Senior Citizen Gives Back To Community By Building Coffins For Free

KUALA NERUS, May 18 (Bernama) -- A senior citizen, together with his two sons, from Kampung Padang Kemunting in Batu Rakit near here, has chosen his own way of giving back to the local community in the form of making coffins for free.

Possessing carpentry skills after decades of being a builder, Omar Mohamed, 68, with the help of his sons Marozi, 38, and Maridwan, 36, now spends his time making coffins to be given out for free whenever there is a death in Kampung Padang Kemunting and two nearby villages, namely Kampung Alor Gajah and Kampung Tanjung Kedepan.

"I began making coffins for sale in 2012. Unfortunately, I often faced the problem of not having sufficient capital to buy the wood and necessary equipment. Then in 2018, I decided to give away the coffins for free, he said when met by Bernama at his home in Kampung Padang Kemunting here.

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"Alhamdulillah, after that I received a lot of funds from people who knew that I did this for free. Now, I not only always have enough money to buy wood but I can also afford equipment such as a wood cutting machine to facilitate the work of coffin making."

The father of eight said his heart was also moved to make coffins for free when he learned that some villagers were having difficulty paying for the funeral costs of their family members as nowadyas it costs over RM1,000 including the coffin which is priced at RM250.

Although he gives these coffins free of charge to residents of the three villages, Omar does not charge residents from other villages who also wish to place orders for coffins from him.

"To Kampung Padang Kemunting, Kampung Alor Gajah, and Kampung Tanjung residents, we do give free coffins regardless of whether the deceased is from a rich or poor family. But for outsiders too, we will give it for free if we know the family of the deceased cannot afford it,” he said.

"Even if the family can afford it, I do not put any price on the coffins. Just being sincere is enough. Some contribute only RM20 but there are also those who are able to (give more), and know that I give these coffins for free to the poor, so these family members contribute a bigger amount," he said.

Omar said he makes coffins that are usually seven feet long and 20 inches wide using various types of wood such as durian tree wood, kedondong wood and pulai wood that he buys or donates from local residents.

He said about 20 coffins can be produced from a large tree and it takes him about an hour to make a coffin.

"Usually, I keep four to five coffins in stock but will immediately look for new trees to make another 20 coffins to keep as stock as sometimes there are consecutive deaths in a period of just a few days," he said.

In addition, he offers the service of delivering the body of the deceased from home to the mosque or grave using his four-wheel drive without charging any fee.

"Previously, I used a hearse (van) donated by an individual but the vehicle, which was over 10 years old, kept breaking down so now I only use a Toyota Hilux that I bought using my KWSP (Employee Provident Fund) money a few years ago. However, two or three days ago, the village mosque received the donation of a new hearse," he said.

Meanwhile, Maridwan said he was grateful that some of his friends contributed their services free of charge during the weekends to help his father and brother's initiative.

"My friends and I help my father not just to fill our free time on the weekends or as a hobby, but it is more of doing good deeds towards the afterlife. That's why friends who come to work here on weekends never ask for wages. They do it voluntarily," he said.

The young man who works as a handyman is determined to continue the charity work even after his father is no more.

-- BERNAMA