Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Kuala Belait - Muslims nationwide visited gravesites yesterday as a tradition to remember and pay respects to their departed loved ones on the first day of Hari Raya.

The Batu 3 Muslim Cemetery along Jalan Maulana in Belait was no exception as several families were seen to congregate around the graves of their loved ones yesterday.

Zulfadli Hj Daud, an Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) student, said that even though he never met his grandmother, it has been a family tradition to visit her grave.

"Regardless of how busy we are, we always find the time. Even my relatives who live in the capital ensure they make time to visit her grave," he said.

He said that one should not restrict themselves to

visiting the grave during Ramadhan or Syawal but during other months as well. The 19-yearold added that the tradition of visiting graves of loved ones will not only give rahmat (blessings) to the departed but the act itself will motivate a person to reconcile and embrace the thought of hereafter.

A staff of the Kuala Belait Municipal Department, Ramlee Hj Mat Said, said that he always made a habit of visiting his mother's grave not only during Ramadhan or Syawal, but on other days as well.

He said that his mother died 23 years ago, but visits to her grave on the first of Syawal, never fails to bring tears to his eyes. By remembering the sacrifices she made, he said that it is compulsory for him to visit her grave on Fridays, Hj Rashid

Hj Musa said that since the death of his child, he has never failed to pay his respects to his child on a weekly basis.

"They should always be remembered and it is one's responsibility to seek blessings for them in their Afterlife by offering prayers," he added. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times