Around 1,600 Indonesians residing and working in Brunei Darussalam attended a gathering at the Indonesian Embassy in Brunei Darussalam to perform the Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayer.
The sounds of takbir and tahmid echoed across the embassy from early morning, glorifying the name of Allah the Almighty while celebrating victory after a month of fasting during Ramadhan.
“Alhamdulillah, we can perform the Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayer in congregation this morning with complete victory. Hopefully, the atmosphere of congregational prayer like this can ease some of our longing for our hometown,” said Indonesian Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Professor Dr Achmad Ubaedillah in his address.
Following the congregational Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayer, the khutbah was delivered by Indonesian diaspora member in Brunei Darussalam Dr Mikdar Rusdi, who works as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Usuluddin at Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali.
In his Khutbah, Dr Mikdar Rusdi encouraged the congregation to continue to maintain all acts of worship and practices carried out during the fasting month of Ramadhan so that they can continue in the other months.
He said Muslims who have attended the ‘Madrasah Ramadhan’ must be able to maintain their faith and become pious individuals with noble personalities.
After the prayers and a halal bihalal event at the embassy, the ambassador, accompanied by Siti Rif’ah, attended the Istana VIP open house at Istana Nurul Iman.
The annual event brings together Brunei high-level officials and Heads of Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Brunei to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri together.
Brunei Darussalam celebrated Hari Raya on March 31, the same day as in Indonesia and most Muslim countries. – Lyna Mohamad
