Elderly mom finds solace in prayer at Istiqlal mosque

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was just after the breaking of the fast at Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta, and most of the congregation was still outside having their evening meal.

Sutinah, however, remained sitting in the mosque's prayer hall in her white mukena (Muslim women's prayer dress), mumbling inaudible words of prayer.

"I'll have something to eat later, after taraweeh," the 60- year-old mother said during a break in her prayers.

Sunday was her fifth consecutive night at the mosque in the act of itikaf (seclusion), and Sutinah plans to stay until the second day of Idul Fitri on Nov. 4 before returning home to Klaten in Central Java.

Itikaf is the act of staying in a mosque and devoting oneself wholly to the worship of God. It usually begins on the evening of the 20th day of the fasting month of Ramadhan from sunset until the sighting of Idul Fitri moon.

Many people, such as Sutinah, come to the mosque to take a break from the often-hard realities of their lives and turn to God.

"I came to Jakarta to visit my children, but they've been evicted from their homes, so I came here rather than bothering them with my crying," she said.

Another woman, Warsih, has come from Jembatan Besi in Ancol, North Jakarta, simply because the atmosphere was more peaceful at the mosque.

"We come here almost every year, God willing, from the first day of Ramadhan, and I hope, if my health allows it, until Idul Fitri," she said as she wrapped a scarf around her head.

Meanwhile, Endah Dwi Kuntari from Pondok Kopi, East Jakarta, said that her family usually takes time for itikaf on weekends.

"Because all of us work, we can't do the itikaf the whole month of Ramadhan. But we try to take time on weekends," she said, explaining that her family usually performed itikaf at different mosques each week, such as the Al-Azhar Mosque in South Jakarta and the Bank Indonesia and Sunda Kelapa Mosques in Central Jakarta.

Endah said that the tradition began with her father. Besides the spiritual merits, itikaf was also a good way to bring the whole family together.

Istiqlal Mosque spokesman Dahlan said that each year people came from places as far away as Lampung, West and Central Java to do the itikaf at the mosque.

"We don't actually record how many people come for itikaf, but this year there are at least 500 people," he told The Jakarta Post, saying that while the majority of people came for the last 10 days, a smaller number of people stayed for the entire length of Ramadhan.

For those doing the itikaf, Istiqlal Mosque organizes the reciting of the Holy Koran, religious lectures as well as evening prayers beginning from midnight until the sahur or pre-dawn meal.

Indeed, the Istiqlal Mosque does not sleep during Ramadhan. In its prayer hall, people can be seen reciting the Koran, praying or simply taking a break talking with their relatives and playing with children.