Malay Culture

[chenchow]

As Hari Raya is coming, I believe that it would be very beneficial to the multi-racial Recom members to learn about this festival in more details. Although most of us must have been seeing others celebrating Hari Raya from an outer view point, we may have been attending a few Open House, but I believe Hari Raya is way beyond that.

So, we hope that Recom members would share how they celebrate Hari Raya, any history, any common doings, any cultural aspect of it, practically anything about Hari Raya from Ramadan to Syawal.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!!!

[chenchow]

Can someone tell us what you do during raya. We are Malaysians and we are proud of every celebration that we have in Malaysia.

[littlebigone]

Hmmm...i was hoping to learn more about Malay culture. :(

Tell lah a bit bit. I mean, it may be everyday life to you, but to me...I think it would be something facinating. :)

[royston]

I have quite a lot of Malay friends working in the same area with me and before the Raya, they told me that they will go for praying (that's why you will feel that some of the Raya songs are kinda sad...) and the most attractive part (for me...) is cooking lemang ... OOoooohhh... that made me feel hungry again !!

What else? Luke, taufiq, Yusof... tell us lah!!! Jangan lah kedekut... :cry:

~ roy ~

[_ain_]

proud 2 be malaysian..although we are in different races, but we still celebrate the festive season together...well, let me tell u what we do during hari raya...we as muslims celebrate aidilfitri as a victory..after a month fasting...in the hari raya morning, we go for solat hari raya...after that, we usually ask 4 forgiveness from our family...sometimes, parents give their children 'duit raya'...then, we eat 'lemang', 'ketupat' 'rendang' ext....what else?...erm..of course..go to friend's house...visiting their family and collecting duit raya ;P......

[luke]

thanx _ain_ and welcome to ReCom .. hope you'll extend your stay here :) ... yup basically that's what hari raya is ... starts the morning with congregational prayer ... asks for forgiveness ... visits family members and friends ... and FOOD!! ... here i just wanna to add what ain has not described earlier ...

1st is zakat fitrah .. ppl don't usually kecoh about it but actually it's one of the most thing one must do in conjunction with hari raya besides fasting for one whole month of ramadhan .. for those who have never heard that phrase, zakat means giving away money or food or anything to the poor by the medium of an authoritative body ... there are all kinds of zakat but the one related directly to hari raya aidilfitri is zakat fitrah (hence the name) ... it's an obligation to all muslims of all ages from newly-born babies to bedridden old folks .. as long as he/she has extra food/belonging and lives through the end of ramadhan and the beginning of syawal then the obligation applies to him/her or the guardians ... complementing the hikmah (reason) behind the fasting of ramadhan compulsory which is to experience what unlucky ppl are having, zakat is to share the joy of celebrating hari raya with those unlucky ppl as the collection of zakat fitrah will be handed out to these ppl at the end of the day ... in Islam ppl who don't pay zakat without reasons will have their fasting rejected ...

2nd is the 2 sermons delivered after hari raya prayer ... some ppl leave after the prayer but for most ppl listening to the sermons is what marks the beginning of hari raya itself .. usually the sermons are about hari raya but sometimes relate to other stuff such as current situations of Islam and also stories of prophet Muhammad and his sahabat (friends) ...

mmm i think that's all ... i'll post more if I left out something ..

zakat means giving away money or food or anything to the poor by the medium of an authoritative body

doesnt have to be through an authoritative body; you can give zakat directly to people

[royston]

Hello _ain_,

Welcome to Recom... we are not sure how frequent you will visit Recom but anyhow we are trying to bring more interesting stuff to our members and hopefully all members will love it. Hopefully you will give us your opinion and anything you feel it needs improvement, please voice out...

By the way, anyone know how to cook lemang? Well, I wish to try it out myself ... hahaha !!! So _ain_, how is your Raya? Earn a lot? :twisted:

~ roy ~

[iQing]

Can we consider majalah Gempak, Utopia , and kreko as modern malay culture??

