearts
Untuk taat dan berbakti — For obedience and devotion
Dari Allah kita datang — From Allah we have come
Kepada Allah kita kembali — And unto Allah we shall return

Strange Fruit, pt.3: Salak

I came back from my latest foray in the night market with a small bag of Buah Salak. These fruits are about the size and shape of a ripe fig. They are covered in a shiny, scaly peel that resembles snakeskin or armadillo hide. Inside, the flesh is firm, dry and crunchy, kind of like an unripe pear. As for the flavor, my report will have to wait till next time. You see, I got took. The whole half-kilo bag was unripe. I should’ve known I was about to be duped when I asked the innocent-looking 12-year-old running the stall how to tell a ripe salak from an unripe one. “These are all good,” he tells me. Yeah, right. There was enough hint of sweetness and flavor to make me definitely try again, but this batch was inedible. Kelat, they say in Malay: that woody, bitter aftertaste left on the roof of your mouth.

I wasn’t too happy with how the pictures came out, but I found some better ones. This site has artsy pictures of popular Balinese fruits, including the Salak. For you horts, this site has growing requirements and tips, as well as good pictures. This site has a lot of information, in bad english, about the Salak and the commercial Salak trade, which is big business in Bali. Finally, for the botanists: Salak is Salacca zalacca, formerly Salacca edulis. [Aside: You know, botanical names are supposed to provide a standard reliable name for describing plants, but I swear they change faster than common names. I can think of six or seven common Michigan plants that have had a name change since I last was last studying them.] This site has a catalog of the various Salacca palms in existence. Here in Kuching, Salacca conferta, Kelubi, is also readily available. It is smaller than the Salak, and is used as a sour ingredient in sauces. Apart from the size, they look pretty similar. I bought some a few weeks back thinking they were Salak…

Rabi’ al-Awwal

We are now in the first week of the blessed month of Rabi’ al-Awwal, the month that Allah Almighty sent the Beloved, Our Master Muhammad , the Best of Creation, the Seal of the Prophets. His birth, or Mawlid, is celebrated on the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, and is an official holiday in every muslim country in the world, with one exception. Stay tuned for pictures from the celebration here in Kuching next week.

[Update: Within a half hour of posting, I recieved an email containing a short condemnation of Mawlid by Shaykh Al-Munajjad. I appreciate the brother for visiting the site and taking the time to write, but I was unimpressed with the fatwa. It begins by saying that the practive is bid’a, innovation, and ends with that ever-so-abused hadith that every new thing is an innovation and every innovation is in the fire, and there is not much in between. That is the one-two punch that the wahhabis have used to condemn countless good deeds, but it is soundly refuted here by the Imam Ahmed Raza Academy. Other notable shuyukh endorsing the celebration of mawlid in their fatwas are Sh. Yusuf Qardawi, Imam Ibn Kathir, and Imam As-Suyuti. There is even more, including the great merits of the Mawlid, at Mawlid.net. The site has Malay and Indonesian translations available.]

Umm il-Mu’mineen

Here is an image of the mosque qubbah and grave of Sayyidatina Khadija, the Mother of the Muslims, the First Believer. When the Prophet received the first revelation from Archangel Gabriel in the cave, he was overwhelmed and terrified by it. He fled the cave to his home, shivering and trembling. It was Sayyidatina Khadija who comforted him and covered him with a blanket. It was she who assured him he was not mad or possessed, and she was the first to embrace Islam.

The mosque qubbah and her grave stood in Mecca, until they were demolished by the Saudi regime in 1343 AH, under the direction of the followers of Ibn Abdul Wahhab. May Allah have mercy on us.

Thanks to Lan for the image.

Behold the Power of Cheese

My stomach had been upset since the morning so I hadn’t eaten a thing when I stepped into a supermarket for a few items I can’t get at the neighborhood kedai runcit. As I wandered through the aisles, my eye fell on the farthest corner of the refrigerated section, where, past the cheezwiz-type spreads and palm-oil fortified butter, there lay a brick of Kraft Cheddar Cheese. My mouth salivated instantly. I had pledged to myself to forego such things. Western foods are easily available, but are quite expensive compared to local foods. Besides, if I wanted an American lifestyle, I might as well have stayed in America, right? But with my stomach growling, the excuses came on. At 6.50RM a 1/2 pound, it only costs $1.70US. That’s at least 30 cents less than I used to pay back home! My friends in Michigan, Kraft is ripping you off. Into the basket it went.

