| Lyna Mohamad |
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 and Her Majesty Duli Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha binti Al-Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohamed Alam consented to grace the annual Khatam Al-Quran ceremony held in conjunction with His Majesty’s 71st birthday celebrations at Istana Nurul Iman yesterday.
Upon arrival at the the Royal Banquet Hall, Their Majesties were welcomed by the Minister of Home Affairs Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong – who is also the Chairman of the National Executive Committee for His Majesty’s 71st birthday celebrations – and members of the executive committee for the 71 Times Khatam Al-Quran event as well as their respective spouses.
Accompanying Their Majesties were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah binti Pengiran Haji Salleh Ab Rahaman, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Jefri Bolkiah, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel, Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah, Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Majeedah Nuurul Bolkiah, Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah, Her Royal Highness Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah and Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Amal Umi Kalthum Al-Islam.
Shortly after arrival, the ceremony began with the mass recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by the State Mufti, Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, followed by the mass recitation of Al-Quran verses.
The event also saw the recitation of Takhtim and Tahlil by religious officers and teachers from the Department of Islamic Studies and Department of Mosque Affairs as well as the Doa Khatam read by one of the Khatam participants Awangku Muhammad ‘Ashim ‘Afif bin Pengiran Haji Mohd Zin.
A Dikir Marhaban performance by 71 mosque affairs officers and 71 religious officers and teachers from the Department of Islamic Studies then followed.
To seek blessings for the ceremony, a Doa Selamat was recited by the State Mufti.
Prior to leaving the ceremony, Their Majesties, along with His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah, also consented to a Junjung Ziarah by the Khatam Al-Quran participants.
Yesterday’s ceremony served as a platform to offer prayers to Allah the Almighty for blessing His Majesty with longevity, health and to continue to rule the nation with the guidance of Allah the Almighty.
It also aimed to express the gratitude of the people for blessing them with peace and prosperity under the wise leadership of His Majesty and to appreciate the monarch’s vision to make Brunei Darussalam a Zikir Nation of Al-Quran literate subjects.
The 1,708 Al-Quran readers who participated in the ceremony comprised members of the mukim and village consultative councils from the four districts and included various categories, such as adults (male and female) and youth aged 13 to 20 years.
The congregants also included students of the Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Arabic schools, religious schools and the Youth Al-Quran Reading Scheme as well as those from schools under the Ministry of Education.
The ceremony highlighted the closeness of the people with Al-Quran as well as the warm relation between the monarch and his subjects and underscored the need for instilling and sustaining Al-Quran reading culture as a routine in seeking blessings from Allah the Almighty.
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