"Praise God, this morning, we have just performed the Eid al-Adha prayer. We interpret Eid al-Adha as a momentum to spread goodness to others," Jokowi stated at Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Sunday.
President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana performed the Eid al-Adha prayer 1443 Hijri at the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta. The Eid al-Adha prayer began at 07.00 local times, led by Salim Ghazali as imam and Head of the Indonesian Waqf Agency (BWI), Mohammad Nuh, as the preacher who delivered a sermon with the theme "The Spirit of Mutual Cooperation Strengthens the Joints of Diversity".
"We must spread happiness to people around us. Not only sacrifice in slaughtering sacrificial animals, but also spreading goodness and happiness," he emphasized.
The President also prayed for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims who were carrying out their worship in the Holy Land, including Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and his spouse, Mrs. Wury Estu Handayani. They performed the pilgrimage this year upon a special invitation from the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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"Earlier, we prayed together for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims who were performing the pilgrimage, May they be given safety, health, patience, and later return to the country safely," Jokowi remarked.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Nuh in his sermon stated that the life expectancy of Indonesians is 72.14 years. Those in their 60s, still have a life expectancy of 15 percent because 85 percent has been used.
"While there is still hope in life, this is the right time to evaluate, to weigh the blessings of God that have been given to us and the achievements we have made as our devotion to God and the community as well," Nuh said.
This means that the amount of capital that God has given to humans cannot be counted. However, the results are very calculable and often the capital is corrupted by abusing these favors.
"Indeed, there are many causes of our goodness deficit, including sins of a personal nature, as well as sins of a social nature, which are caused by neglecting or not caring about social problems," he added.
He said negligence of social problems includes a reluctance to solve basic social problems and deserting orphans.
"In a state of deficit, there is no noblest way, except firstly, asking forgiveness and mercy from Allah and taking advantage of the remaining opportunities to continue to prepare the best provisions and righteous deeds," Nuh continued.
On Eid al-Adha 1443 Hijriah, President Jokowi handed over a sacrificial animal at the Istiqlal Mosque in the form of a Simental cow weighing 1.2 tons. The sacrificial animals at the Istiqlal Mosque in 2022 comprised 32 cows and 16 goats.
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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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