MY LONG TIME MOSLEM FRIEND

I read Qur'an with Indonesian verses

At night I used to learned  homework with my room mate, Mr. Parlaungan Hasibuan,  high school student in Padangsidempuan town, North Sumatera, Indonesia, a town with moslem mayority environment. If I made any trouble or noisy, he will pull open his Qur'an holy book and start to recite loudly, and surely made me quiet until fall asleep and then he may starting learned again silently. 

After working our homework together, late in the afternoon we walked side by side to the river a mile away to take a bath, each using sarongs. He used black cap, but I didn't as a sign that I was not moslem. I had to waiting for him to finished magrib praying at the river side, before going home. He was faitful moslem, pray regularly, 5 time a day as moslem religion said.  We become longlife friendship ever since untill today.

Moslem with hat and sarong

Some other time, I used to take  "air wudhu",  water flow cleansing ritual, to rinse my body parts from face, ears, elbows and the forehead, before going home, after went to a restroom in Mosque compound. I did this to honor the sacred place, even I was a Christian.

Since we were a very bosom friend, after high school graduation, Mr.Hasibuan and me agreed to extend our education to University level far away in Yogjakarta city, Java island by bus, ship and train  for applying to Gajahmada University. We kept as a room mate for many years, so my friendship with him never ending until we got married.

In our relatively small room he always prayed or read Qurán while I am available inside the room. Sometime I made a trouble or noise, but we never argue about our difference in religion. 

Praying at home

Another friends of my wife a group of Senior high school from Jambi, South Sumatera, had a Haj status, up until today get together and kept a good relationship. One of them, a spouse, spend overnight at our house when they came to Jakarta from Jambi with many Christian symbols inside the room. This relationship tied from high school until we were married.

In 1986 when I was a Bank BRI Branch manager in Kudus town, Central Java, a costumer, a Bookstore owner, send me a gift. After open the case, I felt astonished and surprised to see a Quran book (on top photo), Goverment  edition version  in two languages Arab and Indonesian. Then when we transfer to another city, exactly on Idulfitri 1987, for the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to read the Quran, Indonesian,  in front of BRI personnel and their families in Surabaya branch, East Java.

I love to read the Quran book to enrich my knowledge and understanding, then become aware how to appreciate the good verses of every Holy books.