Muhammad Sulaiman Feroz
Jamia Ahmadiyya Indonesia
On 13-15 May, Jamia Ahmadiyya Indonesia held an annual tarbiyat tour. This event is part of the academic calendar. The 3-day event was held at the camping site in tea hills area in Puncak, Bogor. All Jamia students, Hafiz-ul-Quran students and lecturers enthusiastically attended.
On the morning of 13 May, all students prepared to depart. Before leaving the campus, every student attended the morning assembly, after which all students were ready to go. It took about two hours.
Upon arrival at the location, all students seemed really energetic to set up tents. Within only a few minutes, our tents were put up and we waited for Zuhr time.
After the combined Zuhr and Asr prayers, lunch was served. All students seemed really excited and even the weather was pleasantly cold for common Indonesians.
At 2pm, the game started. This game was for students of Hifz-e-Quran. The students were formed in groups which functioned to enhance team-spirit. The game ended at 5pm.
In the evening, after Maghrib and Isha prayers, the temperature dropped. Some entertaining activities were held where some students came forward to show their other talents. It was to bring about a nearness between students and lecturers.
On the following day, all offered Salat Tahajjud congregationally and this was followed by Fajr Prayer and Dars. On this second day, the participants would continue with the games to pump their spirit of brotherhood and also to foster harmony among them.
In the second evening, our activities continued with tableaus. Each year group was required to form a team that would act out scenes. Before this event began, a campfire was lit to warm the night and coffee was provided for all students to accompany them to enjoy the tableaus.
The third day was started with Tahajjud. The atmosphere was colder because heavy rain had fallen on our campsite the previous night. However, this did not discourage us to observe Tahajjud prayer together. Just before Zuhr time, all participants had returned to the location and prepared to offer combined Zuhr and Asr prayers.
After offering the prayers, the event was continued with the distribution of prizes. Everyone enthusiastically listened to the names of the winners. Awards were given for the hard work during the event also. The general champion of the games was Darja Rabiah [fifth year], followed by Darja Ula [second year] as the runner-up and Darja Mumahida [first year], Saniya [third year] and Salisa [fourth year]. The event was concluded with a silent prayer led by Maulana Abdul Wahab.
This event was dominated by physical games which aimed to refresh the minds and improve the moods of the participants so that after the event, all students could feel more energetic to study. In his impression statements, Maulana Abdul Wahab said, “The purpose of this annual Tarbiyat Tour of Jamia Ahmadiyya Indonesia is to invite all students who have been busy with all campus activities to do the tarbiyat tour like this and to enjoy the beauty of nature created by Allah the Almighty. This event is not only held in Jamia Indonesia but also all Jamias around the world. The talents and leadership qualities among students could also be seen through this event, which will be useful in their practical life. Hopefully this activity will be beneficial for all.”