JAKARTA - The Indonesian Khatib Gathering Forum (Wasathi) revealed that sermons in mosques throughout Indonesia are limited to 15 minutes. With the hope, the congregation can listen to the sermon more attentively.
In his statement on Sunday, August 1, Wasathi's treasurer, Hilman Kurtubi, said that the time limit for this sermon was proposed by the caretaker of Ma'had Arrohimiyah Cengkareng, KH Ishom El Saha.
The proposal was conveyed by KH Ishom when he was a speaker at the Moderate Khatib Workshop, which was held virtually from the Al Ijtihad Mosque Hall, West Jakarta, Saturday, July 31.
According to KH Ishom, preaching in Indonesia, especially in big cities, has long been criticized. During the time of Prof. Mukti Ali (Minister of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia for the period 1971-1978), for example, sermons in several big cities were allegedly not in accordance with the pillars of sermons.
He considered many things outside the pillars of the sermon were even more dominant during the sermon. With a sermon that only lasted 15 minutes, KH Ishom felt that the preacher would be more focused and careful, so that the pillars were still fulfilled and the condition of the congregation remained solemn to listen to the sermon.
"Prof Mukti Ali had time to go around observing sermons in Indonesia. He noticed that in big cities there were some sermons that lacked the pillars. The average khatib has the ability to make speeches but lacks knowledge of sermons. This is Mr. Mukti Ali's criticism. the conditions are not met," said KH Ishom.
So, how do Islamic organizations and MUI respond to the proposed sermon time?
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"Considering the pillars of the sermon, I think 15 minutes is more than enough time," said PBNU Chairman Robikin Emhas, Sunday, August 1.
"Moreover, it is not a long sermon to be a sunnah of the Prophet," he continued.
According to Robikin, there are many benefits that can be drawn from a 15-minute sermon. One of them is that the congregation pays more attention to the sermon material.
"The benefits of this include that the congregation can focus on listening to the sermon material delivered by the preacher. During a pandemic like now, all components of society are expected to minimize the potential for COVID-19 transmission," he said.
PP Muhammadiyah explained that the purpose of shortening the duration of the sermon was not to prevent the congregation from falling asleep, but it was the sunnah of the prophet.
"If it is in accordance with the hadith, Friday sermons must be short. The length is the same as prayers. In many countries, sermons are also very short," said General Secretary PP Muhammadiyah Abdul Mu'ti to reporters, Sunday, August 1.
According to Abdul Mu'ti, currently, many mosques have limited the duration of sermons. He saw the duration of the sermon was not a factor that caused the congregation to sleep.
"Now there are many mosques whose sermons are only 10 minutes, or a maximum of 15-20 minutes. Usually, they are written on the pulpit or delivered by the takmir directly to the preacher," he said.
"If the reason for the preacher is limited so that he is not sleepy, it is not right. Indeed, there are some congregations that are sleepy during Friday prayers. Maybe the reason for the sermon is long and uninteresting. But it could also be due to the condition of the congregation who are tired," continued Abdul Mu'ti.
Abdul Mu'ti suggested that Muslims in Indonesia prepare themselves before entering the mosque. He emphasized shortening the duration of the sermon is the sunnah of the prophet.
"Muslims should prepare physically and spiritually before going to the mosque. In the hadith it is sunnah to take a short nap (qailulah), bathe, wear perfume, and dress well," he urged.
"So the context of the short Friday sermon is not because the congregation is sleepy. The short sermon is the sunnah of the prophet," concluded Abdul Mu'ti.
MUI
In contrast, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) considers that the proposal for a sermon limited to 15 minutes is inappropriate. According to MUI, the most important thing is that the sermon delivered can be understood by the congregation.
"Indeed, a good sermon is not long and the prayer is longer. But limiting the sermon to the time is certainly not right because each person, need, and region must be different," said Chairman of the MUI Da'wah Commission Cholil Nafis to reporters, Sunday, August 1st.
However, Cholil also suggested that the duration of the sermon should not be too long. For the sleeping congregation, according to him, it can be caused by a number of factors, one of which is the unattractive sermon material.
"But it's good that it's not long, but it can understand the congregation for piety and pious deeds. When it comes to sleeping, it's not just because it's too long, but many factors, such as unattractive material or the congregation usually sleeps," he concluded.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
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