Istikomah is a form of belief. Istikomah is an opener for the good even though we are not among those who have privileges. This just came from a piece of his advice. There are many more that I don’t remember, but occasionally I still listen to them via mp3 recordings.
Now I may not be able to listen to his loud voice directly as he stands and sits delivering his bestari wise advice like before in front of thousands of students because of my old age. I saw him always sitting in a wheelchair pushed by the asatiz when he attended significant pesantren events. Although physically, the Mambaus Sholihin Islamic Boarding School is getting bigger and bigger, my sadness is always more immense than that. Mambaus Sholihin for me is everything. I grew and grew up in it. Remembering one Mars with the pesantren motto “Alim, Sholeh, Kafi”, which I used to often listen to when I was a child, it reads like this:
Since childhood, we learn
In this beloved cottage
So that later, become a person
The pious, pious, and kafi
O Allah, pour out Your mercy on us
Make our knowledge the bright path of life later
Never forget to send Fatihah to the teachers who have poured their knowledge into all of us. Al Fatihah…