The occurrence of drought and forest fires in various regions, especially those currently occurring in the Sumatra and Kalimantan regions, has attracted public attention. Since a few days ago, many residents have performed Istisqa prayers to ask for rain from God Almighty. Not to forget, the TNI, Polri and residents of Malang also performed Istisqa prayers at Rampal Field, Wednesday (28/10).
Before performing the Istisqa prayer, hundreds of worshipers performed the Duha prayer first, led by the Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Malang City, KH Baidowi Muslich. This event was also attended by the Danrem 083/Baladhika Jaya Malang, Col. Inf. Fajar Setyawan, Deputy Mayor of Malang, Drs. Sutiaji and high-ranking officials from the Malang City Police. Not to forget the female worshipers who also consisted of TNI, Polri and the community, lined up neatly behind the male worshipers.
After the Duha prayer was performed, a religious lecture was continued about the rewards, procedures, and benefits of the Duha prayer by KH Baidowi Muslich. After the lecture, the congregation was then led to perform the Istisqa prayer. Similar to the first, after the prayer, a religious lecture was continued about various things related to the Istisqa prayer.
Danrem 083/Baladhika Jaya Malang, Col. Inf. Fajar Setyawan said that this Istisqa prayer is for the welfare of the people. "We are not just asking for rain from God Almighty, but also to maintain food security. If there is no rain and prolonged drought, then farmers will suffer losses, because it can cause crop failure," he explained, Wednesday (28/10).
Fajar gave an example, if the farmers' rice plants lack water, then the rice will not grow normally and can even fail to harvest. "We beg and pray that it will rain soon, so that our brothers and sisters, namely farmers, can farm normally and the residents affected by the smoke are no longer attacked by respiratory viruses," he added.
Meanwhile, the Head of the MUI of Malang City, KH. Baidowi Muslich said that this Istisqo prayer is permissible to be carried out in Malang City like this, even though there is no water shortage in this city (Malang). "We pray for all mankind, more specifically we pray for our brothers and sisters who are affected by the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. So, praying anywhere is fine," he explained.
The same thing was also conveyed by the Deputy Mayor of Malang, Drs. Sutiaji who said that his party would invite all levels of society to pray for rain to fall soon. "The rain will be very beneficial for farmers and our brothers and sisters in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Therefore, let us continue to ask God to give us rain soon," he invited. (say/yon)
