It was a big question in my big family, even now it's still hard for them to fully accept why.
I was working as an area manager in East Borneo for a national NGO in Indonesia. I had a wife and two children, I had a car and a house. My life was good, secure and normal, so why - as my father said - throw it all away for something that is unknown.
When my brother was getting married, my big families were invited and I knew that there would be a judgement day for my decision, and I wasn't wrong. All the family members were questioning my decision, at that time my parents already gave up and asked them to help sway my decision away.
One of my uncle told me why would I go to a violent place like Yemen in a mocking gesture, so I answered him back in a stoical gesture "Because it's a faith".
I knew the answer will incite more mocking, of which I deliberately chose. So my uncle said, "that is not an intellectual answer!".
So I said to him, in front of all my other family members like this, "I quit my job from a bank and had to pay the fine a lot whereas other people are scraping for a job, and you now are asking me for an intellectual answer?!". They then laughed... in desperation.
Before that I was working in one of the biggest bank in Indonesia, and graduated from its Management Trainee program. The contract was three years after a year of training. I quit my job in a year and half and had to pay a sum that almost the same as a new Japanese mini MPV. All my family members at that time also questioning my "dumb" move, I told them that I'm done with riba (usury) and the fine that I had to pay still small rather than the salary that I had acquired. I ask Allah azza wa jalla that He forgives me and acknowledges my effort to get away from usury.
Anyway back to why I went into Yemen, "faith" is really an oversimplification of course, there were more reasons to it, why not Egypt or Saudi Arabia?
First I want to hijrah to an Islamic country, second I want to study Islam, third I hadn't had any whatsoever experience in Islamic studies nor Arabic (even though I'm a muslim) and fourth I didn't have enough money to support my family if I quit my job.
Saudi was expensive especially if you were moving with family. The visa itself for four person can burn all savings. To get a scholarship was out of a question, I didn't know anything about Arabic even one sentence! Egypt was more reasonable though, but still I'm just a person who were to throw everything that I know for something that I didn't know at all, and I couldn't afford time and expenses at the same time.
Then came Yemen. I heard from an acquaintance that just got back from Yemen that studying here was free, even better there was some place that the housing was free, water and electricity were free, and even more you would get a monthly allowance. That was too good to be true. I can practically stay forever in that kind of place to study until I proficient enough in Arabic and Islamic knowledge to get a degree from university. My parents weren't convinced but I did, so I was like began to chase the end of a rainbow.
I contacted students here in Yemen, and confirming the story. How happy was I when the students were confirming the stories.
Long story shorts, I quit my job from the NGO, tears were shed just like when I quit my first job from a bank (because I was afraid and hopeful at the same time), I waited the visa for four months unemployed, I went to Yemen alone because my parents weren't convinced yet that the story of the freebies land were true, I put my feet the first time in this blessed land at 8th April 2013, start studying Arabic language with my Indonesian colleague, stayed for 9 months in Yemen, even performed hajj pilgrimage to Mecca!
Then I went back and pick up my small family, and got back to Yemen the second time at 3rd August 2014.
The place that provides free housing and monthly allowance is called Marib, under syaikh Abul Hasan Al-Mishri. We stayed there and studied for two and half years, before we moved to Mukalla city at October 2016 until now. Currently I'm studying under syaikh Umar Salim Bawazier and at the same time insyaallah I'll enroll to a university this Muharram and I won't stop pursuing Islamic education until I get a PHD aamiin ya rabb...
But of course moving to Yemen or living here was never been a walk in a park. There were a lot of hardships. For instance the first time I went to Yemen I had to wait a calling visa for 4 months, and the second time I had to wait the calling visa for my family for 7 months. I was depressed, and even gave up. Because I was unemployed, and I couldn't go to get a job professionally or start a small business because the person in Yemen keep saying "the visa will be done next week insyaallah". I even quit my part time job because the person said "tomorrow insyaallah the visa will be done", it turns out I still have to wait for another 4 months!
I was really depressed. Really, really depressed. I felt like useless piece of junk because of staying at home doing nothing. I gave up after the 6th month of waiting without certainty. If the immigration explained at the first time I had to wait the calling visa for 12 or 120 months, it's okay for me, because I could plan something for a living. But waiting for months with constant promises that next week the visa will came out?! I had to move on with my life. Turns out that at the 7th month our calling visa was out, and we had to fly to Yemen in a month or the visa will be cancelled. Can you imagine that?
And don't get me started with the story (but i'll start it nevertheless) when we first arrived here after waiting for that long, it's was the beginning of Houthi rebellion and there were gun fires and explosion near my house! Interesting right? I might probably write a lot of articles about my bad experiences in Yemen. If this disheartened you from going to Yemen, don't! It just a ordeal from Allah before we taste the sweetness of His blessing like I feel right now.
So what is like living in Marib? What is like living in Sana'a? What is like living in Mukalla? What are the best and the worst thing living in Yemen? What was war here like? How women is treated here? Why I quit my job and choose to study? and many more stories insyaallah I'll tell you in this blog.
What I can tell you now here in my closure, I'm really happy with life now, I don't regret anything and it can't be without the guidance from Allah the almighty. Please pray for me in your prayers.
