There are some individuals on this Earth who, during the Islamic month of Ramadan, behave like donkeys. They read what they do not understand and persist in reading what is seemingly impossible for them to comprehend. Hundreds of pages, even until the end, remain devoid of meaning to them, and their foolishness persists, even though they do not grasp the essence of their reading. They continue to repeat it from chapter one to the final chapter because their teacher claimed that reading a single letter holds the value of ten virtues.
Listening to it being mentioned is said to bring about goodness. However, they are selective in their listening. Those with a discordant tone are asked to stay away from them because it disrupts their hearing. They only hear what they desire to hear, not everyone is capable of singing or performing “tahsin” with proper intonation. Yet, the tone-deaf are unaware of their own condition. They persist in attempting to sing and seek goodness like others. Meanwhile, the majority always aims to keep them away from reciting loudly.
The amusing aspect is that they treat these matters as if they were music, even though some groups claim that music is forbidden. At times, they enjoy it not because they genuinely appreciate it, but because someone seemingly superior told them that listening to such music is part of righteous acts. I do agree to some extent that something devoid of meaning can be easily enjoyed. However, upon closer examination, we discover that the meaning is often elementary and sometimes destructive, particularly when history is manipulated to make people believe that it represents the true essence. They never find the time to attempt understanding the meaning; all they do is listen and follow certain “experts” who they deem suitable. And they persist in doing so. It was never intended for everyone, yet anyone can perceive it however they wish to believe.
Even the most acclaimed interpreters in Indonesia say that the more they study interpretation, the more they feel ignorant. These interpreters who spend prolonged periods still do not comprehend; what about ordinary individuals who struggle to contemplate how to overcome the hunger of their families and have no time to study all of this? So what is the purpose of those verses if no one understands them, or if they can only be understood by a handful of individuals considered learned? How can something exclusive and only intended for the elite be generalized and regarded as a blessing for the entire universe?
When night falls, they move following their leader, performing movements they do not comprehend, and reciting passages they do not understand. Before commencing their version of perfect human exercise, they listen to their leader talk about quotations from their teachers who believed their words originated from the perfect human being, passed down from generation to generation, and claimed their validity has been proven. However, the principle of that perfect religion gives rise to various factions, each claiming their own correctness. They assert that the brotherhood of members from other religions is false, and within their hearts, they harbor so much hatred that they are constantly arguing with one another. Unbeknownst to them, they are speaking about themselves. The plot twist is that this situation has been foreseen by the very individual they idolize and consider their ultimate reference. And the subsequent plot twist is that I am one of those individuals in the world.