[taufiq]

i won't...
how about others?

[littlebigone]

why do you fast in the first place?

[luke]

why do you fast in the first place?
I thought I already gave the answer for that question ... mmm :?
complementing the hikmah (reason) behind the fasting of ramadhan compulsory which is to experience what unlucky ppl are having ...

[Schye]

Does the bubur provided in the masjid included in zakat?
and i think there is other zakat too to be paid by muslims right if i am not mistaken.

I heard that Muslims visit their relatives' grave on Hari Raya.Is it true or is it on the other day?

[luke]

Does the bubur provided in the masjid included in zakat?
I'm not sure what you meant by that? did you mean that providing bubur is considered a zakat? or did you mean the bubur provided is cooked from the zakat collected?
++++and i think there is other zakat too to be paid by muslims right if i am not mistaken.there are all kinds of zakat but the one related directly to hari raya aidilfitri is zakat fitrah (hence the name) ... ++++I heard that Muslims visit their relatives' grave on Hari Raya.Is it true or is it on the other day?Ah, I forgot about that. Yes, usually we visit our relatives' grave after the Hari Raya prayer .. it's not an obligation, just to pay respect and as a remembrance to those who had deceased ...

[Liney]

RAMADHAN

WHAT IS RAMADHAN?

Falling in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadhan does not fall on a fixed time every year. This is because it follows the lunar calendar, which is around 11 days shorter than the solar calendar used everywhere else. For the 1 billion plus Muslims throughout the world, Ramadhan is a time of prayer, fasting and charity (zakat). While around the world, major religious festivals have become increasingly commercialized, Ramadhan and Hari Raya Puasa (Eid) retains its focus on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah (God).

The month of Ramadhan is particularly special for it is believed that during this time, the Holy Quran was revealed to a trader called Muhammad (who later became Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h), the Quran states that it "was sent down from heaven, a guidance unto men, a declaration of direction, and a means of salvation."

On one particular night during that month, the angel Gabriel told Muhammad that he had been chosen to receive the word of God. Over a period of a month, Muhammad found himself speaking the verses of the holy Quran as they were revealed to him.

So during the month of Ramadhan, Muslims throughout the world recite one-thirtieth of the Quran each night during special prayers called Tarawih. Continued throughout the month, the entire book will been completed during the fasting month.

Not only are the words of God spoken during Ramadhan, as one of the holiest months during the Islamic calendar, it is where Muslims observe one month of fasting, with fasts beginning from sunrise to sunset.

As a month of abstinence, Muslims are forbidden from eating, drinking and sexual relations and will refrain from lying, gossiping, and backstabbing during this period leading to a degree of self-control and a closer observance to Allah.

Fasting is considered one of the ?five pillars? of Islam (which also includes the declaration of faith, prayers five times a day, zakat, fasting and finally, the pilgrimage to Mecca). All Muslims from puberty onwards are expected to fast, except those menstruating, the insane, and the young. The elderly and those very ill are also exempt, but are expected to feed one poor person for every day that they themselves cannot fast. Pregnant women and also those traveling also need not fast.

Many Islamic restaurants are often closed during the day, opening before sunset catering to those who break their fast later. Traders often do roaring business during this time as people flock to buy food.Breaking of fasts are often ended with dates and sweet drinks before the main meal.

Muslims also wake during the night for subuh, for a meal before the sun rises and their fasts begins.

Fasting itself serves many purposes. It reminds Muslims of the suffering of the poor and helps them involve themselves more in Islam. It promotes self-control and helps cleanse the body and soul and brings all Muslims closer to their faith.

p/s: bubur lambuk that was served during ramadhan was not a zakat. Everybody can go and eat them. It was just a 'sedekah' either from the masjid to everyone or some one wanted to sedekah. It was in Al-quran, a person who give meal to his/her fellow muslims during ramadhan will gain more 'pahala'.

