Funeral of a Malay Family
Bystandsters hand lumps of earth to the men in the pit, careful not let the earth fall and strike against the bottomless coffin. Mohammad lets go the lumped soil in his hand, he feels great emotional pain as he looks at the man who has nurtured him for 24 years-now laid on the right side facing Mecca and head, north.
Pengebumian (2)
One of the men in the pit lets his father "smell" the earth before depositing it at the side of the grave. Gradually the grave is filled up and two round batu nisan (3) are erected over the head and waist of Pak Musa respectively, inscribed with name, date of birth and date of death which was at dawn yesterday.
Under the shade of an umbrella, the imam says prayers and sprinkles sandalwoood water on the grave from the head to the feet. Sadness again overwhelmed Mohammad when he imagines his beloved father briefly revived to hear those present at the funeral joining the imam's recitation and then falls back to death. With the scattering of bunga rampai, his memories went back to the house...
Pulang Ke Ramahtullah(4)
Pak Musa passed away peacefully with his wife and Mohammad by his side, after a long struggle with cancer. Mohammad phoned the imam. His mother covers a clean sheet of fine cloth over a new pandanus mat in the middle of the living room.
They laid Pak Musa on his back with the feet pointing towards Mecca. Mohammad crosses his father's right hand over the left hand on the chest and covers him from head to feet with a white cloth.
When the sun rises, many of Pak Musa's relatives and friends will come. They have been expecting this inevitable end. The funeral begins.
Bertakziah(5)
Mourners gradually pour into the house to pay last respect by looking through a fine cloth or by lifting up the cloth with great care not to upset a pair of betel-nut scissors below Pak Musa's folded hands and a bowl of burning incense by his side.
Mohammad's mother buried her face in his embrace, sobbing quietly at the sight of the finished coffin- a six feet long single plank. Her husband has to be buried as soon as possible.
Ratapan (6) dan Kapan (7)
With the help of a male tukang cuci mayat(8) Mohammad pours water over his father's body which is washed first with shampoo, followed by a large bowl of water mixed with rice, lime and gambier, lime juice water and water.
After the final washing, Mohammad and his mother give Pak Musa their last kisses. They fight hard to hold back tears as in a Malay funeral, tears are forbidden from touching a corpse. The last thing they want is to upset Pak Musa's spirit that he cannot bear to leave...
A shirt and trousers of unsown white cloth serve as the shroud. This is followed by a white cloth covering and another three layers around the body. After sprinkling sandalwood powder and binding up the head, Mohammad and the menfolk leave for the mosque and then the burial ground.
Tanah Perkuburan (9)
From a brass bowl serving as the alms box, Mohammad gives each man at the funeral alms and coins wrapped in paper. Now he has to let his father go to alam barzakh (10) , with no wish to cling to him emotionally, just as he can give away money without feeling regret.
He glances at a strip of white cloth tied to his father's batu nisan before leaving. He will come back after a hundred days for the adat turun batu (11).
Kenduri Arwah (12)
Mohammad invites those present at the funeral to a feast during which the Koran is read to his deceased father. The feast will be held again on the third, fourteenth, fortieth and hundredth day.
Life must go on after burying father, now Mohammad has to take care of his mother...
__________________________________________________________
(1)azan = summon to prayer, the first azan is whispered to a Malay right after birth and the last one at his grave. (2) Pengebumian=burial (3) Batu nisan=gravestone (4)Pulang ke Ramahtullah= passed away, literally Ramahtullah means the mercy of God. Another way of saying passed away is meninggal dunia. (5)Bertakziah=to grieve with, takziah means condolence. (6) Ratapan=wailing (7)Kapan=shroud (8)Tukang cuci mayat= tukang cuci means washer, mayat=corpse (9) Tanah Perkuburan=Burial ground (10)Alam barzakh=an interval state between death and resurection (11) Adat turun batu=Covering the grave with pebbles and building a fence around it. (12)Kenduri Arwah=funeral feast, arwah=spirit.
___________________________________________________________
Back to Bahasa Malaysia and Culture
|
