Typical bruneians

Salaam brothers and sisters, have you ever wondered why bruneians are so polite, soft spoken, shy and smile a lot. I might be exagerating here and tooting my own horn, but try to put a bruneian in an international crowd and see what i mean.

The cypriot hotel owner,(forgot the name of the hotel in Norfolk square just infront of Brunei Hall) asked us this question.Why are you bruneians so good, very polite, never make noise, never make mess in the room? All bruneians that lived here i have no complaints for them.Akhi zawawi (hi zaw) explained to him almost word for word what His Majesty the Sultan replied when Sheikh Ahmed Babikir asked his Majesty the very same question.

Oh yeah, we went to the Fosis conference in Birmingham 2 weeks ago when there was Sheikh Ahmed Babikir telling this story to the whole audience (with only 2 bruneians hehe). The talk was about preserving the legacy of islam and one of the methods was da'wah through good character.

He went "I was invited a few years ago by the Sultan of Brunei to give a lecture, and MashaAllah it is one of the most beautiful places i have ever seen, not because of its structures but because of its people, so after the lecture i came up to His Majesty asking him how come your subjects are very nice, polite, well mannered?"

And wAllahi brothers and sisters, this is what His Majesty's reply is " Islam came to Brunei through good character, the traders of Yemen brought Islam and showed good character, the locals fell in love with their good character and embraced Islam as a way of life." Allahu akhbar, MashaAllah, very wise words. A perfect example that Islam did not spread by sword. MashaAllah.

Abu Hurayrah reported that Rasulullah SAW said "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should either say good things or be silent and be kind to his neighbours and hospitable to his guests"(Sahih Bukhari &Muslim)

The quality of hospitality has been one of the most powerful means of propagating Islam.(Dr Bilal Philips,1997)When Muslim traders settled in SE Asia and Africa , this quality of hospitality amazed the populations and many accepted Islam because of the superiority of these virtues(Dr Bilal Phililps,1997). SubhanAllah.

So give your bruneian brothers a break guys, good manners are in their blood.hehe. Just be nice to everyone and treat them as your best friends. Ikram ul muslimeen it's called.This goes for me as well, inshaAllah,

Rasulullah SAW gave emphasis to these characteristics because of the practical value which they have. As Muslims, we believe in Allah and the Last Day, but if our belief is not expressed in practical terms like being kind to people around us, then it may be more than empty words.(Dr Bilal Philips, 1997)