Gus Ipul Holds Tahlilan, Confident Fallen TNI Soldiers in Lebanon are Martyrs
The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) held a joint prayer and tahlil for three TNI soldiers who perished in a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. The event was attended by Kemensos employees at the Aneka Bhakti Building in Jakarta.
The three fallen soldiers were Major Inf (Anm) Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, Serka (Anm) Sertu Muhammad Nur Ikhwan, and Kopda (Anm) Farizal Rhomadhon. The reading of tahlil and prayers was led by Ishaq Zubaedi Raqib, Special Staff to the Social Minister for Empowerment and the Poor.
Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul) described the soldiers as national heroes and syuhada, or those who die in a state of martyrdom.
“We offer prayers; they are the heroes of the Indonesian nation. We hope they become syuhada, part of the group of those who are martyred, those who are martyred do not face reckoning and directly enter the paradise of Allah SWT,” he said in a written statement on Tuesday (7/4/2026).
Before the tahlil, the event began with interfaith prayers by students from Sekolah Rakyat in the Jabodetabek area. The prayers were recited in turns by Saepul Majid (Islam), Marcel Apriliano Ferdinand (Catholic), Fransiskus Manuel Manalu (Christian), Lovelyne P. A. Luntungan (Buddhist), and Gusti Agung Radja Putra Arya Wiratama (Hindu), who expressed hopes that the soldiers’ virtues would illuminate and bring inner peace.
Gus Ipul explained that the tahlil was not only for praying for the fallen soldiers but also for their parents and families who had passed before them. He also stated that tahlil embodies the values of Pancasila.
“For those my age, you might have heard of Yasin Yusuf. He recounted that tahlil truly implements Pancasila,” he said.
He gave an example, the recitation of the first verse of Surat Al-Ikhlas, which reads ‘Qul huwallahu ahad’ meaning ‘He is Allah, the One,’ reflecting the first principle of Pancasila, namely ‘Belief in the One and Only God’.
“That is Belief in the One and Only God, and in practice, tahlil participants are not only Muslims, but anyone can join. In villages and regions, when tahlil is held, there is no selection; as long as they want to live together, they can participate in tahlil,” he said.
According to him, tahlil also reflects the second principle of just and civilised humanity, and the third principle of ‘Unity of Indonesia’ because it unites various elements of society. Furthermore, tahlil is seen to reflect the fourth principle through deliberation in selecting the tahlil leader, and the fifth principle of social justice.
“Everyone sitting there receives equally, justly receiving blessings for all; that is social justice for all Indonesian people,” he concluded.
For information, the event held on Monday (6/4) was also attended by Deputy Social Minister Agus Jabo Priyono, Secretary General of Kemensos Robben Rico, Director General of Social Empowerment of Kemensos Mira Riyati Kurniasih, Director General of Social Rehabilitation of Kemensos Supomo, Director General of Protection and Social Security of Kemensos Agus Zainal Arifin, and other high-ranking Kemensos officials.