UNDIP, Semarang (25/2) – Every year, the Universitas Diponegoro Campus Mosque (Maskam UNDIP) regularly organizes various activities to enliven the holy month of Ramadan. At the beginning of this year’s Ramadan, the mosque hosted the Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Dahnil Ahzar Simanjuntak, S.E., M.E., who is also a doctoral alumnus of the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) UNDIP, to deliver a religious sermon (tausiyah) at Maskam UNDIP.
The event was held on Monday, February 23, 2026, at Maskam UNDIP after the Tarawih prayer. The Rector of UNDIP attended, as did the management of Maskam UNDIP, officials from the Ministry of Hajj of the Republic of Indonesia, and Tarawih congregants, most of whom were UNDIP students.
In his remarks, UNDIP Rector Prof. Dr. Suharnomo, S.E., M.Si., expressed his pride in hosting the Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah at UNDIP, noting that he had also supervised Dr. Dahnil during his doctoral studies in Economics at UNDIP. “Mas Dahnil almost could not complete his dissertation due to his busy schedule as Chairman of PP Pemuda Muhammadiyah, but at that time, I was still the Dean of UNDIP’s Faculty of Economics and Business. We decided to encourage him until he finally graduated in 2018,” said Prof. Suharnomo.
“It is indeed not easy to complete a doctoral program at UNDIP because there are several standards that must be met, especially amid his busy responsibilities as a public official. However, I am now proud that Mas Dahnil completed his studies and has become the Vice Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Indonesia,” he added.
Dr. Dahnil Ahzar Simanjuntak expressed his pleasure at delivering a sermon at UNDIP, his alma mater.
“Yesterday I spoke at another campus, and it felt ordinary, but at UNDIP it feels different, like delivering a sermon at home,” he said.
With the theme “Ramadan as a Space for the Spiritual Growth of the Younger Generation,” he explained that fasting represents a dimension of spirituality for faithful Muslims, serving as a path to draw closer to Allah SWT.
He outlined several aspects that make fasting a spiritual dimension in strengthening devotion to Allah SWT, including:
- Fasting as training in muraqabah (awareness of being observed by God),
- Fasting as self-restraint and purification of the soul,
- Fasting as a means of increasing intimacy with God (spiritual communication), and
- Fasting as a way to cultivate social awareness and empathy.
(Public Communication/UNDIP/AKS ed. As3)