[Liney]

HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI


Muslim have two major HARI RAYA. One is Aidilfitri and the other is AIDILADHA. AidiLADHA is celebrated on the 10 day of Zulhijjah's month and this is when people went to Haj. This raya also known as Hari raya KORBAN. Anyway....I'll talk about Aidilfitri first.....

Aidilfitri (Eid Mubarak)

The end of the fasting month concludes with Hari Raya Puasa (which means literally "A Day of Celebration"). A joyous occasion for all Muslims, it ends the month of Ramadhan and is celebrated over two days in Malaysia.

It is not however, the Muslim New Year, as commonly believed and you will often hear "Selamat Hari Raya" and not "Selamat Tahun Baru (Happy New Year)" as a greeting between Muslims at this time.

Preparation for Hari Raya often begins as soon as Ramadhan starts where homes are carefully and beautifully re-decorated, new furniture, flowers filling every nook and cranny and where people begin visiting tailors for new clothes for the family.

The first day of Hari Raya Puasa begins with new baju kurung and baju Melayu being worn before going for prayers at the mosque and visits to the cemetery for prayers for the departed. But it is a time for the family and is when Muslims from all quarters return home to spend time with family and ask forgiveness from the elders.

The symbol of forgiveness from ones elders is especially important and is customary for young Malays to kneel down in front of them and ask for forgiveness and it also helps strengthen relationships between the families.

During Hari Raya, people also visit friends and relatives, where the concept of ?open house? really comes into play and is an occasion for both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Expect to visit numerous homes during the two day period and be prepared to eat an outstanding amount. Indulge in some of the best Malay cuisine as Hari Raya favorites such as ketupat, lontong, nasi padang, satay and beef rendang are dished out with gusto.

Kuala Lumpur will be unnaturally quiet, as the mass exodus to "balik kampung" sends people back home for their Hari Raya celebrations. A brilliant occasion, Hari Raya Puasa is the highlight of the Muslim calendar and an event that no Muslim misses out on.

[Liney]

ADAT BERLENGGANG PERUT

hi there,

I do not know whether you guys in recom have ever heard about adat berlenggang perut. And I'm also not sure whether this adat only in Malay culture or also has been practiced by other cultures such as chinese or indian. But anyway, I totally forgot about this adat, actually, until my mum from Malaysia called my last night to tell me, she is arranging this ceremony for me in January when I get back to Malaysia. . It would be awesome, and I can't hardly wait for my first berlenggang perut ceremony.

What is Adat Berlenggang Perut?

Adat melenggang perut dilakukan bila ibu mengandungkan anak sulungnya, dan masa hamilnya sudah mencapai tujuh bulan, bidan dipanggil untuk menjalankan adat berlenggang perut. Direntangkan kain sepanjang tujuh helai, disusun berlapis-lapis dan ibu yang hamil itu disuruh baring berlentang. Tengah-tengah kain itu terletak bahagian pinggang. Hujung kain berada di sebelah kiri dan kanannya. Bidan kemudian menarik helai demi helai kain panjang itu, arah ke kanan pada helai yang pertama dan ke kiri pada helai yang berikutnya, begitulah seterusnya berselang-seli.

Adat melenggang perut yang diamalkan sebenarnya bertujuan memastikan kedudukan bayi dalam kandungan adalah betul.

Cara mengendali adat ini bergantung kepada setiap negeri. Terdapat perbezaan dalam menjalankan adat ini.....contohnya di sebelah kelantan....

