Ramadhan special to Hidayatullah boarding school
Ramadhan special to Hidayatullah boarding school
Text and photos by Wisnu Pramudya
BALIKPAPAN, East Kalimantan (JP): Hundreds of young men in
white tunics emerged from various corners of a dormitory, etching
an impressive picture against the backdrop of the midnight sky as
they marched toward a nearby mosque.
Minutes later, neat rows of Hidayatullah boarding school
student recited the prayers that are recommended to fill the
nights of the holy fasting month of Ramadhan.
Before long one thud after another was heard. The crashes
became a source of silent amusement for the praying boys. The
young students were struggling so hard to keep their eyes open
that sometimes they lost control of their bodies and their sleepy
heads bounced off the floor of the mosque.
Every Ramadhan, the frequency and duration of worship at
Hidayatullah school in Gunung Tembak, doubles. The midnight
prayers are extended from one hour to four hours. The praying
last from midnight until the students eat their pre-dawn meal
before fasting.
The students' daily activities remain the same which is why
they are constantly sleepy. Some of the younger students sneak in
small bamboo-woven mattresses to snooze on when the seniors
aren't looking.
"Four hours of midnight prayers is the maximum period condoned
by Islamic law," explained Abdullah Said, 50, the headmaster of
the boarding school. "If there was a law permitting us to say our
prayers even longer, we would do so."
"I'm not making up a new rule," he added. "We are just
mimicking the Prophet Muhammad."
The midnight prayers are said collectively in the campus
mosque. Fatigue is understandably part of the rite and, after
awhile, most of the students no longer get a kick out of seeing a
sleepy friend crash face first into the mosque's floor.
"There's no reason to reduce activities during the day. I
believe Moslems should actually become more productive during
Ramadhan, given the great rewards Allah promises for good deeds
conducted during this time," Abdullah told The Jakarta Post.
The Hidayatullah boarding school tries to combine religious
devotion with social transformation within and outside of their
campuses.
Devotion is accomplished through intensive religious activity,
including the prolonged midnight prayer sessions.
"I wouldn't be able to manage this organization and educate
the students they way I do without Allah's help," Abdullah
asserted. "I believe that both the teachers and students should
strive for a closer relationship with Allah."
The second aim of the school, to propel social changes within
and outside of its campuses, is recognized by prominent
sociologist Dr. Kuntowijoyo from the Yogyakarta-based University
of Gadjah Mada.
Kuntowijoyo wrote in his book, Paradigma Islam: Interpretasi
untuk Aksi (The Paradigm of Islam: Interpretation for Action,
Mizan, 1991) that the Hidayatullah boarding school is "a
spectacular example of comprehensive community development,
started from scratch."
In 1984, the school received the Kalpataru award from
President Soeharto for an individual or group of people for their
contribution in preserving the environment. Abdullah Said
believes that it is now the era of Islamic propagation through
environmental preservation.
Abdullah Said established the school in 1974 in the Gunung
Tembak, 33 kilometers north of the Kalimantan capital of
Balikpapan. Most of the residents are from Bugis or Makasar
ethnic groups from South Sulawesi and some from Java.
The young preacher was able to convince the locals of the
importance of building their village. He rallied them to turn the
hectares of swamp surrounding the village into fish and shrimp
ponds.
Abdullah also told the residents not to cut down trees
arbitrarily, and led them in building dams to irrigate their rice
fields. He managed to convince the traditional slash-and-burn
farmers to stay in one place and till their land in more
environmentally-safe ways.
The preacher also helped residents cultivate better
cooperation, so much so that all the villagers help build a house
for a young married couples.
Gunung Tembak has become a relatively self-sufficient
community, and has grown into what former minister of religious
affairs Munawir Sjadzali called an "Islamic village".
Taking up 120 hectares, the Hidayatullah campus houses 2,000
students of various ages and levels of education.
The mosque, dormitory and school buildings were all built by
the students and teachers. The fish pond in the center of the
campus, has developed into a pretty lake surrounded by trees.
Green rice fields are not only the source of their staple food,
but also beautiful scenery.
"I didn't establish the school for the sake of building a
grand campus. I built it to develop people," Abdullah told The
Jakarta Post. "I want students develop into men of quality,
intellectually rich with a good demeanor."
"I see that in the future there will be a shortage of honest,
decent, sincere and devoted people," he assured. "That's exactly
the kind of person I want to produce here."
Abdullah, a father of seven, said that prayer at the school
has three aims: to establish the ethics of worship, work and
great accomplishment.
The Hidayatullah boarding school has grown rapidly in the last
20 years and now has 75 branches stretching from Lhokseumawe,
Aceh to Merauke in Irian Jaya.
The branches were established by graduates who were sent to
the regions and were told to survive and develop with limited
resources.
"Who doesn't want to live in a clean, well-ordered and
beautiful environment?" Abdullah asked. "Moslems now want this
kind of preaching, instead of mere talk."
Abdullah said he is now obsessed with seeing the Balikpapan
campus duplicated in other parts of the country, complete with
good relations with local populations.
"Community is the Islamic concept of ummat," Abdullah
explained. "This includes the government, and any other parties I
want to embrace."
"We do everything here. We take care of the forest, of drug
abusers, we create job opportunities. We do everything to develop
the community."
"I want to actualize Islamic teachings not only as religious
rites, but also as a force to develop the Indonesian community."
he said.