These are the novels about a boy who entered an Islamic dormitory half-heartily. He’s a total dreamer, but fortunately, God granted all his wish.
There are 3 books in this trilogy (of course!) : Negeri 5 Menara (the English version is The Land of Five Towers), Ranah 3 Warna (not yet translated into English), and Rantau 1 Muara (not yet translated into English neither). The writer’s name is Ahmad Fuadi. He’s Indonesian!
Negeri 5 Menara/The Land of Five Towers is about Alif Fikri’s journey in Pondok Madani (an Islamic dormitory in West Java). He actually entered Pondok Madani because his mother forced him to enter an Islamic dormitory. At first he entered Pondok Madani half-heartily. And then, he made friends with several guys across the country. They named their self as The Sahibul Menara. They were called as The Sahibul Menara because they really love to spent their free time sitting under a tower in Pondok Madani (Menara is the Indonesian word of ‘tower’). One day, they looked at the sky and daydream about the country they wanted to visit. Alif dreamt about America. After a few years later, he felt lucky to enter Pondok Madani because Pondok Madani taught him everything what he needed to know. Pondok Madani inspired him very much. There, Alif learnt an Arabic phrase which he hold forever in his life :
Man jadda wajada.
Siapa yang bersungguh-sungguh akan berhasil. Who give his best try will get the best result.
Ranah 3 Warna is about Alif’s struggle entering a university after he finished his study in Pondok Madani. He enrolled to a university named Institut Tinggi Bandung (ITB), but unfortunately he didn’t manage to enter ITB. Then he enrolled to Padjajaran University and he got accepted. Within his study, he got so much problems. After giving his best to face his problems, he got the privilege to enter a student exchange program to Canada. Alif managed to face his problems because he remembered an Arabic phrase :
Man shabara zhafira.
Siapa yang bersabar akan beruntung. Someone who is patient will be lucky.
Rantau 1 Muara is about Alif’s struggle finding a job in the era of 90th when Indonesia was full of riots. Beside that, Alif was trying to find his life purpose. Alif managed to got a job at a magazine named Derap and there, he made friends with Pasus and Dinara, another journalist. When Alif got a Fulbright scholarship to America, hesitations came to him. He love Dinara but he’s too shy to tell her. Here, Alif also was trying to find his love. Alif managed to face his problems because he remembered another Arabic phrase which his teacher in Pondok Madani also told him :
Man saara ala darbi washala.
Siapa yang berjalan di jalannya akan sampai ke tujuan. Someone who walks in his path will arrive in his destination.
If you ask me which one do I love the most between those three, I will say Rantau 1 Muara. It’s a complete package of life lessons. In Negeri 5 Menara, you’ll find moral lessons about chasing a dream, fighting, and else. Academic stuffs. In Ranah 3 Warna, you’ll find moral lessons about, still, chasing a dream. But in Rantau 1 Muara, chasing a dream stuffs aren’t the main focus. You’ll get many useful lessons about finding your life purpose, finding love, maintaining a good relationship, etc.
The best thing about this trilogy is it emphasises ‘trust-to-God’ in every steps in our life. Even though, Ahmad Fuadi still reminds us to work hard.
About the book, I must admit it that Ahmad Fuadi manages to write an amazing book with an easy language. His words flow smoothly and very easy to understand. Looking for humour? It also contains humour. To be honest, this is a book that can truly inspire you.
I read the Indonesian (original language) version of this one because fortunately I’m Indonesian, so I don’t know when will Ranah 3 Warna and Rantau 1 Muara will be translated into English. But, here’s a picture of the English version of Negeri 5 Menara/The Land of Five Towers).
Overall : highly recommended, inspiring, motivating, your life ideology’s changer!
Title : Negeri 5 Menara/The Land of Five Towers, Ranah 3 Warna, Rantau 1 Muara
Writer : Ahmad Fuadi / @fuadi1
Publisher : Gramedia Pustaka Utama
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