“What?! Kaji Sangit?!”
***
The final part of the Kaji Sangit story is not to be missed. Upon returning from his pilgrimage, Kaji Soleman stopped by the house of Kiai Chudori. He sought advice about what charitable deeds he should prioritize in his village.
Before giving advice, Kiai Chudori asked about the condition of Kaji Soleman’s village. “The spread of Islam is progressing, sir. We already have ten mosques, and we plan to build another grand one,” Kaji Soleman replied.
“What about your neighbors, how are they living?”
“Well, sir, there are still many poor people. Many cannot afford to send their children to school. Many lack proper housing. Many have ended up as vagrants in the city,” Kaji Soleman responded.
“That’s your field of charity,” said Kiai Chudori.
“What if we don’t end up building the grand mosque, sir?”
“The grand mosque can wait. First, enrich the hearts of your neighbors, because truly, your mosque is within your heart. If your heart is prosperous, your mosque will naturally be prosperous. There’s no need for you to make it so. There’s no need to magnify it.”
“But how do I do that, sir? I worry about becoming the subject of gossip if I don’t contribute to the mosque construction, but instead contribute to other things?”
“I have a student who wishes to travel. Invite him to live in your village. Let him handle your charity work.”
Since then, in the village of Kaji Soleman, alias Kaji Sangit, the figure of a stranger would often be seen – who was none other than Kiai Chudori’s student.
***
Indeed, my heart aches when I heard that a school building in this city is to be demolished to make way for a grand mosque. Then, I remembered the story of Kaji Sangit, and I look around, perhaps there’s a student of Kiai Chudori here.
Illustration: facebook.com.