Islam Learning Fasting
56. Sarifuddin Story.

Islam stared at the ceiling of the lower part of the room once occupied by Christianity. Islam stared at his fingers flushed from the punch of the ruler Sarifuddin.

Islam turned to look at Sarifuddin who looked silent with lying flat staring at the ceiling of the room while embracing the Qur'an.

Islam does not understand why Sarifuddin is so fond of the Qur'an that the paper has turned yellow, it seems like it has been a long time.

"Din!"

"Iye" he said in the middle of the darkness.

"Gue hear he said you've already memorized 30 juz of the Qur'an yah?"

"Iye."

"Means great dong lo."

Sarifuddin was silent, he seemed to be smiling.

"Din! Who are you teaching najai?" ask Islam.

"Just like my father" he answered.

Islam breathes heavily. It felt like he felt jealous after knowing that Sarifuddin was taught by his father.

"Mr Lo ustad too?"

"No" he answered.

Islam tilted his body while supporting his head looking at Sarifuddin.

"Oh yeah, by the way, as long as I'm here, you've never told me anything about your family."

"Well I know it's just from you who's from Sulawesi and you who have a lot of brothers but you never tell a story about yourself lo."

Sarifuddin remained silent.

Islam poked his lips, there was no answer from Sarifuddin to make Islam again to lay down his body.

"Oh yes, Din. I'm also always surprised at you, why the hell you always smile well even though there are many problems but in fact you're honestly like a crazy person."

"Sorry if you are offended but actually from the billions of people just lo who have been chased by dogs but can still smile."

Sarifuddin was silent, he never looked at Islam in the least.

Islam looked up again in a silent atmosphere. This is a mystery to Sarifuddin.

Islam tilted her body again while supporting her head exactly like a mother who breastfed her baby.

"Din! I'd like to ask you too, how can you stand the hell living here?"

"Why don't you just run away like I used to run away from the boarding school?"

"Lo know, living in a boarding house is like a prison. It's a good thing I have a lot of family in the pesantren so it's still safe well how? You don't have any family here."

"Din! Lo ngambek yah?"

Islam raised his head slightly so that he could see Sarifuddin's eyes, ascertaining whether he had slept or not.

"Fuck lo, taik," he said after finding out if Sarifuddin had not fallen asleep but he did not reply to all questions or speak in the slightest.

Islam threw his body into the bed making the bed sway. Both eyes of Islam wide open, almost this bed was broken.

Now the atmosphere becomes quiet accompanied by the sound of jengkrik which became the music of the sleeper at the hour that has shown at 1 o'clock.

The atmosphere was quiet and desolate. The night was late but it did not make Islam sleepy until finally Sarifuddin's voice was heard making Islam quickly turn his head.

"My name is Muhammad Sarifuddin Bin Toa."

"My father used to be a drunk and loved to gamble."

Islam was shocked by the unexpected gaze he continued to look at Sarifuddin.

"I am the seventh of seven children from different mothers. My father's wife has five wives and we live in one house."

"Can we imagine how noisy the house is not too wide occupied by five wives and seven children."

"I initially hated my Father because he had many wives but I knew my brother was much more resentful of my Mother because of my Mother's status as the last wife."

"My father works only farmers even rice fields have people who when the harvest the results are divided into two."

"My five brothers traveled to different countries and provinces. Some went to Malaysia, Kalimantan and many more, I don't know where he is now because there's no phone."

"When I was five years old I remember my father learning to teach in the mosque and then after he came home I was taught to teach. What my father learned in the mosque is what he will teach me."

"He taught me to pray and to teach."

Islam can only be silent. Hearing all the utterances of Sarifuddin makes Islam feel if Mr. Sarifuddin has great expectations.

"Keep not missing?" ask Islam.

"My father decided to put me in this pesantren with borrowed money."

"I don't know why my father would prefer to put me in this pesantren that is far from my hometown when there are many boarding schools there."

"My name has been registered online by my Father through a mobile phone that lives near my house is not free."

"He asked for twenty thousand dollars when the money was to buy rice but my father did not think about rice, he only thought I could enter the boarding school."

"I finally left to go escorted by my Father to this boarding school that is far from Sulawesi."

"After until my father left and entrust me to Pak Haji kiyai who turned out to be the owner of the rice field that my father worked in Sulawesi."

"My father left this Quran to me, this is what I often use when learning to teach" he said while stroking the surface of the Qur'an.

Islam smiled faintly. It is fitting that Sarifuddin was very fond of the Qur'an.

"My father left and I soon got word that my father had an accident and he died in a truck."

"What?" shocked Islam with his surprised face.

Sarifuddin smiled with tears streaming down the corner of his eyes and flowing into his ears.

"My father is destroyed."

Sarifuddin blew up his cries. He tried to hold it in but could not. Sarifuddin closed his eyes hoping the tears would stop flowing but it could not.

Sarifuddin had a hiccup to make his fingers quickly rub his chest in order to be patient. His crying stopped making him re-open his eyes and try to smile.

"My father is no longer whole."

"It was filled with blood, I heard from Ustad Shuaib."

"My father was buried behind the pesantren and this is why I stayed in the boarding house."

"Who said I don't have family in the pesantren? My father is here."

Islam can only be silent. She secretly wiped her tears, not knowing when she fell.

"After he died I just found out there was a reason I was taken to a boarding school far from Sulawesi, it was all so that the neighbors did not laugh at my Father. People think the son of a drunk doesn't deserve to go to boarding school."

"I also just found out that five of my Father's wives were all street women who were hanging in the street and there were some of them who were mentally disturbed."

"My father was a good man. He made the mentally ill and the street woman his wife so they wouldn't live on the streets."

"I also just realized that it turns out that my mother is one of the wives of my Father who is experiencing mental disorders."

Sarifuddin burst into tears and soon stopped him and smiled again.

"Islam, should be grateful to have a complete family and they are all around."

"They all know religion and good."

"Sir Haji kiyai, he deliberately put me in this room himself so that other students are not disturbed when I cry in the middle of the night."

Sarifuddin moved his head to look at Islam who looked as if he had been hiccuped. Sarifuddin smiled even though his lips seemed to be shaking.

"I smile because of God."

"Smiling is alms."

"I don't have any money, so I can only give alms using my smile."

"This is my story, the story of Sarifuddin."

Sarifuddin turned his back on Islam, able to see Sarifuddin's trembling shoulders. Islam knew Sarifuddin was crying.

Islam turned its back on Sarifuddin.

Islam does not believe that behind the smile Sarifuddin has a lot of sadness but Sarifuddin never told him that.

So strong is the religion of Islam that it can maintain the smile of the man?

...----------------...

Can you still be sad today just because of a trivial matter?

Remember that! Everyone has problems but not everyone can smile even if they have problems.

Smile today because we don't know if we can see tomorrow.