| Daniel Lim |
A FAMILY of three embraced Islam during a ceremony at the hall of the Islamic Da’wah Centre (Belait District branch) in Kuala Belait yesterday.
Gong anak Atu, 58, of Punan ethnicity, embraced Islam together with his wife Sapiah binti Sanggin, 52 and son Rosli anak Gong, 24. His wife is a Dusun.
Guest of honour Secretary General of the Brunei Darussalam Ex-Army Association Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Ramli bin Haji Abdul Hadis witnessed the ceremony.
The ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by the guest of honour and followed by the conversion ceremony.
The three family members read Dua Kalimah Syahadah before officers from the Islamic Da’wah Centre, friends and relatives.
In embracing the Islamic faith, Gong, Sapiah and Rosli chose the name Muhammad Emran bin Abdullah Atu @ Gong anak Atu, Sapiah binti Sanggin @ Sapiah binti Sanggin, and Muhammad Rosli bin Muhammad Emran @ Rosli anak Gong.
The guest of honour presented the three family members a gift to commemorate the occasion.
A Dikir Marhaban was recited, accompanied by the sprinkling of scented flowers on the new converts.
Following the conversion ceremony, the Bulletin spoke to Muhammad Rosli about his feeling of embracing the Islamic faith. He expressed jubilation and said his heart was at ease after embracing the faith.
He added that past interaction and participation with his work colleagues and relatives during the fasting month have been an eye opener for him to embrace the faith.
The three family members joined 10 other individuals who have embraced the faith starting this year as part of the statistics collected by the Islamic Da’wah Centre. Last year, 74 individuals embraced the Islamic faith.
The new converts are encouraged to participate in the courses conducted by the Islamic Da’wah Centre. It includes an introduction course to Islam for 10 days and basics guidance course for 14 days, as well as further guidance in two separate courses.