'Rahasia Illahi' reveals the truth about God's power

'Rahasia Illahi' reveals the truth about God's power

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

World-weary is perhaps the right phrase to describe television viewers today, bombarded with programs on crime, news, gossip, weird spiritual journeys and cliched sinetron (television soap operas).

But what do viewers really need? And what does this need signify?

Religious programs by popular cleric Abdullah Gymnastiar, still aired by some private television stations, also seem to have lost their touch. Devotees still tune in faithfully but most others just skip them as the programs tend to be dull, with little variation.

A screen ticker on Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (or TPI) partly answers the questions above; it states that the station is going to set aside half an hour for a sinetron (soap opera) entitled Rahasia Illahi (Divine Secrets) following popular request from viewers.

Rahasia Illahi was first aired during the fasting month last year as part of TPI's Ramadhan package.

"Initially there were many requests to rerun old episodes but later on more and more people asked to lengthen the duration of the series," said Theresia Ellasari, the station's public relations manager.

This sinetron is really nothing special in terms of techniques or special effects, not even in terms of the cast.

Ellasari, however, revealed that Rahasia Illahi currently ranks tenth-best program, with a 25.6 percent share of total viewers.

"It's an achievement (for a television drama) because it was first broadcast in November (last year) in conjunction with Ramadhan, and has achieved so much popularity since then," she told The Jakarta Post.

Starting this year, the station will air old episodes of the drama three times a week in response to public demand. New episodes -- called Rahasia Illahi 2 -- will be aired once a week.

Viewers will definitely not be entertained by the drama's, as most of the time the main character (usually the antagonist) ends up dead. Perhaps this is supposed to imply that ultimately it is the will of God that reigns supreme

In one episode actress Baby Zelvia plays an ambitious, materialistic career woman who neglects her main role as a mother of two and wife to Henry Tornado (also her husband in real life). To achieve her worldly ambitions, she even goes to a dukun (shaman) to bring down all the barriers confronting her, including poisoning her solemn husband who has been trying to warn her to reduce her pace.

She dies tragically at the end of story in a car accident, along with her lover.

"That's the i'tibar (lesson) we can learn from the drama. To a woman, abandoning her natural role and function as a mother and wife is sinful, while belief in a power other than God is kufur (blasphemy). God doesn't mean to punish her or those she left behind but it is His way of warning others not to do the same thing," said ustadz (teacher) Muhammad Arifin Ilham at the end of the drama.

Arifin is a central character in the show, for it is he that sheds light -- with his Koran-based teachings -- on why the tragedy occurred.

Being alive, already a gift from God, means we always have to be mindful of what He loves and loathes in a bid to have a glorious life after death.

Inspiring words similar to those of the soft-spoken Arifin are frequently heard from many other ustadz, but as the moral he shares with viewers comes after a tragic, unusual or even weird incident at the end of someone's life, that makes a big difference.

"The drama is too serem (terrifying). I watch it sometimes. Maybe because it is based on true stories it draws people to watch the next episode," said Arief, a resident of South Jakarta.

He recalled watching an episode where a local preman (thug), a drunkard and wife-beating gambler all die and there is nobody to take care of their bodies. When their graves are finally ready for burial, they are flooded by heavy rain forcing them to wait yet another day to be buried.

"All of us must make mistakes, both major and minor, but these are examples of ugly deaths and they are just terrifying," said Arief.

Dondy Sudjono from the Kusuma Esa Permata (KEP) production house said the decision to produce Rahasia Illahi was based upon the observation that people at the moment are hungry for something different, yet religiously inspiring.

"After the period of reform (subsequent to 1998), we mostly produced political talk shows as we knew it was the right time to highlight political issues," Dondy told The Jakarta Post.

With the market now saturated with political talk shows, and with many production houses or television stations making similar programs, KEP did some research and came up with a new idea.

"Growing public enthusiasm convinced us that people needed such a program and were already tired of politics, gossip and absurd dramas," he said.

Stories for Rahasia Illahi are taken from a monthly Islamic magazine called Hidayah that receives contributions from people in many different places. The magazine concedes the truth with testimonies from people.

In contrast to ordinary dramas, Arifin also has a say in casting decisions.

Ustadz Arifin doesn't want to use actors with a "bad reputation", and if married couples are portrayed in the stories then they must be played by real married couple, Dondy said.

"It's done in order to avoid fitnah (slander), as we want this drama to be something to admire. That's why we want our cast to be of good reputation," Dondy said.

It is, perhaps, a most refreshing phrase coming from a sinetron producer. He is concerned over what is righteous and what is not. Planned to be produced indefinitely, Rahasia Illahi -- despite its horror and terrifying images -- marks something deeply different.

Whether or not one believes in God, this drama shows examples of what not to do, how death can be so pitiful, and that we had better behave in order to depart this world in peace.

Rahasia Illahi screens every Monday at 9:00 a.m. Reruns of old episodes are aired on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 p.m.

Captions:

A. Actor Rahman Yakob in an episode of Rahasia Illahi titled Jenazah Bangkit (The Corpse Awakens). Playing a dead man, Rahman is covered in a kafan, a white cloth signifying death.

B. Actress Vista Putri, actors Beny Kuswandi (second from left) and Cheppy Chandra (second from right) in a scene from an episode of Kuburan Melebar (The Widening Grave) of the religious drama Rahasia Illahi, currently being run on TPI.