Kepada Rasulullahku Tercinta

Apa yang sedang terjadi di Indonesia gue tercinta cukup membuat hati gue sedih. Sedih karena ternyata banyak banget orang islam yang nggak bangga dengan keislamannya, yang malu dan bahkan ngerasa kesal melihat saudara seimannya membela kitab sucinya. Orang yang berjuang untuk Allah dan Rasulnya itu terlalu radikal dan narrow-minded katanya. Gue sedih karena ketika Rasulullah ditarik nyawanya oleh malaikat maut, yang beliau pikirkan hanya umatnya. "Yaa ummati... Yaa ummati... Yaa ummati." Begitu cintanya dia dengan kita, tapi kita terlalu malu untuk menjungjung tinggi agama kita. Kita terlalu malu untuk menjadikan Quran dan sunnah sebagai pedoman kita. Quran itu bebas tafsir katanya. Islam itu harus mengikuti zaman, bukan zaman yang mengikuti Islam katanya. Terlalu religius itu kolot katanya. Hidup dan mati Rasulullah hanya untuk tuhannya, untuk umatnya, untuk menegakan agama ini hingga akhirnya kita bisa berislam sebegini nyamannya. Tapi lihat kita sekarang? Tidak setitik debu pun kita melanjutkan perjuangan beliau. Malah kita berusaha menutupi kehidupan islam kita rapat-rapat. Urusan agama hanya untuk disimpan oleh diri-sendiri. Privasi katanya.

Yaa Allah, tolong bukakan selalu pintu maaf kepada kami dan tolong bukakanlah pintu hidayah kepada orang-orang yang merendahkan agamaMu yang mulia ini.

Yaa Allah, tolong lembutkan lah selalu hati kami agar kami selalu bernafas untukMu dan selalu ikhlas berjuang di jalanMu.

Yaa Rasulullah, maaf jika kami belum bisa membela agamamu sebagaimana engkau membela islam dahulu.

Maaf jika setelah kepergianmu kami bukannya bersatu, tapi malah bercerai-berai tidak peduli dengan nasib sesama.

Maaf jika setelah kepergianmu kami malah malu meneriakkan takbir, malu menjunjungmu, malu memuji namamu, dan malu hidup melangkah dengan nafas dan prinsip agamamu.

Yaa Rasulullah, sungguh beruntungnya sahabat-sahabatmu, pengingkut-pengikutmu, dan orang-orang terdahulu yang dapat melihatmu, yang dapat sholat bersamamu, yang dapat mendengarkan khutbahmu.

Walaupun kami tidak pernah bertemu, 

kami rindu dirimu, yaa Rasulullah.

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Dear beloved prophet

Today at school, the teacher asked us to draw you

I like to draw, but I never saw you

So I closed my eyes

And I saw a tear in the eye of my mother while reading your story

I saw my father praying all night

I saw my elder sister smiling, even though she just got insulted in the street

I saw my best friend asking me for forgiveness, even though I was to blame

I want to draw all these images

Here, people want to see everything, to watch everything

But I closed my eyes

And I saw you coming towards me

I saw you coming towards us

With the most perfect smile

How could I ever draw a perfect smile?

The teacher did not let me speak when I wanted to explain to her

I can't blame her

She probably never learnt to love someone she doesn't see

But me, I love you without seeing you

I am not good at drawing but I like to write

I like to write to you, yaa Rasulullah

If you could only come back amongst us for a few hours

a few seconds...

a few moments...

She could understand eventually

Why Not?

Tanggal 19 September kemaren gue baru aja balik dari Stradonice, Czech Republic. Selama 8 hari gue ikut pertukaran pelajar dari Erasmus+. One gorgeous friend of mine, Caro, who comes from Spain wrote about this amazing experience that we had:

WHY NOT?

It was a sunny day in Prague. Charles bridge was crowded and Czech people were drinking beers as always. Then, in the middle of the happiness, the phone rang. It was Vladimir and his driving style.

