President Suharto Prays Eid Al-Adha And Sacrifices At The Istiqlal Mosque In History Today, November 11, 1978

President Suharto celebrated Eid al-Adha at the Istiqlal Mosque a year earlier, November 21, 1977. (Perpusnas)

JAKARTA - History today, 44 years ago, November 11, 1978, President Suharto performed Eid al-Adha prayers at the Istiqlal Mosque. The moment was greeted with great fanfare by all Jakarta residents in Istiqlal. The Smiling General personally also gave a cow a sacrifice.

Previously, the Istiqlal Mosque was planned by Soekarno and Hatta. They want to build the largest and grandest mosque in Southeast Asia. The mosque is predicted to be a symbol of the unity of all Muslims. No exception.

Soekarno and Hatta's desire to present the largest and grandest mosque in Southeast Asia is unbearable. Both invite many parties to discuss the plan to build the Istiqlal mosque. Wahid Hasyim and Anwar Tjokroaminoto are some of them. So, the development plan is carefully prepared," he thought.

The idea of organizing a competition to find an architect also emerged. The goal is that the Istiqlal Mosque is actually designed by a talented architect. Friedrich Silaban was chosen the winner. The committee was then rushed, as is the plan.

Constraints also appeared in the middle of the road. Istiqlal's development slowed down because of the transfer of power from Soekarno to Suharto in 1966. Suharto continued the idea of Bung Karno. Istiqlal's construction continues to be encouraged. The Istiqlal Mosque was finally inaugurated on February 22, 1978.

Since then the saban day of the Istiqlal Mosque has functioned as a house of worship for all Muslims. Whatever the maszhab. Everything was accepted in Istiqlal. Moreover, Suharto hopes that Istiqlal will become a symbol of the unification of Islam.

The mosque, whose dome is 45 meters in diameter, is a symbol of the Proclamation of Independence, and a pair as high as 6666 cm, follows the number of verses in the Koran, opened on February 22, 1978. A large wooden bed, as a tool that symbolizes Islam in Indonesia, is placed on the homepage. Like the date of the laying of the first pillar, the date of inauguration also falls on the day of the celebration of Maulid.

When inaugurating the Istiqlal Mosque, President Suharto repeated the words of his predecessor, convincing his listeners that by building the Istiqlal Mosque, the Indonesian people have shown themselves to the world that they are "a great nation, and a nation that is able to unite material life and spiritual life. The Istiqlal Mosque is more than just a national pride. This mosque is also a symbol of the unity of the Indonesian Islamic community," said Martien de Vlette in the book Past in the Today: Architecture in Indonesia (2009).

Next, the Istiqlal Mosque is often used as a favorite place of worship for many Indonesian political figures. Suharto especially. He often worships at the Istiqlal Mosque every Islamic holidays. Even his arrival often attracts the attention of the people of Jakarta.

This condition was seen when Suharto came to perform the Eid al-Adha prayer on November 11, 1978. His arrival was greeted with great fanfare by the residents of Jakarta who were worshiping at Istiqlal. Moreover, Suharto also contributed to the sacrifice of a cow.

Saturday, November 11, 1978, President Suharto performed Eid al-Adha prayer together with the people of Jakarta at the Istiqlal Mosque this morning. After praying, the Head of State handed over a cow as his qurbant," wrote Pak Harto's bookJejak Step: March 29, 1978-11 March 1983 (1992).