Muhammad Radjab was a Minangkabau youth whose autobiographical recollection, cited by Van Ronkel, records the festive use of Arabic kasidas—notably the Burda—during a religious school ceremony in a Minangkabau village in the early 20th‑century Indonesia. His narrative offers a rare first‑person perspective on the lived experience of Arabic devotional poetry, the role of hadji‑clad boys in processions, and the syncretic character of Islamic education in the region.
Narrative Details
Radjab describes a procession in which boys dressed as hadji led the group while chanting verses from the Burda and other kasidas. The chanting underscored the cultural diffusion of Arabic poetic forms into local religious practice, illustrating how Islamic devotional literature was integrated into the educational rituals of early‑20th‑century Minangkabau society.
See Also
Source
20260707_232246_DLP-54-Een_16de_eeuwse_Maleise_vertaling_van_de_Burda_van_al_Bu_s_i_ri_OCR.txt, pp. 22‑23.