Clearing the Bedi Forest (Babad Alas Bedi)

Because he was tawadhu’ (humble) and unwilling to take his father’s place while his father was still alive, Ibrahim was given the forest land that had been Brotonegoro’s gift. Together with his wife he cleared the forest, which was notorious for being haunted. The disturbances of spirits (genderuwo, wewe, memedi) were subdued through prayer and wirid (litanies of remembrance), then ‘placed’ in a tree to the south-east of the mosque. From the word ‘memedi’ → ‘medi’ → ‘mbedi’ came the name Bedi (±1848–1849).