CIANJUR, WEST JAVA — Memories of the days before the Cianjur Earthquake struck are beautifully sketched in mind. However, thankfully, even after the earthquake, the community has been able to carry on with their daily activities although still limited. Such was the case one afternoon in Kp. Ranca Picung, Cibulakan Village, Cugenang, Cianjur.
After the call to Dhuhr prayer echoed, children ran towards the Al-Barakah Mosque to perform the Dhuhr prayer together. The Imam stood ready and led the prayer solemnly. All activities paused for a moment, bringing a sense of peace as everyone prostrated to the Most Compassionate and Merciful.
Revisiting the Beautiful Memories Before the Cianjur Earthquake
The Imam’s concluding salam marked the end of the Dhuhr prayer. Just before the Imam began the post-prayer supplication, children burst out of the mosque. The congregation understood their rush, knowing their presence during prayer times was a blessing for the mosque’s future prosperity. After all, it is the children who will continue to spread the teachings of Islam.
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The children’s rush out of the mosque was not merely for play but a race to attend the madrasah next to the Al-Barakah Mosque. There, they learned to read and write the Quran and about the Prophets’ stories from Ustazah Hamidah.
This was the routine of Cianjur’s children before last year’s earthquake devastated their mosque and madrasah, as recounted by Ustazah Hamidah when met on Monday (11/9/2023), in Kp. Ranca Picung, Cibulakan Village, Cugenang, Cianjur.
Ustazah Hamidah shared that she has been teaching the Quran since she was 15, having studied at a pesantren in Sukabumi, West Java.
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“I still want to continue learning so I can provide knowledge to the children here,” she revealed.
The earthquake left a scar of trauma on everyone who experienced it, including Ustazah Hamidah and the children.
“When the earthquake happened, I was just about to start teaching. But as I was about to leave the house, the earthquake struck, and the children screamed for help. I felt like I was going to faint,” she recalled, looking down and remembering the dark memory.
Almost a year has passed since the earthquake shook Cianjur. The beautiful memories of teaching remain strong in Ustazah Hamidah’s mind and the children’s. However, they are now forced to learn the Quran in an emergency tent, still accompanied by Ustazah Hamidah.
“It’s because of these children that I continue to teach in Cianjur,” she said during an interview in the emergency tent next to the Al-Barakah Mosque, currently being renovated by Dompet Dhuafa through the Wakaf Bedah Surau Program.
Good News from Good People for Good People
If you do good, you do good for yourself, and if you do evil, it will return to you. This principle from the seventh verse of Surah Al-Isra applies to human life on earth.
Whatever deed is performed serves as a provision for the future, benefiting the doer most; whether through endowment, sharing knowledge, or praying for others’ well-being.
Ustazah Hamidah, who continued to teach in the emergency tent after the earthquake demolished her mosque, spreads kindness amid hardship. She believes the goodness she plants today will be reaped in the future and serve as her afterlife provision.
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She even mentioned she’s willing to teach without payment, motivated solely by the children’s eagerness to learn the Quran despite the challenges.
“Learning the Quran in an emergency tent doesn’t diminish their spirit. That’s what keeps me wanting to teach,” she said.
Later, Ustazah Hamidah and the residents of Cugenang Village received joyful news. After thorough assessment, Dompet Dhuafa selected the Al-Barakah Mosque for renovation through the Wakaf Cianjur Bangkit Program. The kindness of donors was channeled to rebuild the worship house and the children’s Quran learning place in Cugenang Village, Cianjur.
The mosque’s renovation progress has been smooth, reinforcing Ustazah Hamidah’s commitment to serve her community.
“Alhamdulillah, I was so happy to hear the good news. I’m very grateful. The children seemed happy too,” she expressed joyfully.
Now that the mosque’s renovation is complete, a communal prayer event is planned between Dompet Dhuafa and the local community to express gratitude to Allah SWT for the donors’ kindness in completing the Al-Barakah Mosque’s construction. May Allah reward all our good deeds with the best of rewards and eternal blessings. (Dompet Dhuafa/Wakaf/Hafiz/ADP)