Today, Remembering the days, living as a santri many years ago, life seemed “upnormal“. But, if time could be replayed, I may not be able to live it like that again.
But that life experiences came in handy when later, years later, during my years as a journalist, I got to meet so many different people: from bandits to pandits; from beggars to artists; from coro to ndoro; from the poor to the very rich; from criminals to officials. Etc. At times like that, I always remember the teachings of the teachers at the pesantren: life does not need to be nervous and stuttering.
I have experienced boarding at two Islamic boarding schools, Pondok Pesantren Al-Qodiri and Al-Fattah, in Jember City, East Java. But before that, I had actually been included in a hut. But, unfortunately, after the first night had passed, early in the morning, when the students left for the mosque for congregational prayers, I ran away…
In 1985, Al-Qodiri was not what it is today, which has grown so big that it has universities and branches in many places. At that time Al-Qodiri was better known as a tarekat pesantren. Precisely the Qodiriyah wan Naqsabandiyah Order. Therefore, every Friday night, the Manaqiban of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jailani is held regularly. Suppose it’s Sweet Friday night (Legi). In that case, the congregation of manaqib can reach thousands of people from various regions in Indonesia. But especially for santri, the manaqib (short version) is every midnight. Until now, Al-Qodiri is still being cared for by KH Ahmad Muzakki Syah.
Meanwhile, Al-Fattah is one of the Salaf Islamic boarding schools in Talangsari, Jember. It is located next to the Ash-Shiddiqi Putra (Ashtra) Islamic Boarding School, nurtured by KH Achmad Shiddiq, Rais Am PBNU 1984-1991. Even these two pesantren have a connecting hallway.