JAPAN — “Sister, I am really happy when Ramadan comes and really, really, happy when I meet you now. Because I can share and ask you many things,” Aisyah San, 63, a convert from the Philippines, told Dompet Dhuafa’s Japanese Ambassador, Ustazah Cutra Swan.
Aisyah is so happy every time she meets with Dompet Dhuafa’s preachers at the home of Ainul Yaqeen Foundation Chairperson, Gina Farida Yazid, located in Adachi-ku Tokyo. According to Ustazah Cutra, Aisyah always rushes to take the Qur’an after Tarawih prayer and asks the ustazah to correct her reading. This was something she did regularly after Tarawih prayer, which she performed after working all day. Aisyah continued to recite verse after verse with enthusiasm, even though the night was getting late until close to 24:00 local time.
“Usually, after reciting the Quran, she would ask about various things. Mostly about what she found in the Injīl and Qur’ān and comparisons between the two. Because before converting to Islam, Aisyah San was a very devout Christian, even an evangelist,” said Ustazah Cutra Swan.
“Sensei Cutra… I’ve memorized the hadith about smile, please listen to me,” Aisyah said to Ustazah Cutra.
Aisyah San then recited the hadith that Ustazah Cutra had just taught her, which was the hadith about smiling at relatives as alms. She smiled and shouted out loud: (تبسمك فى وجه أخيك صدقة)
At other times, Ustazah Cutra also accompanies and teaches children at the Ramadan Islamic Boarding School. The 35 children who attended the Islamic boarding school came from various regions. Some were from Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, and of course from Japan itself. The Dompet Dhuafa Dai Ambassador assigned to Japan accompanied the children in the Islamic Boarding School for 4 days.
“Hearing the babble of pious children who are enthusiastic about learning the Qur’an, hadith, and patting pious children, as well as other typical Indonesian TPA songs, is really fun. Although … they have difficulty and their pronunciation is different from Indonesian children in general,” said the Ustazah.
The pronunciation difficulty is influenced by Japanese, which is their mother tongue. In Japanese, the letter L is pronounced as R or the suffix N is pronounced as NG.
On another occasion, Ustazah Cutra also met a mixed marriage couple who wanted to do marriage counseling. They asked about many things related to the marriage problems they faced, Ustazah Cutra also helped them to find solutions to their problems.
“These interesting experiences are among the things I got when I became a Dompet Dhuafa Dai Ambassador. One thing that I have long dreamed of when I became a religious instructor at the Ministry of Religion. Having the opportunity to spread the benefits as widely as possible, experience foreign da’wah, interact with the Indonesian diaspora community abroad, face various da’wah problems that really test knowledge and skills, so that in the end it will enrich my knowledge and skills as a religious instructor, “Ustazah Cutra told Dompet Dhuafa.
“I felt these interesting experiences during the 1445 H Ramadan Da’wah Safari in Japan. I was not alone. I and other Dai Ambassador friends, namely Dr. Cecep Sobar Rachmat, Dr. Lukman Sumarna, and Ustaz Ahmad Muqorobin,” she continued.
When they first arrived at Japan’s Narita Airport on Friday (7/3/2024), the Dompet Dhuafa Dai Ambassador group was greeted by snow. Ustazah Cutra and other dai friends immediately visited the Camii Mosque in Tokyo. The mosque is visited by many Muslim women from various countries. Especially when it was Friday. Hundreds of people filled the mosque to pray. The sermon was delivered in three languages: Japanese, Turkish and English. After the prayer, the congregation then ate together in the hall that had been prepared by the mosque with Turkish specialties.
“It doesn’t feel like my da’wah safari in Japan with Dompet Dhuafa’s Dai Ambassador must end. On April 13, 2024, we finally returned to Indonesia. Carrying the spirit of da’wah that is getting stronger in the chest, after seeing the enthusiasm of Japanese Muslims who really miss the touch of religion. They still pray Tarawih every night during Ramadan even though Tarawih can only be done late at night after everyone returns from work,” said Ustazah Cutra.
Ustazah Cutra Swan was amazed to see how her congregation in Japan was so thirsty for Islamic values and eager to learn the religion. The Ustazah was determined not to make this the first and last meeting. However, Insha Allah, there will be subsequent meetings on better occasions. Wallahu a’lam.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Ustazah Cutra Zwan, Dompet Dhuafa’s Dai Ambassador 2024