Because of this deep love, I want to reminisce about the dawuh Kiai delivered on many occasions. To this day, his dawuh continues to stick in my heart.
Dawuh kiai are: al-istiqomah khoirun min alfi karomah. That is that istikomah (doing something continuously) is better than a thousand karomah (privileges) that a person has.
In the past, I didn’t really appreciate it or even use it because the advice was given very often. Istikomah, for me, at that time, was doing congregational prayers according to the rules that had been set by the pesantren. Or the tahajjud prayer because the bell rings in a third of the night. Or take part in all activities starting from school, courses, muhadloroh, muhadatsah, imrithi and alfiyah deposits, diniyah, or yellow book deposits. For me, all of this is the istikomah of the pol because it does not change its activities throughout the year. That’s it.
In the last few years, when I brought up and continued my studies at a state university, then graduated and now serve to practice the knowledge I have gained, I often think about how Kiai’s advice is like a keyword to deal with this uncertain life.
I learned to understand that istikomah is not the only thing. Nor is it boring because you keep doing the same thing over and over again. Istikomah is another form of patience itself.; consistency without limits; Istikomah is not giving up. It is persistence.