Mula2 tok bidan membentangkan ketujuh2 helai kain2 yang tujuoh warna itu melintang sehelai di-atas sehelai dan di-atas lapisan kain2 inilah di-baringkan-nya isteri yang hamil itu, kemudian dengan minyak kelapa atau minyak urat itu di-urut-nya perlahan2 akan perut isteri itu kadar sa-bentar sahaja. Kemudian daripada itu maka di-ambil-nya pula nyior yang sudah di-kupas itu lalu di-guling2kan-nya perlahan2 di-atas perut isteri itu dan atas ka-bawah tujoh kali dan pada kali yang ketujoh itu di-gulingkan-nya kelapa itu dan dilepas serta di-biarkan-nya kelapa itu bergolek daripada perut isteri itu jatuh walau kemana2 sambil di-perhatikan oleh to' bidan itu bagaimana kedudukan muka atau mata kelapa itu satelah berhenti ia daripada golek-nya, menghala ka-atas atau ka-bawah-kalau keatas hala-nva mata kelapa itu maka konon-nya, si-isteri itu akan beroleh anak ( laki2, dan kalau ka-bawah menghala mata kelapa itu, anak perempuan, konon 'alamat-nya. Demikian-lah kepercayaan orang tua2 dahulu.

Setelah itu maka to' bidan itu pun memegang dengan sebelah tangan-nya satu hujung kain lapisan atas sa-kali dan dengan tangan-nya yang sa-belah lagi di- pegang-nya hujung yang lagi satu daripada kain itu juga, kemudian di-angkat-nya lagi sedikit sambil di-lenggang2kan-nya badan isteri itu seketika (dari sini-lah terbit-nya panggilan "Lenggang Perut" itu), kemudian di-tarik-nya kain itu keluar daripada bawah badan isteri itu. Demikian-lah dilakukan-nya sahelai demi sa-helai kain2 sa-hingga habis ketujoh2 helai itu di-keluarkan-nya daripada bawah pinggang isteri itu dan kain yang di-bawah sa-kali itu di-berikan kapada to' bidan ito bersama2 dengan kelapa, beras, damar, sireh pinang berserta dengan wang pengkeras lima suku di-dalam tempat sireh itu.

Pada hari melenggang perut itu biasa-nya diadakan kenduri sedikit di-antara orang tua2 dan anakpinak serta kaum keluarga yang tedekat dan isteri yang berlenggang perut itu dipakaikan dengan pakaian yang baru dan indah2.

[Thirdshifter]

I hope you ghuys realize that Malay and Muslim have it's own culture. So far most of the poster have it mixed up.

Anyway this is what Malay culture is. Most of its tradition is based on hinduism. Although dying it is still there.

For an example a Malay wedding ceremony. The Kompang, the Bright Colors and the food. Cloths are decorated with gold threads etc. When it comes to harvesting theirs some other ritual which of course is disallowed because..most modern Malays have adapted the Islam Culture.

Now, In the constitution of Malaysia. It has be written specifically that a Malay is someone that their father(not mother) is a Malay and Islam is their religion.

For an example the ladies wear the head scarf+Baju kurung. Most of the old Malay traditional rituals are considered Black-Magic in the context of Islam.

As for today, Malay in Malaysia no longer could be considered holding to their culture and roots. If some of you really wanted to know how Malays lived a 3 -4 centuries ago.. Bali would be a good start.

[abdullah]

why do you fast in the first place?

Because God commanded so. The following are a few translations:

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/002.qmt.html#002.183

[qedx]

ADAT BERLENGGANG PERUT
bukan khurafat ker tuh? :p

[tunsrilanang]

ape ape bid'ah (mana mana perbuatan yang tidak dilakukan pada zaman Nabi Muhammad, tak disuruh oleh Nabi Muhammad dan tidak juga disuruh dalam Al-quran) mesti di reject.

bidaah is considered as innovation in religion, and it will lead many muslims go astray from the true teachings of Islam.

many bid'ah (wether good i.e. maulidur Rasul or bad i.e like berbomoh menggunakan ayat Al quran dan pada masa yang sama meminta pertolongan selain dari Tuhan) MUST be rejected.

From forty hadith by compiled by Imam Nawawi:

On the authority of Aishah, who said : The messenger of Allah said:

"He who innovates something in this matter of ours that is not of it will have it rejected."

narrated by Bukhari and Muslim

And in one version by Muslim it reads :

"He who does an act which our matter is not [in agreement] with will have it rejected."

