227 Inhabitants Of Four Villages At The Slope Of The Bromo Volcano, Java, Embraced Islam At Once
An emotional atmosphere overwhelmed the residents of the villages around the Bromo Mountain. A total of 227 villagers from Senduro district, Lumajang, embraced Islam in their multitude last year, in May 2007.
Java, Indonesia - Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru are known as dangerous areas. As is well known, the Bromo Mountain is a volcano which is still active in East Java. Nevertheless the fear for its eruption was not as affecting as the “spiritual eruption” of its inhabitants on the 17th May 2007, when 227 residents of the villages of Wonocempoko Ayu, Argosari, and Burno in Senduro district, Lumajang, officially declared their conversion to Islam. The villagers declared the two kalimah of the Shahadah in front of the religious leaders and officials of the Senduro district, including amongst them, is an Ustadz from Madrasah Hidayatullah Lumajang, who is one of the motivational daie’s in the areas.
The function that began at 09.00 AM in Masjid Nurul Huda Senduro was so touching for those who were present. The audience could easily notice that the hidayah (guidance) from Allah SWT has really reached the inner souls of their new brothers and sisters. With this latest declaration of the Shahadah by the villagers, the number of muallaf (new Muslims) from the slope of Mount Semeru kept on increasing as times goes by.
Generally, the muallaf are made up of mostly adults and many of them are married. They announced their conversion to Islam and abandonment of their old religion, ie. Hindu. After the completion of the Shahadah declaration, each one of them received a package which consisted of materials that could be used for daily religious activities.
In order to protect and increase the strength of their aqeedah, a forum called the Takmir Masjid Communication Forum was formed by the Religious Council of the locality. This forum put in all the effort in building places of worship and other religious facilities in the villages, and stationed Ustadzs and religious teachers for the purpose of improving their devoutness.
Sutomo, a leader of the community in the orchard of Gedok, Argosari village, said that there are a lot of villagers who still believe in animism and Hinduism in his village, as well as its surrounding areas. However the majority of the residents in his village who numbered 231 families at this time have already had Islam as their religion.
He himself owned a musolla named “Al Hidayah” which is active in developing the children into learning the Qur’an and taking care of their solat. Besides that, there is also a masjid and a Qur’anic education park (usually termed as “TPQ” locally).
According to him, even though the community in his village and its surrounding areas claimed to be Hindus, as far as their faith goes they actually do not understand it, as if they only have their faith as inherited from their ancestors. Most of them had no understanding in the teachings of their religion. “As far as I know, they are essentially empty in their faith,” he said.
Today, a lot teenagers have already completed (khatam) their Qur’anic education, thanks to the musollas, masjids and TPQ’s that can be found in the village. A TPQ in his village which had also been a domicile since 2002 was under the care of Ustadz Rofikin. Allahuakbar!
Sour©e: hidayatullah.com
An emotional atmosphere overwhelmed the residents of the villages around the Bromo Mountain. A total of 227 villagers from Senduro district, Lumajang, embraced Islam in their multitude last year, in May 2007.
Java, Indonesia - Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru are known as dangerous areas. As is well known, the Bromo Mountain is a volcano which is still active in East Java. Nevertheless the fear for its eruption was not as affecting as the “spiritual eruption” of its inhabitants on the 17th May 2007, when 227 residents of the villages of Wonocempoko Ayu, Argosari, and Burno in Senduro district, Lumajang, officially declared their conversion to Islam. The villagers declared the two kalimah of the Shahadah in front of the religious leaders and officials of the Senduro district, including amongst them, is an Ustadz from Madrasah Hidayatullah Lumajang, who is one of the motivational daie’s in the areas.
The function that began at 09.00 AM in Masjid Nurul Huda Senduro was so touching for those who were present. The audience could easily notice that the hidayah (guidance) from Allah SWT has really reached the inner souls of their new brothers and sisters. With this latest declaration of the Shahadah by the villagers, the number of muallaf (new Muslims) from the slope of Mount Semeru kept on increasing as times goes by.
Generally, the muallaf are made up of mostly adults and many of them are married. They announced their conversion to Islam and abandonment of their old religion, ie. Hindu. After the completion of the Shahadah declaration, each one of them received a package which consisted of materials that could be used for daily religious activities.
In order to protect and increase the strength of their aqeedah, a forum called the Takmir Masjid Communication Forum was formed by the Religious Council of the locality. This forum put in all the effort in building places of worship and other religious facilities in the villages, and stationed Ustadzs and religious teachers for the purpose of improving their devoutness.
Sutomo, a leader of the community in the orchard of Gedok, Argosari village, said that there are a lot of villagers who still believe in animism and Hinduism in his village, as well as its surrounding areas. However the majority of the residents in his village who numbered 231 families at this time have already had Islam as their religion.
He himself owned a musolla named “Al Hidayah” which is active in developing the children into learning the Qur’an and taking care of their solat. Besides that, there is also a masjid and a Qur’anic education park (usually termed as “TPQ” locally).
According to him, even though the community in his village and its surrounding areas claimed to be Hindus, as far as their faith goes they actually do not understand it, as if they only have their faith as inherited from their ancestors. Most of them had no understanding in the teachings of their religion. “As far as I know, they are essentially empty in their faith,” he said.
Today, a lot teenagers have already completed (khatam) their Qur’anic education, thanks to the musollas, masjids and TPQ’s that can be found in the village. A TPQ in his village which had also been a domicile since 2002 was under the care of Ustadz Rofikin. Allahuakbar!
Sour©e: hidayatullah.com