Ladies Hope At-Taufiq Mosque Becomes A Means Of Spreading Islam For The Taufiq Kiemas And PDIP Family

JAKARTA - DPR Speaker Puan Maharani hopes that the At-Taufiq Mosque which was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) together with the Chairperson of the PDI-P (PDIP) Megawati Soekarnoputri, can bring benefits to Muslims. The mosque which was built to commemorate the late Taufiq Kiemas is expected to be a means of spreading Islam.

The inauguration of the At-Taufiq Mosque in front of the PDIP Party School on Jl Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, was held on Wednesday, June 8 yesterday afternoon. The inauguration was carried out on the 9th anniversary of the death of Taufiq Kiemas.

The construction of the At-Taufiq Mosque was initiated by Puan as the daughter of Taufiq Kiemas. At the moment of the haul of the late Taufiq Kiemas and the inauguration of the At-Taufiq Mosque, he remembered his father's dedication and devotion to Indonesia.

"A statesman like the late Pak Taufiq, when he left this world he left a legacy, such as the legacy of national values that the deceased continued to fight for during his lifetime," said Puan who attended the online inauguration of the At-Taufiq Mosque.

The first woman to serve as Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives reminded that Taufiq Kiemas continues to build bridges to unite various elements of the nation through thoughts, words and actions during his lifetime. Puan said that her father always believed that Indonesia could only be great, become great and advance when all the children of the nation unite and work together.

“This belief is the same as what Bung Karno aspired to, who was the idol of the late Pak Taufiq. For the late Mr. Taufiq, different opinions are normal, but Indonesian unity must come first," said the chairman of the PDIP DPP.

"He believes that a united Indonesia will be our big capital to move forward," added Puan.

The family of Taufiq Kiemas is also said to want to take care of the legacy left by the former chairman of the MPR. One of them, said Puan, is by building the At-Taufiq Mosque which in addition to being a place of worship, can also be a place for social and religious activities.

"The construction of the At-Taufiq Mosque has begun in December 2018 and was completed in July 2020. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it can only be inaugurated today," he explained.

Puan explained that the initial idea for the construction of the At-Taufiq Mosque began with the conversion of the PDIP DPP office on Jl Lenteng Agung 99 to become a Party School as a means of gradual and periodic PDIP regeneration. With routine activities carried out at the Party School, hundreds of PDIP cadres from all over Indonesia often come to this location.

"The presence of party cadres in the Party School then raises the need for a bigger mosque for PDI-P cadres who are Muslim to perform the five daily prayers because the existing Musala is considered inadequate," said Puan.

Megawati as the head of PDIP and the wife of the late Taufiq Kiemas immediately agreed to Puan's initiation for the construction of the At-Taufiq Mosque. At-Taufiq Mosque is built on an area of 1,800 m2 with a two-story building in the style of a Minangkabau Gadang house.

The name At-Taufiq Mosque was chosen to commemorate the late Taufiq Kiemas who was known as a religious nationalist figure. Even so, according to Puan, the name At-Taufiq was also chosen because of its philosophy of meaning.

"The philosophy of the At Taufiq Mosque is taken from the word Taufiq which comes from the word Wafaqa which means conformity between irodah (divine provisions) and the deeds of the creatures," said the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.

“The word Taufiq can also be interpreted as God's Grace, Help and Guidance from Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala. The name At-Taufiq was also chosen to commemorate the late Mr. Taufiq Kiemas during his lifetime as well as to pray that his soul will always have the best place in the sight of Allah," added Puan.

He added that the concept of the At-Taufiq Mosque building was in accordance with the third Trisakti Bung Karno, namely the Indonesian Cultural Personality. Puan explained, the concept of building the At-Taufiq Mosque combines the concept of Islamic buildings, party elements and cultural wealth.

The design of the mosque building adopts the model of a West Sumatran house building as well as traditional ornaments from Palembang, South Sumatra, which is the area of origin of Taufiq Kiemas. Taufiq Kiemas is from Palembang, but he still has Minangkabau lineage.

"This reflects the religious nationalism of the Indonesian people," said Puan.

The grandson of the Proclaimer of the Republic of Indonesia, Bung Karno, said that the At-Taufiq Mosque has a capacity for worshipers of around 400-500 people. In addition, according to Puan, At-Taufiq Mosque has an auditorium or function room that can accommodate 200-250 people.

"We hope that the At-Taufiq Mosque can also accommodate social and religious activities that are intended not only for Muslims from PDI-P cadres but also for all Muslim communities, especially those around Lenteng Agung," he said.

At-Taufiq Mosque is under the management of the PDIP DPP whose management is handed over to Baitul Muslimin Indonesia (Bamusi), the wing of the PDIP party. Puan advised that the At-Taufiq Mosque be cared for and managed as well as possible so that it can become a means of spreading Islam for the Taufiq Kiemas family as well as the PDIP extended family. "Make At-Taufiq Mosque a place of worship for PDI-P cadres and other Muslims. God willing, this mosque will be useful for all of us and will also become a means of spreading Islam for Rahmatan Lil Alamin," said Puan.

After the inauguration ceremony, a joint prayer event was also held at the At-Taufiq Mosque in the form of tahlil and yasinan as a commemoration of Taufiq Kiemas' 9th haul. Puan thanked all those who always prayed for her late father. "During these nine years, we as a family thank all parties who continue to pray for the deceased with us," he said,

"So that all his deeds of worship during his life were accepted and rewarded doubled, all mistakes, mistakes and sins were forgiven, and his spirit got the best place with Allah SWT," concluded Puan.