We are too confident that the disasters we often witness will never\nbefall us. We read, feel concerned, perhaps share the news on social\nmedia, then return to our routines as usual. Yet in recent days,\nIndonesia has once again been reminded that circumstances can change far\nmore quickly than we imagine.<\/p>\n
Mount Anak Krakatau has erupted again. Volcanic ash spread to several\nareas of Jakarta and West Java, also disrupting flight activity. On\nMonday (7\/9\/2026), eight airports were reported still closed due to the\nvolcanic ash, and around 170,000 passengers were affected by flight\ncancellations.<\/p>\n
At the same time, several regions of Indonesia still face the risk of\nforest and land fires as well as drought caused by the dry season. BNPB\nrecords that fires and drought remain the dominant disaster events in\nearly September.<\/p>\n
All of this seems to remind us of one thing we often forget: risks do\nnot always come one at a time, and almost never arrive at a time of our\nchoosing.<\/p>\n
We may not live near Mount Anak Krakatau. We may not be in an area\naffected by forest fires. But the impact of a disaster can travel far\nbeyond the point where it occurs. Flights are disrupted, economic\nactivity stalls, schooling patterns change, the distribution of goods is\naffected, and family expenses can suddenly rise.<\/p>\n
Then there are risks far closer to us: illness, accidents, job loss,\na business that suddenly goes quiet, a broken-down vehicle, a house in\nneed of repair, or a family member who suddenly requires a large sum of\nmoney.<\/p>\n
The question is therefore not only, \u201cIs our home safe?\u201d or \u201cAre we\nhealthy?\u201d There is another question that often only arises when it is\nalready too late: if I cannot work tomorrow, can my family still live as\nusual? That question sounds simple, but the answer can be a mirror of a\nfamily\u2019s financial health.<\/p>\n
We are in fact very accustomed to preparing for our health. We try to\neat nutritious food, sleep enough, exercise, have health check-ups, and\navoid habits that increase the risk of illness. We do not wait to fall\nill before starting to look after our bodies.<\/p>\n
But in financial matters, we often behave differently. We only think\nabout an emergency fund after losing a job. We only seek protection when\nwe fall ill.\u00a0We only calculate instalments when our income falls.<\/p>\n
We only realise the importance of cash when we need a large amount of\nmoney in a short time. It is as though we assume life will always run as\nit did the previous month. Yet life never gives us a calendar telling us\nwhen an emergency will arrive.<\/p>\n
That is why an emergency fund should not be something built after the\nsituation becomes an emergency. It must be built precisely when\ncircumstances are still good, when income is still coming in, when the\nbody is still healthy, when the business is still running, and when we\nstill have choices. For in truth, an emergency fund is not merely a sum\nof money sitting in an account. An emergency fund is the ability to buy\ntime when life suddenly does not go to plan.<\/p>\n
When someone loses their job, an emergency fund gives them time to\nlook for the next job without having to make any decision in a panic.\nWhen a family member falls ill, an emergency fund gives room to make\ndecisions without immediately going into debt.<\/p>\n
When a disaster strikes and economic activity is disrupted, an\nemergency fund helps the family continue to meet its basic needs. What\nwe are storing is not merely money. We are storing room to breathe.<\/p>\n
BNPB itself includes cash as one of the key components of the\nDisaster Preparedness Bag, alongside important documents, food and\nwater, medicines, communication devices, lighting, masks, and other\nbasic needs. The message is simple, but often escapes us: when an\nemergency comes, preparedness requires not only goods, but also\nliquidity.<\/p>\n
And interestingly, the idea of preparing oneself before hard times is\nnot something new in Islam. The story of the Prophet Yusuf (peace be\nupon him) offers a lesson highly relevant to how we manage our finances\ntoday.<\/p>\n
When interpreting the King of Egypt\u2019s dream, the Prophet Yusuf\nexplained that seven years of plenty would come, followed by seven years\nof hardship. But what is remarkable is not only his ability to read what\nwould happen. More important is what was done before those hard times\narrived.<\/p>\n