Bid'ah is done so widely among muslims, however it is sad to say that we (the muslims) take these innovations (bid'ah ) as harmless when innovation in religion can create a lot of harm to the religion.
bid'ah makes muslims (and non muslims) think that Islam is difficult (because banyak sangat ibadah kena buat, sembahyang kena buat etc) when really, it is not.

anyway, this topic is about malay culture aight? i do not know so much of it (as i grow up into a family which does not practice a lot of malay culture), but just a reminder to muslims out there, do refrain yourself from indulging in culture which is not in agreement with what the Lord has ordained.

i guess if you want to know about malay culture, why not read malay classic story books like salatun as-salatin (sejarah sultan sultan melayu...i really enjoy reading the book...hehe), or books by muhammad haji salleh, shahnon ahmad, usman awang, etc

[Diesel]

there's something that i really really hate about malay culture, Hantaran Perkahwinan. usually the parents of the girl will dictate how much the guy has to pay. usually, it's a lot of money. there's a common trend that the higher the education of the girl, the higher the hantaran. to me, it's more like selling your own daughter. it also delays marriage. and it burdens guys, and potentially girls as well because girls sometimes help guys to collect the money. that's why i tell my mom dont put no price for my sister. that's why i'm not gonna pay any hantaran. i'd rather kawin lari. :p

[tunsrilanang]

pity the girl if you kawin lari.

[iQing]

is the hari raya green packets receive some influence from the chinese? just curious.

[luke]

it seems so, iQing ... it's not an Islam teaching to give money during hari Raya ... even the baju raya if I'm not wrong is originally Indian clothing ...

[Diesel]

pity the girl if you kawin lari.

no la, pity the parents of the girl. of course the girl wanna marry me as soon as possible, for obvious reason :p.

i donno if baju raya is originally indian clothing. but wearing nice things on hari raya is a good way of showing your happiness, as long as you can afford it and you dont show off.

[tunsrilanang]

i love all my baju kurungs, and the kebayas too. good ventilation and and very comfy (oh, applicable to baju kurung only....hehe)

[abdullah]

it's not an Islam teaching to give money during hari Raya ... even the baju raya if I'm not wrong is originally Indian clothing ...

The relationship between your two statements need further clarification.

That Malay Muslims don clothing of possibly Indian origins during Eid-ul-Fitr has little to do with the teachings of Islam. It may serve however, as another indication of the fact that Islam's roots (just like its Hindu roots) in the Tanah Melayu are of Indian origin. India was Islamic under the rule of Moghuls at the time the Malaccan Sultanate accepted Islam.

As for the giving of money during Hari Raya similar to the hong paos of Chinese of New Year, you are right that the recorded history of the Prophet (may God bless and rest him in peace) and his people contains nothing about such gifts during the Eid.

That however doesn't necessarily mean that it is automatically a bid'ah (a falsehood invented in the religion) and therefore wrong.

[luke]

That however doesn't necessarily mean that it is automatically a bid'ah (a falsehood invented in the religion) and therefore wrong.
I didn't say anything about giving duit raya as bid'ah (it's just not an islam teaching, that's all) ..

anyway, I'm well aware that not all bid'ah are wrong ... like what my ustaz said bid'ah is things we do but prophet muhammad didn't do back then .. for example, using clocks and calculations to determine prayer time ... prophet muhammad didn't do that but modern time muslims all over the world are doing it .. a bid'ah, right? but it's not a bad one ..

[Thirdshifter]

That however doesn't necessarily mean that it is automatically a bid'ah (a falsehood invented in the religion) and therefore wrong.
I didn't say anything about giving duit raya as bid'ah (it's just not an islam teaching, that's all) ..

anyway, I'm well aware that not all bid'ah are wrong ... like what my ustaz said bid'ah is things we do but prophet muhammad didn't do back then .. for example, using clocks and calculations to determine prayer time ... prophet muhammad didn't do that but modern time muslims all over the world are doing it .. a bid'ah, right? but it's not a bad one ..

