Friday Ceramah In Kota Bharu

In my Kota Bharu In Pictures Part 2 blog I did mention in passing about the ceramah (talk) which the local call as ngajar (preaching) on every Friday morning around the PAS Building in Jalan Dewan Pas. I did post a few pictures on the subject.
I will go deeper on this Friday morning preachings since it should be something interesting for readers to know abit more about it.
Today is another Friday and I was pleasantly surprised to hear my new blogger friend En. Hussin of HBO's Place answering my enquiry of weather he has found the nasi dagang for his breakfast today. It wasn't the answer whether he has found it or not that surprised me but the answer that he was around the area of Dewan Pas listening to Friday preachings by PAS leaders. Personally I think such preachings are not really religious talks perse but a political talk under the guise of a religious preaching. That is a cunning way of circumventing the law against illegal gathering as imposed by the current government. Anyway the basis of the talk will always be based on religious teachings but a reference will always be made on the perceived wrongs of the present Federal Government or the opposition in the state as an example to illustrate the points raised. Hopefully Hussin was able to listen to Tok Guru himself and not just from any others as it would be a great miss if he were to miss Tok Guru's preaching as his is more apt as an example of preaching though some insinuations and innuendoes were often used. They are very subtle anyway.
En.Hussin came to Kota Bharu with his family for a holiday. He has been doing it without fail once in every 2 or 3 years thus far. Yesterday I met him for the first time at the Sutera Inn and this is our picture at the Hotel Lobby taken by his son.
En. Hussin and yours truly.

We have been keeping in contact and he has informed me of his arrival and I kept my promise to meet him while they were in Kota Bharu. He himself often comes to Kota Bharu for business but I guess he has yet to explore the town. To Encik Hussin, I dedicate to you this blog.

I can't recall since when the preachings at Dewan PAS Kota Bharu started. As far as I can remember it has been going on for a long time. If it is a religious preaching I wonder why it is not held at any of the mosques around Kota Bharu where the compound is large enough to accomodate such a crowd without having to close sections of the roads in the middle of Kota Bharu.
The ceramah at Dewan PAS is a weekly affair and it is done on every Friday morning. In the earlier days the ceramah were done within the building and the attendees often spill into the street around it and often disrupting traffic. Nowadays the roads around it namely Jalan Dewan Pas, Jalan Hulu Pasar, Jalan Ismail and Jalan Suara Muda will be closed to traffic from early morning till the ceramah is over around noon.
On the day that I attended Tuan Guru spoke about the need to learn languages as a tool of learning and trade. He mentioned what the State had done to get the young to study Mandarin! Mandarin is second after English. A handfull has already studied under the state's sponsorship. More of the other languages of the world will be added according to the need of the time. How wise for a leader of one State under the opposition. We will have to wait for En. Husin's take on the content of his sermon on Friday the 8th of February. Let us see if he will concur on what I said.
Tuan Guru Nik Aziz has his own way of delivering a ceramah. His style is always to let others speak before him and build up the tempo and mood to such a peak that when his turn comes, the audience will just lap it up. He will come in with at a very low whispering level so much so that his audience will immediately turn quiet from the high murmuring among themsleves. This has never failed to bring the audience to rapt attention and quiet in order to hear what he is saying. Whatever political substance that need to be delivered has been delivered by the speakers before him. He will need only to subtlely touch on the politcal subjects just to lend credence to what has been said.

I heard that from as far back as 1995 bus loads of Singaporeans had been coming to Kelantan with the aim of listening to his Friday talk. I guess the crowd must have gotten so large that the hall inside the building were not able to accomodate the large crowd. The switch to the outdoors was most appropriate.

This occassion is an opportune time for small time entrpreneurs to seek a living by having something of a flea market. The following pictures capture the ambience of a Friday morning sermon around Dewan Pas which my friend Encik Husin and family came to witness during this Chinese New Year Break. Why not make it an attraction for Visit Kelantan Year 2008?



Tok Guru has his distinctive way of making his ceramah be it at such functions or at political ceramahs. He wil let others talk before him and he will be the last to deliver not matter what time it is. The fiery oratory of the others will set the mood of the crowd for him. When he coms on the crowd will be still abuzz. He will start very slowly in very subdued tone. That way te crowd will have to automatically keep quiet in order to hear him because he will speak in such a low level that you could barely hear him. The effect is stupendous. It will be a silence just likethe great orator before him, the late Asri Muda who helmed PAS before Tok Guru Nik Aziz.
Jalan Dewan PAS is closed for the occassion


Stalls selling all sort of things were setup at the fringe of the area.

The raised platform where the speakers speak from

Tuan Guru delivering his preaching.

The view from the muslimat side

The big poster displaying the who is who in PAS

Any place to sit will do.

Speakers are placed all around the building

Second hand clothing anyone?

Malay kuihs of multi hues and colour

Traditional cures.

She is the seller.

This is buah gorek (Caesalpinia bonducella). Havent seen these seeds for so long. We used these seeds to play the congkak, now its a traditional cure for kidney problem.

Ikan Linang
Ubi Jaga. Didn't ask the owner what can be cured by it

Bought a bottle of this oil of various woods. Used it to reduce my back pain.

A massage oil made from various sea creatures including the sea horse.

She sells honey. It must be pure honey from the wild bees.

Perfumes that are guaranteed to contain no alcohol.

Even the backlanes are not spared.

This cheeky guy is selling coffee that will give gentlemen the booster they need for a better performance.We call it buah katak puru (toad fruit). The white ones are of course duck eggs.

Second hand bicycles from Japan are being sold at RM280 a piece.

Whatever you want, we have it.

A chinese couple looking for Malay kuihs.
Ikan karin, the fighting fish are also sold there.

A heavy shower ended the ceramah prematurely.

The rush to get home