Governor of Lemhannas RI Speaks to the Congregation of Salman Mosque ITB

“National resilience is crucial to ensure that a society or nation can realize baldatun thayyibatun wa rabbun ghafur,” Governor of Lemhannas RI, Dr. H. TB. Ace Hasan Syadzily, M.Si, stated when giving a speech to the tarawih prayer congregation at the Salman Mosque of Institut Teknologi Bandung on Thursday (13/3). The event was organized by the Committee for Ramadan and Eid al-Adha Program (P3RI) 1446 H of Salman Mosque ITB.

During his speech, the Governor of Lemhannas RI talked about the story of a nation mentioned in the Qur'an, which was proven in history as baldatun thayyibatun wa rabbun ghafur. “Which in Sundanese means gemah ripah loh jinawi,” the Governor explained.

Next, the governor of Lemhannas RI shared the stories contained in the Qur'an related to national resilience to the congregation. The Qur'an mentions in Surah Al-Fajr verses 6 to 11 that there were three communities that were given special privileges by Allah SWT, but were destroyed because they were arrogant.

The first was the people of 'Ad who had the strength to build sturdy buildings. The second was the people of Tsamud, who excelled in decorating the walls of mountains. The third was the Egyptians, led by the Pharaoh, who had the talent to build magnificent and sturdy structures, the pyramids.

The next was Saba' people who were described in the Quran as having fertile land and even had a modern irrigation system that stretched from Saba' to Ethiopia that could irrigate all the gardens to make them fertile.

From those stories, it was revealed that those great nations had brilliant civilizations, but they were destroyed by Allah SWT because of their arrogant attitude by turning against Allah SWT. The governor emphasized that we can study the history in the Qur'an, that a nation will remain strong if people remember and be grateful to God. Otherwise, a nation will perish if the people are ungrateful.

The governor added that a great nation is one in which an abundance of sustenance and prosperity are well-established because of its natural resources. Those are the powers of Allah SWT who always grant His servants sustenance.

There are several ways to express gratitude for the blessings given by Allah SWT to a nation blessed with prosperity, such as saying gratitude to Allah SWT, being loyal to the one who gives the blessings, and utilizing and benefiting from the blessings as desired by the Almighty. “We should be grateful not only by obeying God, but more importantly by utilizing Indonesia's natural wealth according to the will of God. Exploit it, that's part of gratitude,” the governor added.

In such context, the governor of Lemhannas RI emphasized the significant role of ITB, whose science could be used to utilize the natural resources of Indonesia. He also stressed that a nation must be able to ensure prosperity by fulfilling basic needs and security for its people.

On that occasion, the governor was accompanied by Prime Secretary of Lemhannas RI, Commissioner General of Police Drs. R. Z. Panca Putra S. M.Si; Deputy for National Level Leader Education Air Vice Marshal Andi Heru Wahyudi; Professional Expert of Natural Resources of Lemhannas RI Prof. Dr. Ir. Dadan Umar Daihani, D.E.A; and Head of Public Relations Bureau Brigadier General Agus Mirza, S.I.P.