Beautiful gathering at Masjid ArRaudhah, Indonesia on 13 March 2020

Bismillah.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Habib Novel bin Muhammad Alaydrus [pic: left] is a regular host at Masjid ArRaudhah in Solo at Central Java, Indonesia. I have been actively (albeit remotely) following the majlis taalim and mawlid organized in Java, particularly those held at Masjid ArRaudhah and Gedung Bustanul Ashikin [hosted by Habib Syech AsSegaf].

During a majlis last Friday, Habib Novel said this week's event would be extra special on three accounts: to commemorate the upcoming Israk Mikraj, his birthday and there'd be a couple of special invitees.

Masjid ArRaudhah was well decorated with beautiful bouquets of flowers. To be frank, I've not seen mosques in Malaysia being decorated with flowers on any occasion. Ever since I follow the live streamings on Nabawi TV [a YouTube channel that focuses on Indonesian events], I'd noticed many beautiful event set-ups. So I'd like to say Mabruk Indonesia!

The gathering hosted by Habib Novel was casual and jovial, as always, as he's a humorous person. The crowd, both at the mosque and online, were clearly pleased to see the three special guests, namely Ustaz Abdul Somad [top pic: center], Habib Segaf Baharun [top pic: right] and Buya Yahya [below pic].  

Buya Yahya
(full name: Yahya Zainul Ma'arif, is leader of the Al-Bahjah pesantren headquartered in Cirebon)

Absolutely beautiful majlis, zahir & batin.

Habib Segaf Baharun
[son of a prominent Indonesian ulama who founded Pesantren Dalwa, Habib Hasan bin Ahmad Baharun;
 Habib Segaf who is also a student of many high caliber scholars including Sayyid Muhammad Al-Maliki & Habib Zain bin Smith, is a fiqh expert and author of several books on fiqh for women]

Ustaz Abdul Somad [center] is one entertaining Indonesian dai'e who holds a Ph.D. qualification from an Islamic university in Sudan, he now lectures at a university in Riau, Indonesia.  

When Habib Novel asked the three guest scholars how they felt about being in the same gathering, Ustaz Abdul Somad's reply in the Indonesian language was succinct and profound. He said: "Semua kata kalau dicerita dengan kata, kata pasti berdusta." Should one make an attempt to describe his feelings in words, his words would tantamount to a lie as it is impossible to accurately describe one's emotions.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Habib Novel reminded the audience to only fear Allah and not fear the Coronavirus or any illnesses. Yet one should not be arrogant towards it, instead one should always be vigilant. To seek medical remedy is a part of faith [iman] and one should also seek 'medication' by making plenty of du'a. One du'a that is highly recommended is Selawat Thibbil Qulub. It is said to be a cure for any kind of illness if one were to recite it 4000 times.

Habib Novel is one who regularly reminds his jemaah to have big intentions [niyyat]. In one of his previous lectures that I watched, he talked about his ambitions to expand Masjid ArRaudhah. Nothing is impossible, "I used to only own a motorbike, but I dare dream of building a mosque such as this."

During the lively session last night, Habib Segaf Baharun shared one unforgettable lesson his father taught him. His late father, a well-known dai'e, once told Habib Segaf: "Engkau Segaf, harus merasa kamu itu paling rendahnya orang. Dan harus berada di titik null." That he should feel as if he is the most insignificant person no matter where he goes, and that he is nothing.

Allahu a'lam.

**

p/s

Just a few takeaways there from the live streaming on Nabawi TV last night. Please pray for me as I've got tonnes of office and MBA assignments to do, it's terrifying. But still, I thought the majlis at Masjid ArRaudhah was too beautiful to let it slip from this blog. Alhamdulillah ala kulli hal.

Credit: https://www.facebook.com/Nabawitv/

Habib Novel's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTsr6hqd0OnmaPY5YPrhLQ

"Bersama-sama doakan orang yang sakit dan doakan yang takut sakit, kerana itu penyakit hati yang lebih parah. Kita doakan biar semuanya sembuh, dan yang sihat, tidak terkena penyakit apa-apa. Dengan Selawat Thibbil Qulub..."

- Habib Novel Alaydrus