Determining the prayers time is not falsehood invented in the religion isn't it? So It's not Bid'ah.

Giving out money on Hari raya on the other hand is probably a subsitute of feeding the poor. So far i haven't came across anything that suggest the origin of Duit raya is from the chinese new years tradition except in Malaysia we use similar envelopes.

Muslims all over the world including Saudi Arabia gives out money to relatives especially the young ones on the morning of Hari raya/Eid ul-Fitr. I believe It has become part of Eid so in a way it could be considered a Bid'ah but since charity is a huge part of Islam i must say it's not. In my opinion Duit raya is a convenient way of doing charity on Eid-ul fitr or at least what we all want to believe.

[luke]

Determining the prayers time is not falsehood invented in the religion isn't it? So It's not Bid'ah.
I mean using clocks and calculations to determine prayer times as oppose to observing the sun (the one said in qur'an or hadith) ... but you sure got a point there ...

[abdullah]

Assalaam-u-'alaikum yaa muhammad,

anyway, I'm well aware that not all bid'ah are wrong ... like what my ustaz said bid'ah is things we do but prophet muhammad didn't do back then .. for example, using clocks and calculations to determine prayer time ... prophet muhammad didn't do that but modern time muslims all over the world are doing it .. a bid'ah, right? but it's not a bad one ..

May Allah subahaanahu wa Ta'aala reward you for your efforts and learning.

I actually didn't know that Imaam Shafi'i and other scholars divided bid'ah into good and bad categories. When I wrote my post earlier, I was thinking of the hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim: "Wa sharrul Umoori Muhdathaatuhaa, Wa kulla bid'atin dhalalah, wa kulla dhalatin fin-naar" often heared at my local masjid's juma'ah khutbah.

Depending on the context, bid'ah could mean a blameworthy innovation in the religion, and my guess is that's typically the way it's used, and hence how I usually understand the term, wallahu 'alam.

It would be different if properly qualified, e.g. references to "praiseworthy bid'ah."

Thank you for enlightening me.

[kucingbiru]

come post here more often abdullah. you seem to have a lot of knowledge. it's sure good to have you around. hmm, perhaps a good candidate for recom's religious anchor.

[tunsrilanang]

Assalaam-u-'alaikum yaa muhammad,

anyway, I'm well aware that not all bid'ah are wrong ... like what my ustaz said bid'ah is things we do but prophet muhammad didn't do back then .. for example, using clocks and calculations to determine prayer time ... prophet muhammad didn't do that but modern time muslims all over the world are doing it .. a bid'ah, right? but it's not a bad one ..

May Allah subahaanahu wa Ta'aala reward you for your efforts and learning.

I actually didn't know that Imaam Shafi'i and other scholars divided bid'ah into good and bad categories. When I wrote my post earlier, I was thinking of the hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim: "Wa sharrul Umoori Muhdathaatuhaa, Wa kulla bid'atin dhalalah, wa kulla dhalatin fin-naar" often heared at my local masjid's juma'ah khutbah.

Depending on the context, bid'ah could mean a blameworthy innovation in the religion, and my guess is that's typically the way it's used, and hence how I usually understand the term, wallahu 'alam.

It would be different if properly qualified, e.g. references to "praiseworthy bid'ah."

Thank you for enlightening me.

the term bid'ah which i've learnt means innovation in our ibadah.
using clocks, cars, different baju fashions, is not considered as ibadah...that is considered muamalat, ke ape ntah.

bid'ah is like, when u celebrate prophet muhammad's birthday by having the parade, coz prophet muhammad never do that, and never ask muslims to do that.
another example is, in malaysia, we are taught to read the surah yassin on friday night, as if reading yassin on friday night is better than reading it on the other night.
however, reading yassin at any time, any day (not just friday night) will only give you the same reward.

so when it concerns ibadah, any innovation in our ibadah is to be rejected. don't look it as good bid'ah and bad bid'ah, coz any little 'good bid'ah' can stray us away from the true teachings of islam.