| Hakim Hayat |
HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday extolled the significance of ‘solat’ or prayer, and called for ensuring the correct way of performing the obligation.
As one of the main pillars of Islam, the obligation should be given equal attention as one would give to improve their Al-Quran reading and recitation.
In a titah delivered during the National Israk Mikraj Celebration for 1437 Hijrah held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas yesterday morning, His Majesty mentioned that prayer is a form of blessing that we all should be thankful for and should be preserved as it is a pillar of our religion and the key to heaven. He added that one of the ways to maintain it is to perform prayers consistently at an early stage.
“It is fundamental to carry out religious duties the right way, by maintaining its pillars and methods. If this can be fulfilled properly, only then the prayer can be considered complete. Otherwise, we are obligated to improve it,” said the monarch.
His Majesty said that people seldom talk about improving their knowledge on prayers and are more inclined towards the improvement of Al-Quran reading.
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, delivering his titah
An exhibitor providing calligraphy services to guests
Attendees at the event looking at religious books on sale at the event yesterday. – PHOTOS: AZROL AZMI
“In my view, both aspects must be given equal attention, because inadequacies or defects in performing the prayers are not something that is not unheard of,” the monarch added.
Citing examples from other countries, His Majesty said statistics have suggested that students, especially those in the secondary level, are still not proficient in performing the prayer, while lamenting the fact that Brunei Darussalam might not have similar statistics due to the lack of research on the matter.
“Would something like this not happen in the country? Who can say ‘no’ when we have not done any research yet?” His Majesty asked rhetorically.
His Majesty said that he hopes to see relevant parties carry out in-depth research on the community’s attainment thus far in the quality of Al-Quran reading and the performance of prayers on the whole, especially when it comes to students in schools and higher learning institutions.
The monarch also reminded that such practice of performing the prayers and reading the Al-Quran should begin at an early stage, so any inadequacies can be easily rectified before it is too late.
In closing yesterday’s titah, His Majesty said that in conjunction with the Israk Mikraj celebration, “let us together reflect on ourselves. Where we feel we are lacking, let us add and improve to perfection with the will of Allah the Almighty.”
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