“Repentance for sins committed, it is easy for Allah to forgive. However, sins to fellow humans are what we need to be aware of. Therefore, halal bi halal is good for gathering together to forgive each other,” said Prof. Dr. K.H. Nasaruddin Umar, M.A., Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, in his sermon at the Halalbihalal event at the Faculty of Public Health (FKM) Universitas Indonesia (UI), Thursday (18/4).
He explained that halal bi halal is an authentic Indonesian culture used as a means of connecting with relatives. According to him, the meaning of friendship is not limited to relationships between individuals who are still alive but also relationships with those who have passed away. We can pray or do good deeds for those who have passed.
“Friendship is not just for living people. Death is not an obstacle to friendship, as is usually done, visiting the grave. If parents are gone, children can be obedient by sending duas for them,” he said.
According to Prof. K.H. Nasaruddin, friendship is a form of Allah SWT’s love because humans are continuously given opportunities to improve themselves. In fact, the nature of this affection is reflected in the Quran. He said, “As many as 666 verses in the Qur’an, if we condense their meanings, we can find them in Surah Al-Fatihah. It is in the sentence basmallah. Then, there are the words Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim. These two words come from the word Rahmah which means love. So, the essence of scripture is love. Therefore, it is strange and wrong if someone uses the Quran to spread hatred.”
At this event, Surah Ar-Rahman was recited by the FKM UI Tahsin Community. Secretary of UI, dr. Agustin Kusumayati, M.Sc., Ph.D, who is part of this community, invited the UI academic community to join. “This is an invitation for all of us to enjoy studying the Quran. Through the Tahsin Community, we can learn to read and understand the Qur’an with content and a sense of family,” said Dr. Augustine.
Meanwhile, the Dean of FKM UI, Prof. Dr. Mondastri Korib Sudaryo, M.S., D.Sc., said that halal bihalal is not just a custom that forms the society’s identity but a tradition that contains noble values. The world of work has become the second home after our homes, so it cannot be separated from everyday life. Therefore, this is the best time for us to get to know each other well. In the end, friendship will produce harmony and new enthusiasm to improve,” he said.
The halal bihalal event was also enlivened and closed with the performance of The NutriChords who performed a song from singer Rossa “Takkan Berpaling Darimu”. The NutriChords is a vocal and music group of lecturers and students from the Nutritional Science Department.
