| By Rosli Abidin
Yahya
A Bruneian man visits Syarif Kedah’s gravesite in Labuan to
recite Quranic verses for the wali
Bruneians who hang up framed
pictures of a famous wali or saint, Syarif Kedah, have been
requested by a relative of the saint to take down the pictures.
The message was conveyed by an
“indirect” grandchild of the wali, Tarnidi Tamin in Labuan
on Tuesday.
He said the wali appeared in
the dream of a family member to request that people do not hang
up his pictures.
“He said he was just an
ordinary person who had been given privilege to be close to God.
Therefore people should not hang up his picture as this act was
translated as idolising him,” said Tarnidi.
However, he said, people can
still keep his pictures as long as they did not hang them up.
Many Bruneians are keen to
display the wali’s pictures in the belief that such an act may
prevent houses from catching fire. Framed pictures of the wali
can be purchased at many photo shops.
There had been a case where a
house in the Water Village allegedly did not catch fire when the
surrounding houses were razed in the 1980s.
When the wali was alive in
Labuan, thousands of Bruneians used to go to Labuan to learn
about Islam.
People also came from as far as
Indonesia to learn more about Islamic Sufism from him on how to
be closer to God.
Even though Syarif Kedah had
brothers and sisters, he never got married, thus he had no
direct descendents. He was said to prefer being single as he
spent most of his time meditating.
He disliked being photographed
but a pupil managed to take the only picture of him, which is
now widely circulated.
The wali died in 1940s and was
buried in Labuan. Bruneians who come to Labuan usually visit his
gravesite to recite Quranic verses.
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