said to be the saint himself who moves them. To the knob of the grave-post is
tied a strip of white cloth as a sign of recent death.^112
Leaves are then strewn on the ground at the left of the grave, and the five cubits
of white cloth alluded to above are spread out to form a mat, upon which the
Imām takes his seat, the rest of the company being seated upon the leaves.
Eagle-wood and sandal-wood water (ayer gharu chĕndana) is then brought to
the Imām, who pours it out in three libations, each time sprinkling the grave
from the head to the foot. If any water is left, the Imām sprinkles it upon any
other graves which may be near, whilst the shredded flowers (bunga rampai) are
then similarly disposed of. Next is read the talkin, which is an exhortation
(ajaran) addressed to the deceased. It is said that during the process of reading
the Talkin the corpse momentarily revives, and, still lying upon its side, raises
itself to a listening position by reclining upon its right elbow (bĕrtĕlku) and
resting its head upon its hand.^113 This is the reason^114 for removing the bands
of the shroud, as the body is left free to move, and thus in groping about
(mĕraba-raba) with its left hand feels that its garment is without a hem or
selvage, and then first realising that it must be really dead, composes itself to
listen quietly to whatever the Imām may say, until at the close of the exhortation
it falls back really lifeless! Hence the most absolute silence must be observed
during the exhortation. The Imām then repeats, by way of “doxology,” the
tahalil or mĕratib, “la-ilaha-illa-’llah” (“there is no god but God”), in company
with the rest of the assembly, all present turning their heads and rocking
themselves from side to side as they sit, whilst they reiterate the words a hundred
times, commencing slowly till thirty-three times are reached, then increasing the
pace up to the sixty-sixth time, and concluding with great rapidity. The
contributions in the alms-basin (batil) are then divided among the entire
company as alms (sĕdĕkah). The master of the house then invites those present
to partake at about five p.m. of the funeral feast, which in no way differs from an
ordinary Malay banquet, the more solid portion of the meal (makan nasi) being
followed by the usual confectionery and preserved fruits. The Imām then reads
prayers, and the company breaks up. The decorations for the funeral are left for
three days undisturbed. During these three days the nearer neighbours are
feasted, both in the morning and evening, at the usual Malay hours; and for three
days every night at about ten P.M. the service called “Reading the Korān to the
Corpse” (mĕngajikan maiat) is performed, either by the Imām or somebody
hired for the purpose. This is an important duty, the slightest slip being regarded