BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

A NATIONWIDE cleaning campaign for mosques and prayer halls will begin tomorrow to celebrate the beginning of the new year on the Islamic calendar.

One hundred and seventeen mosques and prayer halls will take part in the Ma’al Hijrah 1436 campaign, said Mosque Affairs Department Acting Director Hj Abdul Rajid Hj Mohd Salleh.

The campaign, first of its kind, will concentrate in five central mosques in the Sultanate and will be attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA).

One of the central mosques is the Jubli Perak Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque in Kg Jangsak.

Scheduled to attend at the mosque will be the Minister of Religious Affairs Yang Berhormat Pg Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohammad Pg Hj Abdul Rahman.

The other four main mosques include Mohamed Bolkiah mosque in Brunei-Muara, Hassanal Bolkiah mosque in Tutong, Zainab mosque in Belait and Mohammad Salleh main mosque in Temburong.

Hj Abdul Rajid said, "Participants taking part in the ceremony are expected to wear appropriate clothing.”

The cleaning campaign will hopefully help to strengthen the relationship among Muslims and to instill in them the understanding for beauty, attractiveness and environmental hygiene in our religion, he added.

Hj Abdul Rajid Hj Mohd Salleh in a press conference announced that the cleaning campaign is also meant to keep the toilets and ablution rooms in mosques clean.

Two of the ministry's departments have entered into a contractual agreement with private cleaning services to support the ministry's initiative in ensuring the cleanliness of the nation's mosques.

“The Mosque Affairs Department has collaborated with the Building and Maintenance Section, (both under MoRA), to appoint a number of cleaning service companies to clean toilets and ablution rooms to make it look clean and convenient for congregants,” he said.

Currently, the unnamed private companies have agreed to provide their services to 98 of the 117 participating mosques throughout the country, added the acting director.

“This effort will InsyaAllah extend to all mosques and prayer halls in the Sultanate,” he added.

Prayers for the Hijrah new year will be held in mosques throughout the country today following the Maghrib prayer.

There will also be Subuh lectures and tazkirah (sharing session) held in mosques across the nation.

Hijrah marks the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) migration from Mekah to Madinah in 622 AD that signifies a turning point in the history of Islam as it marks a major propagation of Islam.

The Brunei Times