I was working as an area manager in East Borneo for a national NGO in Indonesia. I had a wife and two children, I had a car and a house. My life was good, secure and normal, so why - as my father said - throw it all away for something that is unknown.
When my brother was getting married, my big families were invited and I knew that there would be a judgement day for my decision, and I wasn't wrong. All the family members were questioning my decision, at that time my parents already gave up and asked them to help sway my decision away.
One of my uncle told me why would I go to a violent place like Yemen in a mocking gesture, so I answered him back in a stoical gesture "Because it's a faith".
I knew the answer will incite more mocking, of which I deliberately chose. So my uncle said, "that is not an intellectual answer!".
So I said to him, in front of all my other family members like this, "I quit my job from a bank and had to pay the fine a lot whereas other people are scraping for a job, and you now are asking me for an intellectual answer?!". They then laughed... in desperation.
Before that I was working in one of the biggest bank in Indonesia, and graduated from its Management Trainee program. The contract was three years after a year of training. I quit my job in a year and half and had to pay a sum that almost the same as a new Japanese mini MPV. All my family members at that time also questioning my "dumb" move, I told them that I'm done with riba (usury) and the fine that I had to pay still small rather than the salary that I had acquired. I ask Allah azza wa jalla that He forgives me and acknowledges my effort to get away from usury.
Anyway back to why I went into Yemen, "faith" is really an oversimplification of course, there were more reasons to it, why not Egypt or Saudi Arabia?
First I want to hijrah to an Islamic country, second I want to study Islam, third I hadn't had any whatsoever experience in Islamic studies nor Arabic (even though I'm a muslim) and fourth I didn't have enough money to support my family if I quit my job.
Saudi was expensive especially if you were moving with family. The visa itself for four person can burn all savings. To get a scholarship was out of a question, I didn't know anything about Arabic even one sentence! Egypt was more reasonable though, but still I'm just a person who were to throw everything that I know for something that I didn't know at all, and I couldn't afford time and expenses at the same time.
Then came Yemen. I heard from an acquaintance that just got back from Yemen that studying here was free, even better there was some place that the housing was free, water and electricity were free, and even more you would get a monthly allowance. That was too good to be true. I can practically stay forever in that kind of place to study until I proficient enough in Arabic and Islamic knowledge to get a degree from university. My parents weren't convinced but I did, so I was like began to chase the end of a rainbow.
I contacted students here in Yemen, and confirming the story. How happy was I when the students were confirming the stories.
Long story shorts, I quit my job from the NGO, tears were shed just like when I quit my first job from a bank (because I was afraid and hopeful at the same time), I waited the visa for four months unemployed, I went to Yemen alone because my parents weren't convinced yet that the story of the freebies land were true, I put my feet the first time in this blessed land at 8th April 2013, start studying Arabic language with my Indonesian colleague, stayed for 9 months in Yemen, even performed hajj pilgrimage to Mecca!
Then I went back and pick up my small family, and got back to Yemen the second time at 3rd August 2014.
The place that provides free housing and monthly allowance is called Marib, under syaikh Abul Hasan Al-Mishri. We stayed there and studied for two and half years, before we moved to Mukalla city at October 2016 until now. Currently I'm studying under syaikh Umar Salim Bawazier and at the same time insyaallah I'll enroll to a university this Muharram and I won't stop pursuing Islamic education until I get a PHD aamiin ya rabb...
But of course moving to Yemen or living here was never been a walk in a park. There were a lot of hardships. For instance the first time I went to Yemen I had to wait a calling visa for 4 months, and the second time I had to wait the calling visa for my family for 7 months. I was depressed, and even gave up. Because I was unemployed, and I couldn't go to get a job professionally or start a small business because the person in Yemen keep saying "the visa will be done next week insyaallah". I even quit my part time job because the person said "tomorrow insyaallah the visa will be done", it turns out I still have to wait for another 4 months!
I was really depressed. Really, really depressed. I felt like useless piece of junk because of staying at home doing nothing. I gave up after the 6th month of waiting without certainty. If the immigration explained at the first time I had to wait the calling visa for 12 or 120 months, it's okay for me, because I could plan something for a living. But waiting for months with constant promises that next week the visa will came out?! I had to move on with my life. Turns out that at the 7th month our calling visa was out, and we had to fly to Yemen in a month or the visa will be cancelled. Can you imagine that?
And don't get me started with the story (but i'll start it nevertheless) when we first arrived here after waiting for that long, it's was the beginning of Houthi rebellion and there were gun fires and explosion near my house! Interesting right? I might probably write a lot of articles about my bad experiences in Yemen. If this disheartened you from going to Yemen, don't! It just a ordeal from Allah before we taste the sweetness of His blessing like I feel right now.
So what is like living in Marib? What is like living in Sana'a? What is like living in Mukalla? What are the best and the worst thing living in Yemen? What was war here like? How women is treated here? Why I quit my job and choose to study? and many more stories insyaallah I'll tell you in this blog.
What I can tell you now here in my closure, I'm really happy with life now, I don't regret anything and it can't be without the guidance from Allah the almighty. Please pray for me in your prayers.
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