Dewan Dakwah Revives Mohammad Natsir's Spirit for Nation-Building

The Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia branch in West Sumatra invites preachers and the public to once again ignite Mohammad Natsir’s spirit in building the nation and state. “Mr Natsir’s message: don’t stop rowing your hands, or the current will sweep you away,” said the Chairman of the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia West Sumatra Province branch, Prof Efrinaldi, in Padang City on Saturday. This was stated by Prof Efrinaldi during the inauguration of the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah West Sumatra Province board for the 2026-2031 period at the West Sumatra Governor’s Hall. He said that Mohammad Natsir’s message, who was also the founder of Dewan Dakwah Indonesia, teaches the ummah, especially preachers, to never tire in building the nation and state. In the early days when Dewan Dakwah Indonesia was founded, the spirit to build hospitals became one of the organisation’s priorities. This was driven by the aim to create a healthy society after Dutch colonial rule. At the same time, Dewan Dakwah Indonesia also intensified development in the education sector. The goal was for human resources in the country to become intelligent and knowledgeable individuals. He believes that strong collaboration between Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah and various organisations such as Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama, the Indonesian Ulema Council, Persatuan Tarbiyah Islamiyah, and the government will accelerate development in the Minang region. “So, dakwah embraces rather than strikes,” he said, reiterating Mohammad Natsir’s words. On that occasion, he mentioned that one of the iconic programmes of Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah West Sumatra is sending preachers to underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost areas. For example, the organisation has implemented a programme sending preachers to the Mentawai Islands Regency, which is Indonesia’s outermost region bordering the Indian Ocean directly. “This sending of preachers is for community development,” he said.