Faces of Baweanese

Guests from Bawean Island

In 1960s and 1970s, several relatives of my parents from the Bawean Island came to visit Singapore. They were mostly fishermen, farmers, carpenters and craftsmen. They used to bring jars of 'Kemed', dried salted fish, peanuts, rice, crackers, wooden stools and straw mats as gifts. Some of these items were for sale too and were bought by the Pondok residents.
 

Mamang Biden (My mother's paternal cousin)


Tok Matnor (My mother's maternal uncle) and wife

The guests from Bawean were welcomed with opened arms by my family. My parents spend generously and tried to make their stay a memorable one. They left Singapore with lots of gifts and souvenirs such as clothing, household items, and toys for their children. They were given some money too. My parents made great efforts to have close ties with the relatives in Bawean.

 

Traditional Food

Straw Mat

While generally, the women from Bawean that I met were very skillful in making straw mats or any other products made from straw, the men were good at hand works. Like my mothers' cousins and uncles whom I met in the early 1970s, they were extremely good with carpentry work. I saw them helping my granddad who loves doing carpentry during his spare time, making wooden stools and tables. I also remember that some of the men from Bawean brought several of their craft works to sell them to the Baweanese living in Singapore. Among the popular items was the wooden cutting board used in the kitchen. It was always in demand.
 

My grandfather's carpentry work - a wooden stool which I still keep and treasured

Wooden cutting-board used in the kitchen

Generally, the visitors from the Bawean like to bring souvenirs for their close relatives in Singapore. My father's cousins who visited my family in the late 1970s brought a small packet of rice and peanuts which they had grown themselves. These items were cultivated in a plot of land in Bawean which my father used to own. He inherited the land from his father and told his cousins to manage it. They turned the land into padi fields and a small area for growing peanuts for their own consumptions. So when they visited my family they brought with them the products of the land as a gesture of gratitude. They said that my dad and his family should taste the rice cultivated from his land in Bawean. Later on, a few years before my father passed away, he gave the land to them. Personally, I think it was a wise decision. I believe today, they are still living on that land and I hope to meet them some day in the future. Insha'Allah.

Reading Talkin on the grave of a dead person

During my father's funeral

About 26 years ago Obek Arshad was the one who read the Talkin at the funeral of my maternal grandfather and my dad. Similarly, he had done the same during the funeral of my maternal grandmother as well as his two brothers whom I used to call Obek Adnan and Obek Ali. Everytime Obek Arshad read the Talkin, a sense of remorse could be felt for all the unpleasant actions and wrongdoings that had been done in the past. With his stern, firm voice, he was able to send the message across into the minds of those who were present at the funeral listening to his Talkin speech. However, on Tuesday, 10th June 2008, 6 Jamadilakhir, he was the reason the Talkin was read at his funeral.

Generally, since the days of their forefathers, the Baweanese in Singapore have been practicing the reading of Talkin on the grave of a dead person after the burial is done. However, today there are some among them who considered the act to be bidaah and abandoned the practice. Some Muslims considered reading the Talkin is not only bidaah but, it is a form of deviation from the correct teaching of Islam because it was never done by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) nor by the four Caliph.

Ibnul Qayyim wrote in his book entitled 'Ar-Ruh' that there are some Ulama who think that Talkin is bad and without basis as the dead is not able to hear. Debating on this issue, he quoted a Hadith recorded by Abu Daud on an incident in which Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) attended a funeral. When the dead body was buried the Prophet (s.a.w.) had advised the dead person's relatives to supplicate for the dead to be strong in facing the reality of death because at that moment he (the dead person) was being questioned in his grave. Ibnul Qayyim argued that if the dead person could hear those questions in his grave, surely he could also hear the Talkin from his grave too.

Ibnul Qayyim also wrote that it was in the opinion of Imam Ahmad that reading Talkin to the dead on the grave after burial is a good thing to do. He also mentioned that Muslims in the past and present practiced it for the dead to hear and benefited from it.

What is Talkin actually about that there are many controversial issues on it?

