ACEH TAMIANG, ACEH —-— The call to prayer once again echoed, calling out to souls longing for the Creator. The atmosphere at that time was filled with emotion, remembering the communal worship activities that had been interrupted due to the violent flash floods that hit the island of Sumatra.
The call was the azan, which once again echoed at the Baitil Makmur Mosque in Sekumur, Aceh Tamiang, one of the villages that was paralyzed by the flash floods on November 26. Residents flocked to the mosque for Friday prayers in congregation for the first time since the massive floods occurred.
Residents, including children, teenagers, adults, the elderly, and village elders, sat solemnly listening to the sermon on Friday (12/12/2025). The atmosphere of Friday worship turned emotional, as if they were worshipping on a holiday. They shook hands and hugged each other. They were grateful to still have the opportunity to pray together again at the mosque after the flood had devastated their village.
The mosque, which is once again ready for congregational prayers, was successfully restored thanks to the assistance of Dompet Dhuafa volunteers through the Disaster Management Center (DMC) team and local residents. They worked together to clean the mud from the mosque since Thursday (12/11/2025).
One of the elders of Sekumur Village, Muchtar, could not stop crying with emotion after performing Friday prayers. He continued to sob, prostrating himself, as if he could not believe he could once again pray in congregation at the Sekumur Village mosque.
“On November 26, we were hit by a flash flood. The water level reached the roof. This mosque was almost submerged. Thank God, with the help of Dompet Dhuafa volunteers, we can pray in congregation again after 15 days of not being able to do so,” said Muchtar.
Muchtar said that he really missed praying at the mosque. Since the flood, he had not heard the call to prayer. So when the call to prayer rang out again, summoning people to Friday prayers that afternoon, Muchtar was overjoyed. He kept thanking the volunteers who had helped him.
“We cannot repay the volunteers; we can only leave it to Allah. May Allah reward them with many blessings and long life for helping us, the residents of Sekumur Village,” said Muchtar.
Previously, flash floods devastated the village of Sekumur, Sekerak District. All the houses were destroyed, with only the Baitil Makmur Mosque remaining standing. However, two weeks after the disaster, the mosque was no longer in use. This was because the entire building was buried under approximately 60 centimeters of mud.
“We have gone through two Fridays, and during that time we have not been able to pray at the mosque. I miss praying in congregation at the mosque. We all miss the sound of the call to prayer,” said Mochtar with a slight sob.
At that time, Muchtar was sitting watching the Dompet Dhuafa Disaster Management Center (DMC) team and residents working together to clean the mud from the mosque.
According to Muchtar, with mud that thick, it was difficult to clean the mosque. In addition, the residents were busy repairing the emergency shelters they had built on top of the ruins of their damaged houses.
However, the presence of the DMC Dompet Dhuafa team and volunteers dispelled all of Muchtar’s doubts. Slowly, the mud that covered the entire mosque was successfully removed.
The next day, on Friday morning, the mud in the mosque area had completely disappeared. The mosque was ready to be used for worship.
Read also: Free Health Services for Aceh Flash Flood Refugees
The PIC for DMC Dompet Dhuafa in the Aceh Tamiang region, Ahmad Barqu, explained that the team and volunteers were determined to restore the mosque so that it could be used again for worship and social activities to support post-flood disaster management in Sekumur.
“The challenge, apart from the thick mud, is the difficulty in finding water sources. We had to pull the water pump hose to a well far from the mosque, because there is an abundant water source there. Alhamdulillah, there was enough water for us and the residents to clean the mosque,” said Barqu.
With the help of water machines from DMC, cleaning the mosque became easier. The mud, which had already dried, became softer when sprayed with high-pressure water.
“Alhamdulillah, the mosque can be used again by the residents. After two Fridays of not praying in congregation at the mosque, on the third Friday they were able to pray together. And hopefully, the spacious mosque building and its strong roof can be the safest place for residents to carry out disaster management activities,” concluded Barqu.
For days, the community mosque has been facing difficult circumstances due to the disaster, with residents living in makeshift shelters on top of the ruins of their destroyed homes.
Now, the Baitil Makmur Mosque is once again functioning as a center for worship and a gathering place for the residents of Sekumur Village amid the post-disaster recovery process.
Seeing that Sumatra Island is still far from recovery, Dompet Dhuafa invites the public to contribute to rebuilding Sumatra Island, especially Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, which were affected by the disaster, through donations via digital.dompetdhuafa.org/donasi/prayforsumatera. Our help will greatly assist them in recovering from the recent disaster. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text: DMC Dompet Dhuafa, Moh Reynaldi Risahondua
Photo: DMC Dompet Dhuafa
Editor: Dhika