The Perspective of the Malay-Muslim Undertaker on the Badi of a Human Corpse

Abstract

The badi of a human corpse is a feeling of fear particularly for those involved in being an undertaker. In the Malay community, an individual is assumed to have been affected by the badi of a corpse when there are symptoms which include the following: sleepless nights, joint aches, and pains, feeling disturbed and fearful. These symptoms are experienced during and after the process of the funeral which involves certain aspects such as: the corpse, the condition of the corpse, the burial of the deceased, the products used in the funeral proceedings, the burial site or ground and the cemetery. In addition, this study focuses on the perspective of the Malay-Muslim undertakers in Kedah, Perak, and Kelantan on their experiences with the badi of a human corpse. In this study, the research method is a combination of library research and interviews with the respondents. The gathered qualitative data is analyzed thematically. The research findings show that the concept of badi comprised of several factors which include being religiously and spiritually weak as well as the disturbance of evil spirits. The prime motivation of this particular study is to raise the awareness of the causes of badi and the importance of the prevention of the badi of the deceased. This study also made several recommendations to minimize and prevent the badi of a human corpse based on the experiences of these Malay-Muslim undertakers.