This morning, being Labour Day, our children let us rest longer than usual. Upon rising, SR whipped up five eggs, diced up some bean sprouts, tomatoes, greens, onions and garlic, sauteed them with some precious basil and oregano she presciently packed from our Dearborn kitchen, and we had ourselves a proper cheese omelette. It was wonderful. I had caved in, but four months was a pretty good run. Nonetheless, principles are principles, and it’s back to nasi lemak, at least for a few more months.

SARS in Sarawak?

The Sarawak Tribune is reporting that the Kuching Mental Hospital in Kota Sentosa and parts of the Sarawak General Hospital are under quarantine pending verification. The SGH is within walking distance of my wife’s office. A woman from the mental hospital died of bacterial pneumnonia several days ago at SGH. Her case is being reexamined to see if it was SARS. I imagine we’ll know for sure in a few days.

Suffering Asian People

That’s the real meaning of the World Bank’s SAPs. Have a look at The Whirled Bank, a very well done parody of my least favorite lending institution. From Sassafrass by way of this Metafilter thread. Inside the Whirled Bank site, they have a surprising speech byHerman Daly, a former WB chairman, in which he quotes Keynes, the father of modern economics thusly:

I sympathize therefore, with those who would minimize rather than those who would maximize, economic entanglement between nations. Ideas, knowledge, art, hospitality, travel-these are the things which should of their nature be international. But let good be homespun whenever it is reasonably and conveniently possible; and, above all, let finance be primarily national.

When did economists lose this bit of wisdom?

Bup Kudus

A religious controversy came and went here in Sarawak before I even heard about it. The Bup Kudus, the translation of the Holy Bible into the Iban language, was banned two weeks ago, and dis-banned today. The Sarawak Tribune I picked up was so information-poor, I could not discern from the article why they banned it, when they banned it, or why they had lifted the ban. I found a partial explanation here:

The secretary-general of the Malaysia National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, the Rev. Wong Kim Kong, said from Kuala Lumpur there had for some time been difficulties over the fact that some words used in Islam were also used in Christian publications.

Some Muslim leaders thought this could perplex Muslims who picked up such books.

Among the words that cause concern is “Allah.” It’s the word Muslims use for the deity they worship, but the Arabic word pre-dated Islam and is also used by Christian Arabs when referring to God – despite the considerable differences in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic conceptions of God.

The Iban translation of the Bible uses the term “Allah Taala” for God, while the other banned Christian books, in Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia, also use “Allah” for God.

This is thought likely to be one of the problem areas for the Home Ministry.

I think the Home Ministry made the right move by lifting the ban. But the language issue is an interesting one. Allah is used interchangeably with Tuhan to mean God in Bahasa Malaysia, but Tuhan is the original Malay word. When my son learns the meaning of an Arabic dua in school, Allahumma (Oh God) is still translated as Ya Tuhan. I don’t speak any Iban at all, but I would be very surprised if Allah is the original or preferred word for God, what to speak of Allah Taala (Almighty God), which is rarely heard even among Malays outside of Islamic religious sermons. So why would the Bup Kudus translators go with that translation? It is reminiscent, as Anak_Alam pointed out, of the uproar over Arabic Bibles that began with the Bismillah (that’s it at the top of the page), a distinctly Islamic invocation whether it has an intelligible meaning to non-muslim Arabs or not. Well, now that it is lawful again, I’ll have to go pick up my own copy of the Bup. I’ve still got my childhood copy of the Bible (KJV), so I should be able to learn a bit of Iban with them side by side.

[Update: The first thing that popped into my head when I saw the words Bup Kudus was the Holy Piby, the “Black Man’s Bible” that Rastafarianism is built on. Rather a tangent, I know, but that’s what the web does best. ]