One of thing that I would miss the most while
I was abroad was the feeling of Ramadhan which you can feel in a whole month, also
performing tarawih (sunnah prayer only in Ramadhan) in the Mesjid. In the urban side, after ifthar (breaking
fast) , man, women, children wearing kain sarung or mukena (white clothes cover
all over the body except face for women) would walk together to the mosque for
Tarawih. The road would be filled with
people, children would walk together
with friends, some put their smile of their faces. as if they are going to play
something somewhere. Some other time they might feel it little bit “lazy” if they ate too much during ifthar. That actually was the feeling of going for tarawih I had when I was a kid. At the end, my mom would still tell me to go,
since it is only 30 days in 365 days of year. Never loose the chance, who knows
if the following years I will still be able to meet Ramaan.
This is one of the beauty of this
holy month which does not exist n another 11 months in a islamic calendar.
![]() |
Grad Mosque Baiturrahman - Aceh | Src : http://bit.ly/29cuRZ0 |
I’ve been a way for too long, and
that memories still lingered in my mind. That's also how I picture Ramadhan
would be. But the fact is little bit different for this year. In Banda Aceh, the
city where I live now, the government has done a great job ( for 3 years in a
row) by inviting couple of imams from Saudi Arabia for the last 10 days of
Ramadhan. The purpose of this activity is to encourage people to still fill the
mesjid, not only at the beginning of Ramadhan, but also till the end of the
month, which also in line with what the Prophet have showed that we should
increase the amount of prays in the last 10 days of ramadhan.
![]() |
Performing Qiyamul Lail | Src : http://bit.ly/29leDMz |
The three imams will lead the
isya, tarawih, qiyamul lail until Subh prayer in couple of Mesjid, such as Mesjid
Al Makmur Lampriet, Mesjid Baitul
Musyahadah (Kupiah Meukeutop Seutui), while another one of the imam will have a
schedule organized by the local government.
Somehow I still could not believe
what I’ve seen regarding the jamaat who filled the mesjids. I’ve seen some
pictures shared in social media, even at 3 am in the morning, the mesjids are
fillled. As far as I used to know,
people will fill the mesjid only in the first half of the month, and will
decrease from tme to time, and increase again at the end. Allahu Akbar, it
gives me goosebumps while looking at th pictures.
![]() |
A man preparing Sahoor for 1000 people | Src : http://bit.ly/29leDMz |
I myself never been to one, as it
in the middle of the night, and have to go to work early morning too. But I
already plan for this weekend inshaAllah. But few days a go I’ve seen something
similar, and somehow I could picture how it looks like duing the night.
Beside the Imams, the local
government also invited a Hafidz family, a parent and their three childrens who
live with quran in their heart. They gave
a short seminar couple days a go in Mesjid Al Makmur, and it was filled with
people, man, woman, children. Being
there itself with that many people already gave me goosebumps, and even more
when one of the kid started to recite the quran. Allahu Akbar.
The Hafidz family will have a couple
days training for hafidz program, where 150 people already registed to take a
part at this program. I wish I knew earlier about this, so that I can register
my nephew, as they are also learning to be a hafidz.
Pro and Con of Sharia Law
There are people who are against this program. But it happen in any
aspect of life anyway. Not everyone will support you, it’s either for a good
cause or not.
Personally, as i grew up in this province, I didn’t see
anything strange regarding the implementation of Islam here. We live with it,
and somehow it is our culture too. It becomes one with us. Of course there also exist people who practice differently in some other part of the province.
But it doesn’t mean that we, as
Muslim here, do not open to another culture or religion. There are many non
Muslims around here. There are many articles too written about them, who
live peacefully surrounded by Muslim community.
I lived in non-Muslim countries for years and got almost no
discrimination, why would I do such thing to other people here, right? I mean,
even I experienced some, why would I want somebody feels the same anyway.
I can't blame people who think
strange or against what so called as human rights (for practicing Islam). My
own aunt had asked if I was belong to any (radical) Muslim group, because I
wear my head scarf since I was 12. Seriously? why do I have to be in a radical group just to wear it.
There are people out there who
has no idea regarding Islam, or know only small part of it which shows the scary
side of people who claim themselves as Muslim. Well, media plays a big part, as
they keep showing those terrorist attack around the world which usually refers
to (radical) Islamic group.
Aceh as Tourist Destination
As one of the place in Indonesia with
Sharia Law, Banda Aceh is trying its best to promote itself as an Islamic
tourist destination. Personally I think Ramadan in Banda Aceh would be one of
a good time to experience living in Islamic way. Especially the night program
of Ramadan. I am saying this as a
person who lived in non-muslim countries for years and it really excites me to
find the night program of Ramadan in the city. It just feels so different from
what I’ve seen years ago. It feels so good.
Beside that, Banda Aceh has alot other places to visit. The grand mosque of Baiturrahman for example. The Mesjid located in the center of the city, it has beautiful architecture and hold a long history. Worth to visit
***
I post about this since couple of my (non muslim) friends had wondered about Aceh , especially Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar and Sabang. One of their questions was about Ramadan here. So here it is , little bit of it :D
malam2 gini baca bahasa inggris.. bikin pusing ya? :D
ReplyDeletehahahahaha... google translate mana ya :D
Delete