On mass prayer

On mass prayer

From Rakyat Merdeka

Allow me to comment on Mr. Said Agil's recent statement about
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)'s istighosah (mass prayer) scheduled for
April 29, in Jakarta as follows:
1. Istighosah is the prayer of prophets conducted when something
is at stake. For example, the Prophet's prayer when he was ready
to go to war in Perang Badar (Badar War). But the Prophet did not
ask his troops to collectively say amen.
2. The venue for the prayer. What those Muslim clerics said
recently about the place for conducting istighosah was right in
that Muslims should pray in mosques or schools. Except for asking
for rain and for holy day sholat (ritual prayers and actions
performed five times a day), nothing concerning praying in an
open field is written in the hadith (the chief source of guidance
for understanding religious matters). I doubt that Said Agil is
aware of this kind of thing.
3. Why should prays be held in a large field, participated in by
tens of thousands of Muslims of a particular group, particularly
when many assume it to be a form of political intimidation
against their opponents? The best thing the NU could do at the
moment is, I think, help President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid
with his projects of road repairs, accommodating child refugees
of the Sampit tragedy in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools),
and so forth. Helping Gus Dur by mass intimidation clearly will
only harm his reputation.

I should like to take this opportunity to appeal to all who
call themselves kyai (Muslim elders) or ulema to comprehend fully
that they are heirs of the prophets.

A ZIDAN NOVANTO

Jakarta