| Rokiah Mahmud |
THE Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind (BDNAB) yesterday hosted a Khatam Al-Quran Ceremony in honour of World Braille Day and to mark the association’s recent establishment.
A joint collaboration with the Islamic Studies Department’s Religious Special Education Unit, the event was held at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Girls Arabic Religious Secondary School in Katok, featuring nine female and 12 male BDNAB members as the Khatam participants.
Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman was the guest of honour.
The ceremony commenced with a recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by the minister, followed with the recitation of selected chapters from Ah-Dhuha to Surah An-Nas.
Doa Takhtim was recited by the female teachers from the Religious Special Education Unit, while Doa Khatam was read by Mohammad Jamary bin Danggat, one of the Khatam participants.
The ceremony concluded with the sprinkling of flowers and scented oil on the Khatam participants, together with a Dikir Marhaban led by the minister.
Earlier, the President of BDNAB Mohammad Hamzi bin Omar noted in his remarks that such religious events are in line with the association’s goal of empowering the visually impaired through the use of Braille and other learning aids.
World Braille Day is celebrated annually on January 4, to mark the birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor of the reading and writing code for the visually impaired.
It is also observed to raise awareness of the importance of Braille in bringing literacy and life-changing opportunities for visually impaired people everywhere.