Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang

Peserta Pengajian I’tikaf Ramadhan (PIR) UMM mencapai 655 orang

Up to now (8/8), faculty and staff of University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) who signed up for Ramadan I’tikaf (staying for hours in the mosque) Day (PIR) reached up to 655 people. This rate would still increase as UMM staff reached more than 1,000 people.

"Usually a lot of them come directly without returning the form. This condition has been anticipated to serve more snack and food for sahur,” said the chairman of Ramadan Event Committee 1433 H UMM Abdul Wachid, SP, MP.

PIR was divided into two groups; male and female. Male employees carry out PIR on Thursday (8/9) while female employees on Saturday (8/11). The event begun and ended after sunset prayer (Maghrib) until dawn prayer (Subuh) the next day. This event was centered in the mosque of AR Fachruddin UMM campus III.

According to Wachid, beside praying qiyamul lail held at 1:00 and eating sahur at 3:00 in the morning, this event was also filled with public lectures, Islamic dialogues, and muhasabah (self contemplating). General study would present Prof. Dr. Dada Kahmad from PP Muhammadiyah for the male group and Hj. Misma Kasim, MA from PP Aisyiyah for the female group. Both speakers would talk about how to get the essence of Ramadan.

"As for the dialogue will be guided by UMM internal lecturers with the topics about bid’ah and sunnah of Ramadan, fasting is a shield of life, and the correlation between a fast and mental health," continued Wachid.

The Steering Committee, Dra. HN Taufik, MA, said this activity was a way of conditioning and training for UMM employees to get to know the activities of i'tikaf at UMM. Essentially, i'tikaf was an effort to draw close to God with more activities in the mosque than in other places.

"For that, AR Fachruddin is open to anyone who wants to spend the last 10 days of Ramadan here. We provide food for breaking a fast (buka) and eating sahur as well as speaker for delivering Islamic lectures and muhasabah," said Taufik. Not a few of UMM lecturers and employees and community who had followed this tradition since years ago.

PIR was a series of Ramadan event in UMM. Previously, it had been run Baitul Arqam for faculty and staff, Ramadan event for student, social charity, distributing dates as well as various religious discussions.

"All of our activities are aimed to increase our faith, Islamic knowledge, self-devotion, and charity to achieve victory," added Wachid, a lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of UMM. (nas/t_vik)