It never crossed the mind of Nur Risiyati, a 54-year-old teacher at\nSMPN 2 Gedongwuni in Pekalongan Regency, Central Java, to perform the\nHajj this year. The main encouragement came from her mother, who gave\nher advice shortly before passing away. \u201cThe waiting time for Hajj is\nlong now; you should register first. Once you are registered, you can\nwait for several years,\u201d her mother advised, as recounted by Nur\nRisiyati at the Yacoub Baik Algodandi 2 Hotel in the Syisyah area of\nMakkah, Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Her mother compared registering for Hajj to buying a car. According\nto her, cars will always be available at dealerships, but Hajj quotas\nare not necessarily available every year, and on average, people must\nwait a long time for their turn. \u201cUltimately, my husband and I were\nmoved to register for Hajj. I registered in December 2012,\u201d said\nRisiyati, who teaches Indonesian language. She explained that at the\ntime, they saved up and secured a Hajj portion with an estimated\ndeparture in 2024. Due to the expansion of the Grand Mosque and the\nCovid-19 pandemic, her departure had to be postponed. \u201cI was worried\nbecause I am getting older,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A glimmer of hope appeared when, at the end of 2025, her name\nappeared on the list of pilgrims scheduled to depart in 2026. However,\nshe was confused because the official summons did not arrive. \u201cI was\noverjoyed because almost every day, every month, I checked my Hajj\nportion and saw my name would depart in 2026, but the summons did not\ncome. After it was officially confirmed, I was so happy. My feelings\nwere truly indescribable,\u201d she said. Following this, she resolved to\nsettle the Hajj Travel Cost (Bipih), amounting to IDR 54,193,806. After\nthe initial registration fee of IDR 25 million was deposited in 2012,\nshe only needed to pay off around IDR 29 million. She was aware that\nthis was not the total operational cost of the pilgrimage, as the Hajj\nOperational Cost (BPIH) reached IDR 87,409,366. \u201cAlhamdulillah, I\nreceived a subsidy from the government through BPKH,\u201d Risiyati\nstated.<\/p>\n
As a civil servant, she is grateful that both she and her husband\ncould pay off the cost, thanks to the saving habits they had practised\nsince registering 14 years ago. \u201cAlhamdulillah, we could settle it using\nour savings. As civil servants, we set aside money little by little in\nsavings,\u201d she explained. \u201cAlhamdulillah, thanks to the Hajj Financial\nManagement Agency, there is this subsidy from the government. When we\nthink about it, with IDR 54 million, the facilities might not have been\nthis adequate\u2014like the good hotel, daily nutritious meals, suitcases,\nand so on. We have never lacked for anything,\u201d she said. She advised\nprospective pilgrims not to think they must pay the Hajj costs all at\nonce, recommending they save little by little. \u201cBy saving, Insya Allah\nthe burden can be lightened. You only need to think about buying\nsouvenirs,\u201d she said. Risiyati also urged prospective pilgrims to save\nextra money to meet their needs while in the Holy Land. \u201cWe should save\nextra for daily allowances, buying souvenirs, and events back home such\nas thanksgiving ceremonies and farewell gatherings. When saving, we need\nto account for these other things as well,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gradual-savings-and-safe-fund-management-the-two-pillars-of-indonesias-hajj-sustainability-1780703520", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }