Thousands of Muslims from various regions packed the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta in order to attend the Indonesia Quran Hour (IQH) event on Sunday (27/8).

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IQH is a collective Quran reading activity adapted from the World Quran Hour (WQH) event. In addition to Quran reading, the event also included sermons delivered by several speakers, including the Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque, Prof. Dr. Nasaruddin Umar, Ustaz M. Yusron Shidqi, and Ustazah Dr. Hj. Oki Setiana Dewi.

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A total of 1,500 copies of the Quran published by Quran Cordoba were distributed free of charge at this event to increase the enthusiasm of participants to continue interacting with the holy book of Muslims. The event, themed 'Indonesia with Noble Morals: Independent Youth, Devout Leaders', was also a reflection of gratitude for Indonesia's 78th independence, which was implemented by reading the Quran together.

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The event, themed 'Indonesia with Noble Morals: Independent Youth, Devout Leaders', was also a reflection of gratitude for Indonesia's 78th independence, which was implemented by reading the Qur'an together.

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"This event was actually initiated as a celebration of Indonesian independence," said Ir. Djoni Rosadi, chairman of the IQH committee, in his remarks. "Hopefully, other mosques will follow suit with this joint Koran reading activity," he continued.

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In her sermon, Ustazah Oki invited all participants to always study the Qur'an to solve every problem in life. "We live in Indonesia with many asatidz, why don't we learn from them," she said. The event continued with reading three surahs of the Qur'an, namely: Al-Fatihah, Al-Insan, and Al-Asr together, guided by three reciters of the Istiqlal Mosque, namely Ustaz Abdullah Sengkakng Gurium, Ustaz Ilham Mahmudin, and Ustaz Qodarasmadi Rasyid, which were followed by the entire congregation devoutly and ended with reading the prayer khotmil quran. Prof. Nasarudin conveyed how important it is for us as Muslims to reflect on the verses of the Qur'an through the universe.

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"We shouldn't just be good at reading or memorizing the Quran, but we shouldn't read the Quranic verses that relate to events in this universe," he said. Many participants enthusiastically participated in this event. "This event is very useful for increasing interest in reading the Quran among young people and also the wider community. I hope this event can be held regularly every month," said Fharas, one of the IQH participants from Depok.

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Many institutions also contributed to the success of this event, including Quran Cordoba , Nur Quran Indonesia, Penderma.id, Salingsapa TV, Ngaji Bareng Online, Mama Papa Mengaji, Hijabers Community, QuranBest, Dian Nusantara University, and Paragon Corp through Wardah and Kahf. (RO/I-2)