While performing Umrah in the Holy Land, Megawati not only prayed for herself and her family, but also prayed for the good of the Indonesian nation.
11 Feb 2025 21:12 WIB · English
MEKKAH, KOMPAS - The 5th President of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri, performed the umrah pilgrimage along with her son, Mohammad Rizki Pratama, and her daughter, Puan Maharani. In addition to praying for herself and her family, Megawati also prayed for the well-being of the nation and the country during the umrah pilgrimage, which lasted for approximately two hours.
Megawati began her Umrah on Tuesday (11/2/2025) by taking the miqat, the starting point for Umrah, in the area of the Tan'im Mosque at around 08.43 am local time. Megawati then headed to the Grand Mosque to perform tawaf or circle the Kaaba seven times while praying.
"Before performing umrah, there was one intention that he wanted to convey while performing tawaf and sai, namely to pray for the well-being of the Indonesian nation and state," said the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Division of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Ahmad Basarah, after performing umrah with Megawati and her family.
Basarah explained that Megawati loves the nation, the country, and the people of Indonesia very much. Therefore, she prays to Allah SWT for the Indonesian nation to be granted blessings and mercy. Additionally, she prays for the Indonesian nation to always be given protection, especially in maintaining the unity and integrity of the nation.
Indonesia becomes a nation that is baldatun thayyibatun wa rabbun ghafur, a good country, as the founders of the nation aspired to be achieved.
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Megawati, Basarah continued, wants the ideals of the nation's founders, namely a prosperous, harmonious, and peaceful Indonesia to be achieved. "Indonesia becomes a nation that is baldatun thayyibatun wa rabbun ghafur, a good country, as the nation's founders aspired to can be achieved," she said.
Megawati, along with her family, performed the umrah with devotion. The scorching sun did not hinder Megawati and her sons and daughters from completing the entire series of umrah rituals.
During the tawaf, Megawati was assisted with a wheelchair. Meanwhile, Pratama, Puan, and Megawati's granddaughter, Pinka Hapsari, walked close to Megawati. The group also included Basarah, the Indonesian Ambassador to Tunisia Zuhairi Misrawi, the spokesperson for PDI-P Guntur Romli, as well as military observer and the World Ambassador for Education and Science and Technology for Saint Petersburg University, Connie Rahakundini Bakri.
After performing tawaf, Megawati performed two rakats of sunnah prayer followed by sa'i. This time, Megawati, who is now 78 years old, performed the sa'i, which involves walking seven times while praying from the hill of Safa to Marwah, not far from the Kaaba. The series of umrah rituals concluded with tahallul or cutting of the hair.
Not only did Megawati perform Umrah, but she also performed the Dhuhr prayer in front of the Kaaba. While at the prayer location, Megawati's gaze did not leave the Kaaba and she continued to pray.
"Alhamdulillah, all the rituals of Umrah were performed by Ibu Mega with full devotion. The entire family was also truly solemn in carrying out all the rituals of Umrah," said Basarah.
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Previously, Puan said that Megawati had long wanted to perform Umrah in the Holy Land. However, this was the first time it could be done. "Because the last time I went to the Holy Land was in 2012 to perform the Hajj with the late Mr. Taufiq Kiemas," said Puan.
Meanwhile, during her Umrah, Megawati met several times with Indonesian pilgrims. The Umrah pilgrims immediately called out Megawati's name, one of them during sai. In fact, some of them tried to capture the moment of Megawati praying.
Writer:
Anita Yossihara dari Mekkah, Arab SaudiEditor:
Cyprianus Anto Saptowalyono