Gymnastiar shares life's simple truths

Gymnastiar shares life's simple truths

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

At 40, he is no spring chicken, but he is fortunate to be
successful, popular, wealthy and influential.

Abdullah Gymnastiar practices a new genre in Islamic preaching
in the country. He packs a new tone on preaching and presents
Islam through his tender and simple sermons that are often
crowded by people thirsty for religious rhetoric.

Many compare the Bandung-based cleric with Zainuddin M.Z.,
dubbed da'i sejuta umat (the preacher with a million followers).

Unlike Zainuddin -- who often inserted jokes in his sermons
and kept his audience on their toes with "dirty" remarks --
Gymnastiar uses more down-to-earth teachings taken from
reflections of daily life. His touching nasyid (song) usually
makes his audience burst into tears and eager to come back for
more.

Gymnastiar's sermons center around the moral decadence of
society and the poor tolerance of most people nowadays.

It is not only at the mosque or on fields that Gymnastiar
preaches, he is frequently invited to congregations at big hotels
and was recently at a gathering held by the Muslim community in
Tokyo, Japan.

His interest? To use all means possible to spread virtue.

"With any high-tech utility -- including the Internet and
short message services (SMS) -- I hope I can share good and
positive thoughts with as many people as possible."

He owns a regular television show Manajemen Qolbu (Mind
Management, abbreviated as MQ) at private television channel SCTV
and a monthly sermon at Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta, which
is also aired live by the same station.

Recently, Gymnastiar -- in cooperation with several cellular
phone operators -- also launched a new package involving the
daily delivery of words of wisdom via SMS. The newly launched
product is called MQ Through Instant Messages (MQTIME).

The father of six, who is popularly called Aa (big brother in
Sundanese), Gym has won the hearts of fellow Muslim (and non-
Muslim too) with his humble, simple words and universal teachings
on tolerance and values of harmonious living.

"I don't want to share the intricate details of Islam with the
public. My part is just to tell them the simple truths of life,"
he said in his trademark rich Sundanese accent.

"My little words of wisdom are based on the blessings of
senyum (smiling), kesabaran (patience), memaafkan (forgiveness)
and memungut sampah (picking up garbage)," he said.

Without meaning to simplify Islam, Gymnastiar said today's
people -- who live in a more stressful environment -- must first
be introduced to small pieces of knowledge that really touches
upon their daily lives.

Interested and curious people are then likely to look further,
he added.

"Today's people are clever. They are offended if we teach
them, remind them or give them orders. So my task as a preacher
is to tickle them."

"Some decide to learn and read the Koran to find out more
after I give them a bit on the wisdom of smiling, just as an
example. I only tickle them, so they may then be willing to study
by themselves," he said, adding self-taught values always last
longer.

For those who know and understand Islam intimately, Gymnastiar
is known to give paltry attention to sharia (Islamic law) and
aqida (Islamic faith) in his sermons, but Gymnastiar has his own
reasons for doing so.

"There are things that should be told and not told. I know my
strengths. I should certainly not preach something if I haven't
mastered it because people need to be shown examples so they will
learn," said the husband of Yeti Rohayati.

"I'd rather be called bodoh (stupid), though do and know the
right things than be regarded as smart but understand nothing."

The eldest son of a retired army lieutenant colonel, he spent
17 years unofficially studying Islam at Islamic boarding schools
in West Java and some further years learning from senior clerics.

Born in Bandung on Jan. 29, 1962, Gymnastiar began his own way
of preaching Islam while studying at the privately-run Jenderal
Ahmad Yani University, where he graduated as an engineering
bachelor.

Initially giving sermons at small Koran reading gatherings,
Gymnastiar finally established his own Islamic boarding school,
Daarut Tauhiid, in 1990.

The school, located in Gegerkalong Girang, Bandung, has been
rapidly developing. It has now turned out to be like a country
within a country because it has its own mosque, cooperative,
cafe, a radio station, cottages, printing center and boutique --
proof that Gymnastiar has a sharp sense in business.

To boast the scale, MQ Corporation was established to oversee
business groups PT Mutiara Qolbu Salim (producer of Gymnastiar's
cassette recording, VCDs and books), PT MQ Media (publisher of MQ
tabloid), PT Madinatussalami and PT MQ Fashion.

"He has helped to evolve the economy of local people in
Gegerkalong too," one of his assistants said.

Gymnastiar has his own thing to say about his success. "I live
only once. In Islam, the best person is the one who is most
useful to others. Success is not measured by how much you have
earned but how consistent you are in improving your quality and
performance."

With his wealth and influence, Gymnastiar is aware that he
could be used by manipulative groups in politics.

When asked if he ever thought of plunging into politics, like
many of his predecessors, including Zainuddin, he simply says: "I
have my own interests and I would praise and be grateful to all
those politicians who are sensible enough not to drag me onto
their stage."