Kiai Haji Agus Salim

     

                                          

A figure who is often dubbed the Grand Old Man is one of the nation's figures that can not be forgotten. Kiai Haji Agus Salim is a son born from the womb of the Minangkabau tribe. born from the couple Soetan Salim and Siti Zainab on October 8, 1884 in the country Koto Gadang, a village located in the district of Agam, West Sumatra. He was born with the name Mashudul Haq which means the defender of truth. And died on November 4, 1954 in Jakarta and was buried in TMP Kalibata.

He is known as a national hero and a ulama owned by a country, has a brave and wise character in maintaining the pride of the nation of Indonesia.

One sign that he is a soleh figure about the science of religion is when he visited Tokyo with his entourage

"Assalamu'alaikum warohmatullahi wabarokatuh" to those who welcome his arrival.

Of course some of his followers asked in astonishment, "Is not it unlawful to pronounce Islam's greetings to non-Muslims?"

Kiai Haji Agus Salim replied, "I can hello to find out if there are any Muslims here. I can answer eloquently greetings."

It proved to be true. Among them there are some people who answered the salutations appropriately so that the group feels at ease because they have relatives in a foreign country.

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And the story where Kiai Haji Agus Salim is a brave hero figure when he was invited to a meeting with the British prime minister and his cabinet members, Kiai Haji Agus Salim brought out a famous kretek cigarette for the white people. He burned it, then sucked it with pleasure. The smoke was drained, billowing into the chic room.

All the English in the room coughed. Some of them cursed, "What's this odor?" "It's rotten," he objected sarcastically to the inlander kretek.

Kiai Haji Agus Salim deftly said, "I deliberately smoked clove cigarettes in front of the gentlemen, to remind that because of the attractiveness of these cigarettes flakes gentlemen have colonized our lands in the beautiful archipelago for centuries.

So the British people were silent can not refute anymore, and let Kiai Haji Agus Salim and his entourage to enjoy the clove cigarettes brought from the country.