Talkin is merely a speech made on the grave of a dead person after the burial. The purpose is to tell the dead that he is in the world of Barzakh facing the reality of death and will be questioned in the grave by the two angels, Mungkar and Nakir. To the living, the Talkin is a reminder that the world of Barzakh is real. It is a speech of advice, highlighting that this worldly life is not permanent and the need to be prepared for death is necessary. Every human being will face death eventually and the Talkin provides a reflection to the followers of Islam the importance to be good Muslims –one who is God-fearing and continuously seeking for Allah's (s.w.t.) guidance to lead him to the straight path of Siratal Mustaqeem, the safe path to be taken on the journey to the world of Hereafter.

Talkin has been practiced generation after generation that it had become a tradition. Due to this, some Muslims think that it is compulsory to read the Talkin. It should be known that in accordance to the Islamic rites in handling dead bodies, to read the Talkin is not an act of wajib. According to Islam, there are four compulsory things that need to be done when a person passed away. First, the dead body has to be cleaned and bathed. Second, it has to be wrapped in shroud. Third, Sholat has to be performed on it. Finally it has to be buried in the earth.

Personally I think that the Talkin is beneficial to all because it reminds us about the reality of death, the questions that will be asked in the grave and the fate of the souls while waiting for Resurrection Day. There is nothing wrong in giving advice, in fact it is a good act encouraged by Islam. Regardless of whether the Talkin is read or not is unimportant because the Talkin is not a requirement in Islam. What matters most is that, reading of the Talkin should not affect the observance of the Aqidah of an individual Muslim. It is important to know that the Talkin is not compulsory as it is not wajib in Islam. Hence according to Islam, there is nothing sinful for not practicing the reading of Talkin.

In Memory of Ustaz Hj. Arshad Bin Nor

Ustaz Hj. Arshad was the son of my maternal grandfather's cousin. He was born and raised in Bawean. He migrated to Singapore during the British Colony in the 1950s. My maternal grandfather was his closest Uncle, the only next-of-kin living in Singapore. He was in the care of my grandparents until the day he got married.

Obek Arshad, as I used to call him, was a learned person in the field of Islamic Studies. He used to work in the Prison as a religious teacher to the in-mates. He also used to bring pilgrims to Makkah for Ummrah and Hajj.

During his employment period with the Queenstown Prison, Obek Arshad lived at the Prison Workers Living Quarters. I used to go there with my parents to visit him. Every time my parents told me that we were going to Obek Arshad's home, I felt excited. My heart jolted with joy and eager to meet his family. I was always looking forward to play with his children while the adults were having conversations.

Obek Arshad was a very cheerful man, full of smiling expressions on his face. I remembered him as a warm, kind hearted person. He was always happy to welcome members from his uncle's family and made the stay an enjoyable one. I enjoyed very much listening to his interesting ghost stories that he told to keep the little ones entertained. His advise not to fear the dark nor the lurking-places of Unseen Beings remain etched in my mind till this day. Instead, he would say to always fear Almighty Allah and not to miss the daily sholat (to pray five times a day) so as to chase the Satan away.

I always remember Obek Arshad as an Ustaz with a gifted voice. It was a stern and firm voice especially good for reciting the Qur'aan. His passion to continuously seeking Islamic knowledge could be seen from his library of Islamic books displayed on his book shelves. His career as a religious teacher had inspired me to pursue my studies in Islamic Knowledge at tertiary level. Obek Arshad is always in my memory as an Uncle whom I think highly off and regard him with the utmost respect.

My Obek, Ustaz Hj. Arshad, passed away a few days ago, on Monday, 9th June 2008 at about 4.00 p.m. and was buried the next day. He left behind a widow, two sons, three daughters and several grand-children. Truly, I am remorseful for not able to bid him farewell on his death-bed, and I send my deepest condolences to his widow and children. Indeed his family has lost a good husband and father. I have lost an Uncle and Singaporeans of Baweanese descent have lost one of its pioneer educators who had contributed in shaping good Muslim individuals. For all the many good things that he had done, may Almighty Allah’s blessings be upon him. May his soul be placed among those favoured by Almighty Allah. May Almighty Allah grant peace to Obek Arshad's soul in the world of Barzakh. Aameen.

Indeed we are here on this earth temporarily. When it is time to leave this world, the soul has to leave the body and the dead body has to be buried six feet underneath the ground. Thus, from clay the human body was made off and to clay shall it be returned…..