During the years of plenty, the harvest was managed and stored well\nso it could be used when the lean years came. There is a profound\neconomic message there: when life is comfortable, do not spend\neverything we have only on today. A portion must be set aside for the\nday when circumstances are no longer as comfortable as they are now.\nThis is one of the lessons we can draw from QS Yusuf verses 47\u201348.<\/p>\n
Translated into family life today, the \u201cyears of plenty\u201d can mean\nwhen income is still stable, work is still secure, the body is still\nhealthy, and the business is still running. Meanwhile, the \u201clean years\u201d\nneed not take the form of a great crisis like that of the Prophet\nYusuf\u2019s time. It can arrive as job loss, illness, disaster, falling\nrevenue, rising expenses, or family needs that we never planned for.<\/p>\n
Therefore, preparing an emergency fund does not mean we are\npessimistic about the future. Quite the opposite: we are showing\ngratitude for the comfortable times Allah has granted us today. But\nthere is one thing that must also be understood: an emergency fund is\nnot the answer to every financial risk a family faces.<\/p>\n
Having an emergency fund is certainly important, but it does not mean\nall of a family\u2019s financial risks are resolved. Serious illness, loss of\nincome, accidents, or the death of a breadwinner can require far greater\nsums. That is why an emergency fund should be the first layer of\nprotection, not the only one.<\/p>\n
So how should an emergency fund be managed?<\/p>\n
First, set the amount based on expenditure, not income. Calculate the\nessential needs that genuinely must be paid each month, including food,\nhousing, electricity, education, transport, obligatory instalments, and\nother important needs. After that, set a target.<\/p>\n
For those who are single, a few months\u2019 worth of expenditure may be\nenough as a start. For families with children or with only one source of\nincome, the emergency fund will naturally need to be larger.<\/p>\n
Second, separate the emergency fund from the everyday account. Money\nmixed in with a spending balance is more easily used for things that are\nnot actually emergencies. This fund should be placed in instruments that\nare relatively safe and easily liquidated. Do not chase returns that are\ntoo high at the expense of access when the money is truly needed.<\/p>\n
Third, define clearly when the fund may be used. Holidays, a new\nphone, buying discounted goods, or consumer desires are not emergencies.\nThis fund is used when there is an urgent need that cannot be postponed\n\u2014 for example, job loss, uncovered healthcare costs, repairs to a vital\nhome or vehicle, or other conditions that prevent the family from\nmeeting its basic needs.<\/p>\n
Fourth, refill it after use. An emergency fund is not a target\nachieved once and finished. If part of it has been used, the next\npriority is to restore it to a safe level. That way, the family does not\nface the next emergency in an even more fragile financial position.<\/p>\n
And most importantly, do not wait until you have a lot of money to\nbegin. An emergency fund can be built little by little. Set aside a\nfixed amount each time you receive income and treat it as an obligation,\nnot as money saved only if there is a surplus.<\/p>\n
In the end, a family\u2019s financial health is not only about how much\nwealth has been accumulated, but also about how strongly the family can\nhold on when things do not go to plan. From a sharia perspective,\nsafeguarding wealth and protecting the family is part of a trust. We are\nnot asked to know when calamity will come, but we are taught to make an\neffort before hard times arrive.<\/p>\n
The story of the Prophet Yusuf teaches a simple principle: when times\nof plenty come, prepare for times of hardship. Today, perhaps your\nincome is still flowing. Your body is still healthy. Your business is\nstill turning. Your home is still safe. Precisely because of that, this\nis the best time to prepare.<\/p>\n
For when the emergency has already arrived, we no longer have much\nroom to choose. We do not know when the storm will come. But we can\nchoose not to face it empty-handed.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-is-on-alert-what-about-our-finances-1788763963", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }