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Jakarta Post

Arabic prayers on offer

What language do you speak when praying to God? Does God only understand certain languages?These questions and others like it abound for the faithful throughout the world, with many Muslims in Indonesia assuming their prayers should be in Arabic

Mohammad Yazid (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, July 15, 2011

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Arabic prayers on offer

W

hat language do you speak when praying to God? Does God only understand certain languages?

These questions and others like it abound for the faithful throughout the world, with many Muslims in Indonesia assuming their prayers should be in Arabic. They see it as part of their adherence to the sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad — who spoke Arabic — and believe their prayers are more solemn in Arabic than in Indonesian.

But, what if a Muslim is unable to recite prayers in Arabic? And, what about the rarely used prayers like those for pilgrimages to cemeteries on the days approaching the fasting month of Ramadhan or for deceased loved ones?
Graveside: Prayer guides say prayers with a family at Karet Bivak Cemetery in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. JP/Mohammad Yazid

In order to provide guidance to the faithful visiting Jakarta’s cemeteries, some adult and elderly men — generally clad in sarongs, robes and peci with a kain around the neck or shoulders — offer their Arabic language services. Some carry strings of prayer beads, prayer books and the Koran.

To shade against the burning sun, particularly around noon, they also bring along umbrellas.

These men read passages from the Koran, often verses from Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas and Al-Fatiha as well as Kursi and Yasin. They also complement the reading of the verses with prayers to the Prophet and other prayers as requested by their patrons, all in Arabic.

For cemetery visitors, those prayers usually beg for God’s mercy for any misconduct of the deceased and His benevolence to bestow a proper place in heaven for their dearly departed.

“I only want to help people who mostly don’t understand the verses connected with funeral prayer services,” said Muhtadi, 40, a prayer guide from Rangkasbitung in Banten, who said he would stay at Karet Bivak Cemetery in Tanah Abang for 24 hours.

Leaving his family at his village, Muhtadi and 13 of his peers spent the night at a mosque in the 17-
hectare cemetery. Men like Muhtadi can be found at cemeteries throughout Jakarta.

The work of providing prayer services is not difficult for those with Arabic literacy, as all the prayers required can be found in prayer collections.

But the services these men provide are in high demand during the period prior to Ramadhan through the Idul Fitri holiday.

“The most important thing is not to be ashamed to offer our services,” said Muhtadi, who has been offering his Arabic skills to the faithful for five years and used to attend an Islamic boarding school in his village. He described the work as better suited to his abilities than his previous work as a martabak seller in the Palmerah area of Jakarta. And he earns more offering up his prayer services, about Rp 1.5 million (US$175) a month on average, he said.

Waiting: Several prayer guides wait to offer their services for funeral processions or pilgrims paying homage at family graves in Tanah Kusir Cemetery, South Jakarta. JP/Mohammad Yazid
Waiting: Several prayer guides wait to offer their services for funeral processions or pilgrims paying homage at family graves in Tanah Kusir Cemetery, South Jakarta. JP/Mohammad Yazid

Juhri was one of 20 prayer guides observed at Tanah Kusir Cemetery in South Jakarta one day. “Saying prayers consumes less energy and suits people of my age,” said Juhri, 60, from Cikampek, West Java.

He said he has over 10 years’ experience offering up his Arabic prayer expertise and claimed to have no other skills. He just followed his friends and was taught how to read the verses, he said.

There are no specific requirements for the work, but both Muhtadi and Juhri are registered at their respective cemeteries, as are other Arabic prayer guides. “In 1999, I paid Rp 200,000 and have since made no more payments,” said Juhri, who used to be a construction worker. Muhtadi said he gives monthly contributions but didn’t specify the sums.

They don’t charge specific fees for their services, generally accepting whatever the cemetery visitors give them — usually between Rp 10,000 and Rp 50,000.

“Only once did I receive Rp 300,000. I was asked to conduct a burial and pray for the deceased,” recalled Muhtadi.

“But, frankly speaking, I’ve made no money the last two days,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Over the last three years, according to Juhri, his income as a prayer guide has been declining.

“It’s good to earn Rp 300,000 a week. I couldn’t even find enough time to eat in the 1990s.”

Recently, funeral prayer service requests in Greater Jakarta and other major cities like Makassar have been on the decline, perhaps because many bereaved families conduct prayers on their own instead of delegating the ceremonies to others.

In Muhtadi’s view, the increase in religious schools is another factor in the declining demand for Arabic prayer. He did not elaborate on what he meant by “religious schools”.

As Ramadhan approaches, newcomers to the profession are also appearing at cemeteries. This doesn’t affect the workers who maintain the graves, the parking attendants or the flower sellers.

Grave workers, who keep burial grounds clean and neat, get between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 a week per grave. “I charge Rp 350,000 a year for one grave,” said Tohirin, who works at Perwira Cemetery in North Bekasi.

Many cemetery pilgrims use funeral prayer services out of pity and regard the fees as alms and charity. They think the more prayers that are delivered, the better for prayer conductors.

Conversely, those not utilizing prayer services believe prayers cannot be delegated except to close relatives, particularly children, or that Arabic is not mandatory.

The most important thing in pilgrimages is to pay homage to the deceased, they believe.

Among Muslims, there are various views about the need to make pilgrimages to cemeteries. As indicated in the Hadith, or prophetic sayings, the Prophet once prohibited the practice. But the Prophet later allowed such pilgrimages as a lesson to those still alive.

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