His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam said a person who faces adversity or joy with equal measure of composure is the one who is entitled to receive rewards from Allah the Almighty.

His Majesty said this in his Hari Raya Aidilfitri titah last night in reference to the recent crash of the Royal Brunei Air Force's Bell 212 helicopter which killed 12 personnel of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

"Regardless of the circumstances, be it during joy or sorrow, we have an obligation to thank Allah the Almighty as joy and sorrow is determined by the Almighty."

Allah the Almighty's Will has a meaning and is meant as a lesson for mankind. "Happiness would probably please one's heart while adversity is aimed more towards providing us a lesson. Both lead towards our well-being," His Majesty said.

The monarch added, not everything we like must be good and those that we dislike not good. This has been said by Allah the Almighty in Surah Al-Baqarah of the Quran, verse 216 which says ... it may be that you dislike

a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Only Allah knows and you don't.

As the nation prepared to happily welcome Ramadhan, suddenly an unexpected disaster happened, which was the helicopter crash that killed several personnel of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. It was a tragic accident, more so to the families of the victims, His Majesty said.

"Certainly, we did not want such a disaster to happen but it happened as it was destined by Allah the Almighty, which was unavoidable.

"When we refer to such verse, we could only think of Allah the Almighty's Will as the rest is only known to Him. If we could accept Allah's Will patiently, then we are entitled to receive the reward from Allah the Almighty.

"What is the reward?" His Majesty asked. "Reward is most valuable and priceless and is not a commodity to be traded, but merely a gift from Allah to those that He wants. It will be held in the afterlife, a day when we want nothing but rewards solely with one condition that we are requested to be patient and willing to accept Allah's Will, as a test from the Almighty.

"The reward for our patience, by Allah's Will, would be held by the person concerned in line with the level of patience," His Majesty said.

"Those who are living are obliged to pray for those who have departed before us and that their souls are blessed and placed among the pious."

His Majesty was also thankful to be able to complete fasting throughout the month of Ramadhan. "We are now thankful for being able to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Our way of expressing gratefulness is through expressing Takbir and Tahmid glorifying Allah soon after the announcement of the first day of Hari Raya is made. The next morning, it would be much more lively with the recitation at mosques and suraus throughout the country.

"Here's the beauty of Islam which is always showered with thanks and glorifying Allah. Muslims should not stop from expressing gratefulness and should not shy away from glorifying Allah," His Majesty said.

In conclusion, His Majesty and his family wished "Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri al-Mubarak" to all citizens and residents, regardless of where they are, with the hope that this festivity is celebrated in a peaceful and comfortable manner under the guidance of Allah the Almighty. - Borneo Bulletin (20 August 2012)