BOGOR — Through the Indonesian Mualaf Islamic Boarding School (PMI) program, the Corps Da’i Dompet Dhuafa (Cordofa) held another regular Malam Bina Taqwa (Mabit) Mualaf study session at the IPB Alumni Mosque in Baranangsiang, Bogor, from Friday (September 23, 2022) to Saturday (September 24, 2022).
Thirty new Muslim students from the Jakarta metropolitan area enthusiastically participated in the study sessions, which began on Friday after Asr prayer. Despite the light rain that evening, the session opened with a collective recitation of evening prayers.
One of the participants in the Mabit Mualaf program, Yolanda Fitriani (36), revealed that she only took her shahada in 2020 in Kupang. The woman from East Nusa Tenggara began to delve deeper into Islam after moving to Madiun, following a previous move to Bali.
“I enjoy hearing the shalawat; it brings me peace. Every time I moved houses, I always ended up near a mosque. Eventually, I quietly began studying Islam in Madiun, then moved to Tangerang to join my husband. Even in Tangerang, my child attends an Islamic kindergarten,” Yolanda shared.
“To make a long story short, I divorced my husband and returned to NTT. There, life became even more challenging, and I fell into depression. But I felt that Allah had prepared me mentally. I kept praying for guidance, asking that if I was meant to embrace Islam, He would show me the way,” she added.
Yolanda also fell ill and had to be hospitalized. During that time, she strengthened her prayers, refusing to die in a non-Muslim state.
“While in the hospital, the only visitors were friends of the Ustadzah, not family. I prayed that I wouldn’t die as a non-Muslim,” Yolanda revealed.
After converting to Islam, Yolanda faced a variety of trials and challenges. Many threats came her way, including being fired from her job, divorce, losing a child, and eventually deciding to return to Tangerang.
“I was tested through my family, wealth, health, and patience, but it’s okay as long as I strengthen my faith. After handling the conversion paperwork, things began to open up. It wasn’t until I met Dompet Dhuafa, who welcomed me warmly, that I started participating in the program in 2022,” she said.
One of the Cordofa preachers, Ustadz Aris Alwi, explained during the Bina Taqwa Night that the Mabit event at the IPB Mosque in Bogor that evening was held so that converts could strengthen and develop their faith and have a varied and exclusive worship experience through the Indonesian Mualaf Islamic Boarding School Mabit.
“This is the first time we’ve held a Mabit at the IPB Bogor Mosque, which is also a collaborative partner of Cordofa. This Mabit program is held regularly once a month, and in the future, the Mabit will be held in other cities. It might not only be at a mosque but also while camping in the open air or visiting historical religious sites and the graves of Islamic figures,” concluded Ust. Aris. (Dompet Dhuafa / Dhika Prabowo)