THE Brunei Religious Officer Students Association (BruROSA) held a religious camp called Kem Ibadah 11 for three days and two nights at Brunei Hall in London, United Kingdom (UK) from November 23-25, according to a press release from BruROSA.
A total of 64 students participated in the event.
The guest of honour, Acting High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Pengiran Hajah Rooslina Weti binti Pengiran Haji Kamaludin, graced the event’s opening ceremony on November 24. Also present were Brunei Students’ Unit (UPP) and Brunei Students’ Union council officers.
Muhammad Aqil bin Awang from Cardiff University and Siti Maisarah Zaliqah binti Haji Awang Ramli from the University of Exeter were the chairpersons for this year’s Kem Ibadah, while the camp commandants in charge of the camp were Awangku Muhammad Aqil bin Pengiran Jaya from Imperial College London for the male participants and Syifa Syaheerah binti Abu Hanifah from the University of York for the female participants.
Qalbun Saleem, which translates to ‘A Sound Heart’, was the main theme as well as the ultimate goal for this year’s rendition of the religious camp. Qalbun Saleem is a heart that is pure and unaffected by the moral ills that afflict others in which it (heart) is free from bad characteristics such as arrogance, riya’ and prejudice.
The ceremony started with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah followed by the recitation of Surah Asy-Syu’ara verses 84-111 by Mohammad Harith Syafiq bin Mohammad Halim from the University of Nottingham with translation read by Muhammad Amirul Husni bin Haji Haji from the University of Manchester.
Muhammad Aqil in his speech reminded the participants the importance of having a sound heart in spite of living busy university lives, while the guest of honour advised the students to acquire an equal balance of knowledge and skills for both the world and the hereafter in terms of intellectual, spiritual, moral and behaviour.
UPP Director of Studies Pengiran Ali Shafie bin Pengiran Haji Abas attended the event’s closing ceremony on November 25 as the guest of honour along with UPP Religious Officer Ustaz Isham Ismail as the event’s Advisor.
Male Camp Commandant Awangku Muhammad Aqil at the closing ceremony said, “This event is not specifically for a devoted or pious Muslim but rather for those seeking knowledge in general.” His words were in line with Pengiran Ali Shafie’s speech where he encouraged the attendees to gain as much knowledge as possible.
The ceremony was blessed with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah followed by the recitation of Surah At-Taghabun verses 10-13 by Abdul Halim bin Anuar from Loughborough University with translation read by Abdul Qawie Iman Abidin from the University of Leicester.
The press release added that indoor activities held at the camp included ice-breaking activities, Jawi aerobics, blindfolded game and bell challenge quiz. Outdoor activities were also held at Hyde Park with four activities checkpoints, Tadabbur (act of pondering and reflecting upon Al-Quran) sessions, talks and a forum where the forum panellists discussed mental health-related issues.
The activities were held to highlight ways to achieve Qalbun Saleem as well as ways to find peace.
There was also a Malam Sketsa activitiy where participants in groups performed a short act relating to any one of five virtues of Qalbun Saleem (remembrance, patience, devotion, humility, and honesty).
The event also saw the announcement of group winners for the activities as well as singing the main theme song together, with Team Selurut the winners for male participants and Team Seri Muka for female participants. Each team comprised six participants.
According to the press release, what made the 11th edition of the religious camp more special than previous ones was when all the participants and organizing commitee members were surprised upon receiving individual letters specially written by their parents for them.
Camp participant Ida Wendy Nurfarzana Batrisyia binti Haji Kamarul Zaman shared, “Coming here for all the activities and talks despite the eight-hour journey from Glasgow was all worth it. The games, forum, and talks, they were very insightful. For me, the talk was custom-made to our age group, so it is easily relatable. The talks touched my heart. Being with other Bruneians, the camp was also a way to reduce homesickness.”
BruROSA expressed its gratitude to Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP), Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd, DST, and AR-RIJ Enterprise for sponsoring the event.