Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay PeninsulaSkeat, Walter William
Religion
Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay Peninsula
Skeat, Walter William
Magic -- Malay Peninsula; Malays (Asian people) -- Folklore; Malays (Asian people) -- Social life and customs
Leaves are then strewn on the ground at the left of the grave,
and the five cubits of white cloth alluded to above are spread out
to form a mat, upon which the Imam takes his seat, the rest of the
company being seated upon the leaves. Eagle-wood and sandal-wood water
(ayer gharu chendana) is then brought to the Imam, who pours it out in
three libations, each time sprinkling the grave from the head to the
foot. If any water is left, the Imam sprinkles it upon any other graves
which may be near, whilst the shredded flowers (bunga rampai) are then
similarly disposed of. Next is read the talkin, which is an exhortation
(ajaran) addressed to the deceased. It is said that during the process
of reading the Talkin the corpse momentarily revives, and, still lying
upon its side, raises itself to a listening position by reclining upon
its right elbow (bertelku) and resting its head upon its hand. [648]
This is the reason [649] for removing the bands of the shroud, as the
body is left free to move, and thus in groping about (meraba-raba)
with its left hand feels that its garment is without a hem or selvage,
and then first realising that it must be really dead, composes itself
to listen quietly to whatever the Imam may say, until at the close of
the exhortation it falls back really lifeless! Hence the most absolute
silence must be observed during the exhortation. The Imam then repeats,
by way of "doxology," the tahalil or meratib, "la-ilaha-illa-'llah"
("there is no god but God"), in company with the rest of the assembly,
all present turning their heads and rocking themselves from side
to side as they sit, whilst they reiterate the words a hundred
times, commencing slowly till thirty-three times are reached, then
increasing the pace up to the sixty-sixth time, and concluding with
great rapidity. The contributions in the alms-basin (batil) are then
divided among the entire company as alms (sedekah). The master of the
house then invites those present to partake at about five p.m. of the
funeral feast, which in no way differs from an ordinary Malay banquet,
the more solid portion of the meal (makan nasi) being followed by
the usual confectionery and preserved fruits. The Imam then reads
prayers, and the company breaks up. The decorations for the funeral
are left for three days undisturbed. During these three days the
nearer neighbours are feasted, both in the morning and evening, at
the usual Malay hours; and for three days every night at about ten
P.M. the service called "Reading the Koran to the Corpse" (mengajikan
maiat) is performed, either by the Imam or somebody hired for the
purpose. This is an important duty, the slightest slip being regarded
as a great sin. At the end of the three days there is yet another
feast, at one P.M. (kanduri meniga hari), when those who are farther
off are invited, and after this meal the tahalil is repeated as before.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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