Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Invites Muslims to Mark 1 Muharram with Self-Reflection

Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs (Wamenag) Romo Muhammad Syafii has invited all Muslims in the country to mark the Islamic New Year 1 Muharram 1448 Hijriah with self-reflection (muhasabah). “Muhasabah teaches us to evaluate the journey we have taken over the past year honestly and objectively,” said Wamenag Romo during the Gebyar Muharram 1448 Hijriah event organised by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of North Sumatra on Tuesday. He added that from self-reflection emerges a momentum for hijrah, which teaches every believer to embrace the spirit of moving towards a better condition. Wamenag said the Islamic New Year commemoration teaches Muslims three aspects: the momentum of muhasabah, the momentum of hijrah, and the momentum of tajdid (renewal). He also praised the North Sumatra MUI for successfully organising the commemoration, citing the strong support and participation of the community. “This shows that the public’s trust in MUI is currently very high, so we must maintain it well,” he said. The Gebyar Muharram activities organised by the North Sumatra MUI included the launch of a Hijri calendar, a walking competition, a speech contest, a mass sermon, a Marhaban competition, a poetry creation contest, and an MSME bazaar. Chairman of the organising committee Muhammad Jamil said around 2,000 Muslims filled the courtyard of the North Sumatra MUI office to take part in the event. “This event aims to ignite the spirit of Islamic revival within the community,” Jamil said.