Koran readings bring Lombok together

By H. Bur Solihin

MATARAM (Antara): Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara is often known as the "Island of 1,000 Mosques".

It could just as well be dubbed the "Land of 1,000 Torches" during the final days of the Ramadhan fasting month.

Local mosques -- actually numbering around 4,500, along with prayer houses -- are filled at night with the sounds of Koran reading, starting after the evening tarawih prayers and ending the following morning when it is time for the predawn meal.

Tadarus Al Qur'an, or recitation of Koran verses, has become a tradition for marking Ramadhan here.

The recitations, known locally bederus by the Sasak community in Lombok, date back many centuries. Unlike neighboring Hindu Bali, the island's population is overwhelmingly Moslem.

Adolescents and elders organize the tadarus for faithful who pack mosques and prayer houses.

It is especially encouraged during this special month when it is important for Moslems to get closer to God.

On the 17th day of Ramadhan, the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelations of the Koran, a date commemorated each year as Nuzulu'l Qur'an.

Unlike harried urbanites trying to find time to pray in their packed schedules, Lombok residents make the Koran readings into a communal activity.

Fifteen to 20 people sit in a circle, with their legs crossed and each holding a Koran. Everybody reads in turn. Others listen in silence, but occasionally break in to provide corrections in pronunciation.

From midnight to 1 a.m. participants partake of snacks supplied by residents before resuming the readings.

Sessions, organized throughout Ramadhan, are broadcast to the surrounding community by loudspeaker. About 15 complete sessions of Koran recitations are held in the month.

These complete readings of the entire Koran -- which consists of 6,236 ayat (verses) in 114 surah (letters) -- takes place after the 20th on odd-dated days. The community calls the tradition maleman.

The da'i, or religious teachers, remind all Moslems on these dates to enhance their observance of spiritual duties.

These nights are special. Among them (the exact date is left as a mystery to mortals) is the Lailatul Qadar, or the "night of power", when Allah gives the most blessings and shows mercy to all.

Torhes

Devotees believe it would be a loss to sleep the night away instead of celebrating His teachings.

A few claim to have experienced the most holy night ("better than a thousand months," says the Surah 97) citing the experience of serenely cool winds or experiencing anew nature's greatness.

To welcome the coming of Lailatul Qadar, Lombok residents light torches, or dilah jojor, around their homes.

These torches are to light the way for angels descending to earth. They are led by Gabriel, the angel who first revealed the Koran to the Prophet Muhammad.

Each house burns at least 25 to 30 torches made of cotton and jarak fruit crushed into oil. These are mixed and attached to wood or bamboo poles.

A. Amsiah, a resident who makes the torches, said the jarak was hard to find these days.

"Ten years ago it was easy to get the raw material, because nearly every front yard had a jarak tree. There are hardly any now," the 50-year-old said.

"The raw materials of jarak, cotton and bamboo are gathered before the month of Ramadhan because the torches are much sought after on the odd-dated nights," he added.

Every year, he produces 900 to 1,000 pieces dilah jojor. He sells them for just Rp 50 to Rp 100 each.

"It's enough for meals to break the fast and the predawn meal, and to buy clothes for Lebaran," he said.

Lombok's respect for Ramadhan traditions is most evident when the mosques are crowded during the evenings.

At the Raya At-Taqwa mosque in Mataram, no fewer than 5,000 people attend the tarawih prayer every night. Most are adolescents.

At some mosques, the tarawih prayer can last for hours because most Lombok inhabitants take the more arduous option of 23 rakaat (parts of a prayer) instead of the 11.

"Only a few choose the 11 rakaat prayers," said H.M. Tubat, head of the West Nusa Tenggara office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

He said the West Nusa Tenggara community was known for being pious, and never failed to welcome the fasting month with enthusiasm.

"During this month, activities in the mosques go on for almost 24 hours. After the tarawih prayer, people seldom go home and instead continue with the tadarus," he said.

Most villages here have one or two mosques which can accommodate hundreds of people.

In Dasan Agung subdistrict in the heart of Mataram there are 20 mosques, a number which does not include the prayer houses.

The fact that magnificent mosques in the area have been built with little help from the government is a point of pride for locals.

Sacrifice

Mosques costing hundreds of millions of rupiah to build received small contributions of Rp 2 million from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

"Local people are very conscious of the importance of mosques," Tobat said. "They will wholeheartedly sacrifice their land and wealth for the construction of mosques.

"They often say: 'It is all right if my house is ugly but the mosque must be glorious'," said Tubat.

But this attitude has led West Nusa Tenggara Governor H. Warsito to constantly issue reminders to the public, especially during his Ramadhan "safari" visits, that sometimes their own needs for a roof over their heads should be a priority.

He drew on Islamic teachings to get his point across.

"By building our own house, our life will be clean and healthy. Moslems are advised to always be clean," Warsito said.