There is no denying that Mat Kilau is a distinguished warrior in our country. Mat Kilau or real name Mat Kilau Bin Imam Rasu Bin Shahrom is said to have died twice (fake death) while fighting against the British colonialists in Pahang. The exact date of Mat Kilau’s birth cannot be ascertained exactly but it is estimated that Mat Kilau was born around 1865 to 1867 in Jerantut Pahang.
His father Rasu Bin Shahrom or better known as Tok Gajah was also a great fighter who led the rebel forces to oppose the British colonialists. As the son of Tok Gajah, Mat Kilau’s martial arts prowess cannot be disputed.
In addition to martial arts, at a young age, Mat Kilau also taught young children and adults to read the Quran. There are many more interesting stories about Mat Kilau that are cut off to reach today’s generation. Here we summarize a little about the practices and characteristics of Mat Kilau as narrated by his grandson, Sulong Bin Ibrahim and his friend named Tok Ngah Taib Bin Musa.
1. Mat Kilau practices dew water bath to strengthen the body
As told by Mat Kilau’s grandson, every morning Mat Kilau would take a walk around his house to see a little bit about the condition of the trees and plants. After that he will scoop up the dew water on the leaves of the tree to wet his face, hands and body.
Bathing in the dew here does not mean bathing soaking wet. It is enough to just wet the body with dew water on the leaves of the tree. There are also stated
According to the journal of health sciences, taking a deep breath of fresh air in the morning can keep the lungs and alveoli healthy. Walking in the morning even without running or “jogging”, can reduce the risk of obesity. In addition, walking in the morning can help you who have difficulty sleeping at night.
2. Mat Kilau prefers to walk rather than drive
Mat Kilau loves to walk. Going out to pay taxes walking, to the mosque walking, going anywhere just walking. According to Sulong Bin Ibrahim, he wanted to walk to the city which is 5 miles (about 8km) away.
It is difficult to see them driving, even small vehicles such as bicycles are not used. “If he comes to my house, he usually walks. When I invite him to ride a bicycle to be sent home, he doesn’t want to” said Sulong.
3. Mat Kilau only talks a lot with family and friends
From other sources, you can definitely hear the story that Mat Kilau was a quiet and assertive man. Mat Kilau talks less to strangers or is less close. However, according to his grandson (Sulong), Mat Kilau is not like that. Mat Kilau is willing to close his eyes until late at night just to talk to his grandchildren.
In addition to storytelling, Mat Kilau also taught his grandchildren to read the Quran and other matters of worship.
Among the games that Mat Kilau loves to play with his grandchildren are dice and hard fruit jigsaw puzzles (hard fruit fights). When Mat Kilau disguised himself as Mat Siam, one of the ways his close acquaintances confirmed that he was the real Mat Kilau was through this game.
4. Mat Kilau does not choose food and does not drink before finishing eating
Mat Kilau is not the type to choose food. He never ‘complained’ or complained about food. This is very much in line with the hadith of the Prophet SAW which reads:
Who are the sons of the prophets, may God be with them, and with all them that dwell therein?
“The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam never criticized food once. When he has an appetite (likes), he eats it. When he doesn’t like it, he leaves it (not eating it). ” (HR. Bukhari no. 5409 and Muslim no. 2064)
Apart from that, according to Sulong Bin Ibrahim, his grandfather, Mat Kilau, will not drink water as long as the food has not been consumed. Although no scientific studies can support this practice, but drinking water before or after a meal greatly helps the process of digestion of food in the stomach.
5. Mat Kilau loves sports to stay healthy and energetic
As we know, Mat Kilau is good at martial arts and fighting. There are even other stories saying he has been a martial arts teacher to some students. This fact alone proves that Mat Kilau is a ‘fit’, agile and tough.
Apart from martial arts, Mat Kilau also likes to play sepak raga and play tops. Topaz in the time of Mat Kilau is not a small topaz as big as a chicken egg as in our time, but topaz in the time of Mat Kilau can be said to be a traditional topaz almost as big as a man’s palm.
This practice of constant exercise should be followed to stay healthy and energetic. Furthermore, the times are getting more advanced with this gadget and internet technology. Young children are also less likely to play outside.
6. Mat Kilau does not stay in prayer and likes to recite (remembrance)
Ask anyone who knows Mat Kilau, for sure everyone will answer that he is a very ‘pious and pious’. Mat Kilau is very careful with his prayers and always reminds his family members to perform their prayers.
This is also narrated by Tok Ngah Taib Bin Musa, a friend of Mat Kilau who worked together with a king named Tengku Selia.
“At that time, Tok Ngah was still young and unmarried. Mat Kilau’s age at that time was more or less the same as Tok Ngah. The age difference is about one or two years only.
Mat Kilau is a handsome man. Her skin is very bright and white. His forehead is wrong (wide). Not very high, not very low. Not fat and not thin either. It’s just a simple person.
Mat Kilau is very pious. Prayer never stayed (throughout his introduction). Very fond of meratib (remembrance) and always pray before doing something.”
Do you know what Mat Kilau did after the announcement that he was still alive on December 20, 1969? Mat Kilau recited Al-Fatihah 3 times, holy verses and Surah Al-Baqarah verses 1 to 5.
7. Mat Kilau doesn’t like his picture taken
The event in 1969 where Mat Kilau had confessed that he was still alive was very big for our country. But why aren’t there many pictures that we can see on the internet?
This is because Mat Kilau is very abstinent and does not like his pictures taken by the media. However, after being persuaded by family members and given an explanation that it was to record historical events and for the good of his grandchildren as well, then Mat Kilau allowed the media to take his picture.
Why and why he did not like his picture taken, cannot be known. But it is a very rational step (according to the author) and should be followed by the current generation.
Society in this day and age is too easy to let pictures of them and their family members be the gaze of the public. Not to mention pictures, videos of indecent acts or nonsense are willing to be uploaded for public viewing on the internet. In conjunction with commemorating our country’s many deserving fighters, let us all safeguard the dignity of ourselves and our families so that we become a cultured, highly educated and developed society.