Because of Love

Habitable Housing Program

There is a unique program that is annually carried on within the community of Shiddiqiyyah. I called it unique because honestly there are some contradiction to the fact that accompanied the program that to some people may sound extraordinary. This annual program is called Pembangunan Rumah Layak Huni - A habitable housing program for the poor. We have this program twice a year. The first program is executed in celebrating The Independence Day of our nation in 17 August 1945 and the second program is executed in celebrating The Youth Pledge in 28 October 1928.

Before and after the renovation

The first program is usually executed by the adult disciples and the second program is executed by the youth disciples. It had been reported that this year for the first program we had built 87 houses for the poor and the second program we plan to build 30 houses. This program had been going on for some years back and as the year progressed the number of houses we built got more and more steadily. We financed the housing programs through fund raising program within the community. We are taught to not receive any finance support from outside community either from government nor any other NGO financial support. 

In building the house, we don't just go half way, like making a combination wall of brick and bamboo or wooden board. The common practice is we dismantle or bring down the old house and build a new one If there are some items from the old house can be saved for the new design, then we will recycle them to make something better out of it to save some budget. Most of the time the owner would let us do that for they old house wasn't quite habitable due to its wreckage or its mixed up with their animal's stall. For this annual program we spent over a trillion rupiahs just to deliver our best to the poor.

A Unique Effort

Now let me tell you the uniqueness of this program, especially the one that is executed by the youth. This year is their fourth or fifth in executing the program. I had just monitored its progress since last year. This was because I had been informed by one of my best friends how it was done last year. She was scheduled to cook for the volunteers who built the houses together with her other friends. I wasn't on scheduled because I wasn't a member, but I had a privilege to accompany her to pay a visit and brought some fruits for them.

If there's a lack of money, we can borrow someone.
But the lack of spirits - to where shall we borrow?

The male volunteers wasn't paid in building the house. Some were coming and going because they live in other cities, so they usually come in the weekend. Some stayed till the project finished, which is scheduled to be finished within 40 days. The female volunteers wasn't paid either in cooking the meal. They worked by the schedule because some had married and had baby, some lived in other cities and it wasn't good idea to have women stayed on sites. They usually stayed there till about 3pm or latest 5pm after they had prepared dinner for the one who stayed on sites. And they also worked on tight budget as well. When it wasn't enough, they had to figure out how to have some more money by taking contribution from their friends who couldn't make their time to attend the program for some reason. So indeed the program wasn't as easy and executable as people thought. But we pulled them up and regardless the challenges we did our best to meet the target.

And I had to tell you that those volunteers mostly don't have their own house. They either live with their parents, in a rented house, or in boarding house. Some of them have permanent job, some don't, and some don't even have a job. They all come together to make it happen with whatever resources they have. Be it money, material or the physical strength they had. None of their contributions were wasted as the house erect beautifully for the eyes to see.

And you had to wonder "How this could happen?". Even I had myself wondered "How this could happen?".

Because to me it was really extraordinary. Those who don't own houses build one for others. Those who should be in need, give something to others. They had made others come first before their own selves. And they're not angels who had no humanly desires or wishes. They are very much human with their desires and wishes to have comfort in their lives. Yet they made others' priorities come first. And you wonder why and how it could be.

Architectural Story of Love

Most of us know how Taj Mahal was built. It was built by Shah Jehan in memoriam to his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. His love to his wife had taken him to such distance that he had to make a building as big as Taj Mahal to let the world know how deeply in love he was to his wife. We don't know how deep he felt his grief over his wife, but looking at the monument we may be able to figure that he must love her greatly to be able to promote such a work. I think there was no other building as great as Taj Mahal. His grievance may only be for his to feel, whilst its builders may do their works to earn their living. The love he felt may be his driving force to originate the building, but its builder which were among the carpenters, the mason, the bricklayers may not have the same kind of love to Mumtaz Mahal as his.

Beauty doesn't always accompany by Grace

And I think this is the same thing to most of other buildings which is built out of love. As I searched through the internet on buildings that was built with love story as its background, apart from Taj Mahal in Agra there are 9 other real castles built for love as mentioned in the Urbanist website. They are 

1. Boldt Castle on Heart Island, New York

2. Dobroyd Castle in Todmorden, England

3. Prasat Hin Phimai in Phimai, Thailand
4. Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Malaysia

5. Stratford Castle in Durban, South Africa

6. Mystery Castle in Phoenix, Arizona

7. Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida

8. Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California

9. Swallow's Nest Castle: Castle of Love in Crimean, Ukraina

And as I read and looked at them, I saw similarity in how the building was built and used. Their structure is huge and take up a very spacious space on land. Their architecture is very beautiful. Yet all of them had tragedy and sad story either before or after it was built. The expression of love they showed is the self centered kind of love, in which directed only to certain person and to fulfill their personal wishes. For love story behind the architecture you can read in the link given:
http://weburbanist.com/2010/02/10/architectural-love-story-10-castles-built-for-love/

This is what makes the habitable housing program that we do annually become very different and unique from them and I think very remarkable.

An Expression of Divine Love

The Key is Love; the Unselfish kinds of Love

In learning Thariqah Shiddiqiyyah we are taught based on the Quranic verses that we are allowed to love anybody or anything as long as it isn't surpassing the love to Allah, His Messengers and in willingly do our best for the sake of Allah. In practicing this ideas, we are given some ways to prove our sincerity. One of them is through habitable housing program for the poor.

In building process, the volunteers are taught to do their voluntary works in such a way that they don't just involve in the physical work but also gain spiritual advancement. The forty days set as project time to finish their work is in accordance to the forty days fasting period of Jesus AS and forty days of seclusion period of Moses AS in Mount Sinai.

The end receiver of the program is set to fulfill certain condition; they are the own the land but do not have enough financial support to renovate their house either because of poverty. The end receivers usually amongst the poor elder or poor widow with orphans to look after.

As the building come to shape, we don't usually just stop there. We want them to have a suitable furniture in their house. So we buy them new presentable furnitures like cupboard, bed and a set of seats for their living room or dining room. For some families we also make a small shop in the front room so that they can be financially independence after the program.

Then come the key endorsement. Both the giver and the receiver felt joyous. For the giver had fulfilled their purpose and the receiver had their wishes fulfilled. The giver sincerity is responded by the sincerity of the receiver. In that giving and receiving, the blessing of Allah is there. And that is a true expression of divine love.