story of South Korea 20 years ago...

In 1987, a young man went to South Korea to further his studies in engineering course. But he did not went there just to study, he got a bigger agenda on his mind; to spread ISLAM.

So there start his hard journey.

At that time, there was only 6 mosques all over south korean. Sadly, all of them are locked, because nobody go to masjid anymore. That young guy eventually had to keep one of the masjid's key because he was the only visitor to it everyday. There were muslims, but they did not look like one. One day, he was praying at the mosque lonely. Suddenly he smell something pleasant and sweet. When he finished his pray, he looked at his back and saw two women became his ma'mum. But they are wearing skirt. He asked them, "What are you two doing?", they replied, "Pray." "Are you muslims?". They nodded. The muslims there did not even had the knowledge of their religion.

He start slowly at his campus. He with few of his friends, about 2 to 3 persons, walked from room to room, asking whether they are free to hear some hadis recitation, and read them, mostly everyday. Then they invited them to pray jamaah at a free space somewhere above their building, where his friends and him had put a mat. Some accept them, some did not, some even scold and cursed.

Eventually, a lot of people were used to what they did, and they even waited for them to come to their room and read hadis. If they did not show up, they will asked where are they. With all the requests, the guy and his friends decided that they will read hadis everyday at the 'surau' they set up so that a lot of people can listen to it. At the same time, they still inviting people to go and listen to it at the 'surau'. They started to azan five times a day, and more and more people came to the surau.

One day, some koreans and japanese complain to the management because of the noise being made when a lot of people gathered to pray and they want to sleep. Hence the management call the young man, tell him about the complain and discussed. They asked him whether he can move or stop. He said there was no way he would stop, its their religion. So the management say, oke. A week later, they called him again, telling him that they had given him a proper room. The man could not be less happier. WHY? Because at the place they set up, it was an open space, exposed to cold air. Their legs even swelled because of the coldness and low temperature. At the new surau, there was heater and water provided.

The masjid they went is on top of a hill. Anyone who want to go there have to pass long road with a lot of prostitutes looking for customers. The man said, his friends and him had to run all way when they passed the road whenever when they want go to the masjid to pray, because the prostitutes were 'aggressive' and active, and there were even some people 'making up' at the roadside.

They, the man and his friends, eventually did their dakwah at the road too. They went from one house to another, reading hadis and Quran, and inviting them to masjid. At masjid, they did the hadis and sirah reciting.

TODAY, there are 16 funtional masjid across the country, and 64 surau. There are a lot and a lot more people doing dakwah there. The road which once filled with prostitutes and nite clubs, in approximately three years, they are all gone. The older young man went to visit korea in 2007, and could not be less happier to see Islam is spreading. The most thing that makes him touched when he saw a woman wearing a purdah teaching children in classroom as a teacher. The woman even closed her eye with a cloth when she got out of the class. At a the headquarters of dakwah (markas), there are 7 thousand people gathered to do iktikaf when a national iktikaf being done every month.

Who is this guy? Do we know him?

NO, we dont. And that guy dont even want people to know him.

But he is from a same movement of dakwah. We have seen them mostly at masjid and surau. They like to sleep at masjid for 3 days and going from house to house talking about Islam. Do you know who am I talking about?

Golongan TABLIGH.

Yes, die adalah dari orang2 yang kite suke gelar dengan gelaran Tabligh.

This story has been very inspirational for me. And this not just one, there are lot more amazing stories, the background, what they did, what is their module, experience etc etc. I joined them last Friday for three days and it was very wonderful. InsyAllah, I will write more.