After a long way to Klamovka, the battle to choose the best bed started. It was warmer than everyone thought before arriving to Czech Republic, and everybody tried their best to make the other feel at home. When most of the people were having dinner, a guy that was shouting ‘I am an astronaut’ came as a representation of Germany. Actually, he is Spanish and he came by bike, Penelope. But it was not the only strange thing in the German group, if you can call it German... Two Indonesians, two Turkish, a Spanish and a German were in the group. That’s Europe!

After two hours, the Portuguese and the Spanish made necessary the big rule: BORA-BORA. But you know, latin people don’t care too much about rules. ‘Joder’. During the first game of the project, when everyone just had met each other for one hour, love arrived. The latin lips of Cisco fell in love with Mike’s ass, but the Cypriot was already kissing Marcelo. People wanted to know Stradonice, so some of them went to explore and met the whole population of the village: two people. Maybe not too many, but well enough to know how Czech people are. No expression, no smile, no emotions, no nothing. They can say ‘I love you’ with the same face than ‘My cat is dead’. Soon, they also knew the special kindness of the Czechs. “10% for Tips because of the good service and all the chips”. And remember “If you want to go, you can go, there are so many cheap hostels in Prague”. (Vladimir accent) But not all of Czech people were like these, the amazing Andy came to break stereotypes.

An unforgettable experience was starting. It doesn’t matter if there was no water for two days, because everyone smelled as pigs, so there was no problem with social relations... Even if none could put their hands up. And please do not forget about the food: the chicken that everybody was searching but nobody found.

Some parties later, there was already a ranking of party animals: 1. Portuguese, 2. Spanish, 3. Cypriot, plus Arthur and Kuba. Anyway, the hangover was never a problem to do the activities, even when nobody could speak because Mike was late for half an hour. Of course, alcohol was one of the ingredients: palinka, sangria, rakie, zivania, wine... Can you guess which one was the strongest? PALINKA.

But party is not only alcohol, it was also time to share different music, dancing and life styles. Mixing cultures, even when the Polish songs were played and only Polish people were dancing.

As in every international project, languages were something funny. A Spanish trying to speak Polish, or a Indonesian trying to say something in Portuguese, or a word with different meanings in different languages. Like ‘servilleta’, that means napkin in Spanish, and compress in Cypriot.

Do not forget ‘love’. Not only the couples made from the beginning, kissing each other when nobody saw them. That connections built just two days after meeting. But love is also something more than couples. It is the smile of Gita, the respect of Selam, the humour of Elias, the cheerfulness of Arthur, the passion of Marvin... Love is the paradise created in Stradonice during these days. Even if someone could not speak English, even if a conversations needed to be slower. It is tolerance, respect and generosity. Love is the way the concert was done yesterday.

We learnt how to make bracelets as well with Juanma as an amazing teacher, the free-soul supreme leather. “From the back to the back, from the front to the front, from the back to the front, to the back to the front, and do not forget the middle”. A new life style was created these days, a way of living when it does not matter where you are, the time, the country you are coming from or your religion., when you live the moment. Let’s be free souls.

Breaking stereotypes or confirming others during the whole week, knowing each other deeper and deeper, making friends forever, the project was coming to his end. After this, everyone takes an incredible experience to home. How many times in life will you have in your own room a concert of two Polish and a Spanish guy? How many times will you have dinner together with a girl from Indonesia, a rapper from Germany, and a half Romanian half Cypriot like the unforgettable Diana? How many times will you have a deep conversation with the different views of countries from Asia, South, North and Central Europe?

Imagine there is no heaven

It is easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people living for today.

The sense of community built during the week was represented in the final performance: a final picture of different cultures, different life styles, tolerance, respect, curiosity and a big aim of sharing. Everything, finishing with a exciting song as ‘Imagine’. Love is creating. We have created connections, moments, feelings and values. We did magic. We have created music.

Close your eyes and try to remember every moment here. Just a few minutes to think on what we created.

MUSIC

Can we go back to Sundays 11st? Why not?