By Azlan Othman
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam last night underlined that Brunei showcase its grand image as a fountain of peace and harmony. In delivering his 'titah' to mark today's Feast of Sacrifice, His Majesty said this is a reward from Allah that promises to reward peace unto those who multiply their praise to Allah or 'Zikir'.
"Brunei is always with 'ar-Rahman', which always makes 'Zikir' a daily way of life. Hence, Allah's blessings keep us away from calamity, difficulty and from any elements that could jeopardise peace and tranquility.
"By God's Will, I will strive to make Brunei a 'nation of Zikir' that will always glorify
Allah, for us to continue to be under his guidance, in line with the promise in Surah Al-Baqarah versus 152 which reads 'those who remember Allah, Allah will remember them'," the monarch added.
His Majesty also said, "What is more perfect and more pure other than Allah remembering us? The nation and the people are part of Allah's creations.
"Hence, let us look for protection in all fields of life, for the blessings bestowed on the nation and the people for everlasting security and prosperity.
"We hope for peace in all our activities, in management, administration and in development. In short, in 'living' in a nation. This is the ambition of the ummah in the world as peace is like a big river that waters all plants. If it never dries, then it is truly the source of prosperity and wealth."
His Majesty also called on the ummah to glorify Allah with 'Takbir' and 'Tahmid'. "While we glorify Allah, Allah will uplift our status, as Allah will not reciprocate good deeds with penalty. Whenever we carry out good deeds, Allah will multiply those good deeds.
"By glorifying Allah, we are closer to the Almighty and those who come close to Allah are the ones who enjoy a peaceful life.
"Today, we witnessed millions of ummah glorifying Allah at the holy city of Mecca. They are the good example of people who glorify Allah. In my opinion, they are the people who enjoy the true meaning of blessings. They perform Zikrullah (remembering Allah) that leads to the ultimate peace in life.
"Enjoying peace is similar to living without fear. The country will only be considered peaceful if it is free from any fear. Many countries in this world, regardless of size and strength, cannot achieve peace as they are still living in fear."
"Some quarrel among each other, fear war, calamity, poverty, collapse of the economy, infectious diseases and so on. These are the destroyer of peace and stability," His Majesty said.
- Borneo Bulletin
(20th Dec 2007)
