Thursday, July 12, 2012

Another trip to the Cemetary

The gentleman in green Malay baju has lost his only son who was 51 years of age to a respiratory complications.  He is the brother of my cousin in law and so at three in the morning sometime in the early morning hours my cousin and I were at his house making sure all goes accordingly in getting things prepared for the burial next day. The death having taken place  at what is considered an early age an autopsy was required by law and this had to be performed at the Hospital in Balik Pulau whis is pratically on the other side of the Island. So the corpse was driven  from his home all the way to Balik Pulau and there was kept in the cooler as there was no doctors available to perform the autopsy. We came home in the early morning when the sun was rising.
I did not care too much for the family as they seemed rather aloof even given the fact that I was there lending a helping hand for my cousin's sake i hung in there without loosing my cool. Sometimes it does makes you wonder if it is all worth the effort for  helping those whose head is either buried in the sand or stuck in the clouds. The grave was located close to where most of their relatives were to be found buried and as space was not readily available most burials had to be done on top of older existing graves. In a way it is the beauty of the Dato'Keramat Cemetery where my ancestors were all buried alongside each other or one on top of another. The cemetery has a a landscape of its own which evokes the transitory -ness of life and the lack of lack of permanence of this physical world.  
It is not uncommon to see gravestones being temporarily removed from a burial site as it is a common practice here mostly due to lack of space. Islam places not too much attachment to the  departed in the physical form like the Chinese do. It is not due to lack of respect or care, that although it could be better taken care of, but most Malays in general are not into making things or the environment look pretty or neat, somehow the sanctity of the cemetery does not warrant such great care in thier lives except comes the end of Ramadan when most visit the graves of their loved ones.  

It is the Muslim practice that the dead is to be buried as soon as possible not wanting to pass the tweny four hours cycle of the death period; keeping the dead for days in the house for moarning is not the Muslim way. From earth to earth as soon as possible with as less fanfare as need be and as little show of sorrow as necessary. The Chinese on the other hand are known to hire mourners for the dear departed and the funeral procession often reminds one of the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans.  

Muslims must have the cheapest means of burial as that is how the religion ask of  its followers. The rituals are simple and fast. The hole dug in this case was barely four feet deep and it was beginning to fill up with water when I took a peek into it. I was warned not to step too close as the walls were likely to crumble. Carrying the corpse from the main road into the grave site was a task i would not want to repeat too often as i was struggling with the weight while falling all over gravestones in trying to make my way to the hole.
Simplicity is the key to a Muslim burial, at least in this country most who were present sat around waiting for the event to be over with. Perfumed water is sprinkled after the completion of the burial and the imam recites verses from the Quran especially for the dead. Ironically in my view here is when you are told who you really are and what lays in store for you in the event of your death. The basic instructions given for you to cope with the upcoming events after all the mourners have departed were spelled out and you are sent on your journey in the afterlife.
It is strangely peaceful whenever i wisit the grave yard at Dato' Kramat on perak Road in Georgetown. it is where my Grandfather and grandmother were buried and so my aunties and uncles, those that have left this world for the next. It never fails to remind me that someday, somewhere I too will have to be carried and deposited into the hole, next to or on top of someone who was there before me.
For those who have rarely of never at all visited the cemetery or grave yard in their lives, my advice is to try and make an effort to do so as it is in its own way a comforting experience and a good cure for those whose minds are governing every moves of their lives; it is a grounding experience.

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