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Unworldly worship: Devoting the final days of Ramadan at Istiqlal
Seeking God’s mercy during the holy fasting month, Muslims from across the country devote themselves to spiritual contemplation in the 10 days leading up to Idul Fitri at Jakarta’s grand mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, isolated from worldly distractions.
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Muslims perform the Qiyamul Lail prayer on March 23, 2025, at Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta during iktikaf, the practice of staying in a mosque over several days devoted to worship. (Antara/Ferlian Septa Wahyusa)
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n the final 10 days of Ramadan before Idul Fitri, hundreds of worshippers gathered at Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta to observe iktikaf, the practice of drawing closer to God by staying at a mosque to fast, pray and recite the Quran, away from the distractions of daily life.
On Monday, worshippers sat on prayer mats, spending the hours between maghrib (dusk prayer) and isya (evening prayer) with prayer, dhikr and reading the Quran.
Among them was Djufri Tjikoe, 58, who had just completed the dusk prayer and walked over to his 54-year-old wife Elia in the area for women, where their suitcases were neatly stored.
The couple had traveled all the way from Manado, North Sulawesi, for iktikaf. Their journey began on March 17, when they set sail from North Sulawesi to Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java. From there, they continued by train, arriving in Jakarta on the morning of March 21 and making their way to Southeast Asia’s largest mosque to start their retreat.
“We started preparing months ago, searching for tickets to Jakarta. We finally secured a ticket on a ship for March 17,” Djufri said on Monday.
For Elia, who had lived in the West Java city of Bogor before marrying Djufri two years ago, this retreat was a cherished Ramadan tradition. But for Djufri, this was his first time devoting the final 10 days of Ramadan to staying and worshipping at Istiqlal.
“Before COVID-19, I used to do iktikaf every year because I lived in Bogor. Back then, people could stay at the mosque from the start of Ramadan. Now, overnight stays are only allowed during the last 10 days before Idul Fitri,” Elia explained.
