REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Head of Haji Financial Management Agency (BPKH) Fadlul Imansyah invites the younger generation, especially prospective grooms, to start saving early. The goal is to be able to give a dowry or dowry to the spouse in the form of an initial deposit for Hajj.
“There is one thing that I think is pretty phenomenal when we look at this moment, that the younger generation who have graduated from college is mostly thinking about getting married while young. Well, married people usually have a dowry with a set of prayer tools, now the dowry is changed to the initial deposit of the hajj. It can be imagined that Indonesian couples since the age of 25 have been thinking about making Hajj, which means that their mindset is physically and spiritually good,” he said at Antara Heritage Center, Jakarta, Monday (30/9/2024).
He mentioned that currently the minimum initial deposit required to go on Hajj is Rp 25 million. According to him, the younger generation who deposited their money as a dowry to go on Hajj could have a better career and sustenance.
“So if his career and nutrition are good, then his morals are also good. So the name of the golden year 2045 was created because let's go young hajj, make the initial deposit of the hajj into a dowry for marriage, it can be imagined that the year 2045 this nation will be so good,” he said.
He explained that there is a long waiting time to take the hajj, on average about 20-30 years, given that there are at least 5.3 million queues waiting to go on the hajj.
“While our quota is now probably about 200,000, so if you count from 5.3 million divided by that 200,000, it's about 26-27 years of waiting, the average is about 25-30 years of waiting. So it can be imagined that if during this time people went on the Hajj when they want to retire, the age of 55 or 56 plus 25 years is 80 years old,” he said.
In addition, Fadlul reminds that embarking on Hajj requires a strong physique because it is necessary to walk a lot over a considerable distance. Worshippers have to walk from Mina to Jamarat round trip.
“Almost everything is Hajj is a physical activity, therefore, we appeal to young children, especially those who have just graduated from college at the age of 25, for example, to deposit the beginning of the hajj, so that at the age of 50-60 they can go on Hajj. God willing, people of that age are still physically strong for travel, long walks, and so on,” he said.
He also insists that the younger generation does not need to look at the nominal amount of money that must be deposited each month to save, but more broadly, the most important thing is the intention to deposit early on the Hajj so that it will open the way for greater sustenance.
“Don't look at that (nominal), because many events, once we make a deposit, say a deposit of Rp1 million per month, means that 24 months can be an initial deposit, but to get there, in fact, the greater thing is that on that journey, there is the power of God out of nowhere in his sustenance who knows that Hajj can be made even earlier,” he said.
He stressed that the “Ayo Haji Muda” campaign continues to be pursued by the BPKH with the aim that when the pilgrims leave, they can immediately perform the Hajj without experiencing physical worries.