By: Karta Raharja Ucu, Republika.co.id journalist, from Medina Saudi Arabia

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MEDINA — Hundreds of pilgrims from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore filled the entrance area of the 19th Nabawi Mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, May 25, 2024. At that time ba'da Sholat Maghrib there was a regular study in Indonesian where the teacher was a native Indonesian ustadz.

His name is Ariful Bahri. This Riau man has been a permanent teacher at the Nabawi Mosque since 2019. He completed a special study of the Indonesian language, where each study was always filled with hundreds of worshippers.

When she was met at the Nabawi Mosque, Ustadz Ariful Bahri told her, she grew up in a Muhammadiyah neighborhood. After graduating from primary school, she went on to Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs), an Islamic school of junior high level.

He told me that, during the 3rd grade of MTs, there was a new boarding school hut in his village. Therefore he quit MTs and then moved to the ponpes. “Someone offered, for free. But I had to repeat from the 1st grade,” Ustadz Ariful said on Saturday.

Since the 5th grade or 10th grade of Madrasah Aliyah, Ustadz Ariful has been the hafidz of the Quran. In fact, there is no program for memorizing 30 juz of the Quran in his mail.

For his achievements, the foundation also awarded a small Ariful of Umrah at that time. “While in Medina, I went to the Islamic University of Medina (UIM). Then take the entrance test,” said Ansor Sunnah, a graduate of Pondok Pesantren, Kampar.

Ustadz Ariful claimed to have been inspired by an alumnus of UIM who came from Riau. God's destiny led Ustadz Ariful away and went on to lecture at UIM in 2008.

“I originally majored in the Koran, then moved to Ushuluddin,” he said.

After graduating undergraduate level, Ustadz Ariful continued his studies S2 and S3 by majoring in akidah. “This book includes a comparison of religion and firqah,” said the father of four.

He said that 1,600 Indonesian students studying at the Islamic University of Medina all received scholarships. “The scholarship is a thousand percent. The return ticket to Indonesia is also covered,” he said.

On May 4, 2023, Ustadz Ariful claimed to be officially awarded his doctorate after his dissertation obtained Mumtaz or perfect grades.

Busy Writing

Not only filling out studies, daily Ustadz Ariful claims to be busy writing. He has even published books, including The Pilgrimage of Medina and Its Primacy and For Thee O Guest of God. The book was written by him with Ustaz Abu Yusuf.

Now it has been 15 years that Ustadz Ariful Bahri has been living in Medina. He even took his wife and four children to settle in Medina, and is now awaiting the birth of his fifth child. “God willing it's two or three weeks away (the birth),” he said.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika