Probolinggo, NU Online
When other Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) have raced to open formal education, Pesantren Al-Ikrom has been committed to focusing on both developing traditional (salafiyah) methods and nurturing students to understand the Qur'an. <>

The leader of Pesantren Al-Ikram Ustadz Kholili told NU Online here n Monday (3/6), saying the formal education usually directed its students to find a job.

In fact, he said, there were more important tasks that must be taken into consideration by pesantren, namely producing students having good characters, being able to read and understand the Quran.

"We want students to really understand about Islam as a whole and be able to read the Quran properly," Kholili said.

The father of two sons said he did not want to be amazed at today's globalization,
"Let others focus on formal education. I still have no plans, I still want to focus on traditional ways as the students' preparation for (their) tomorrow, "he said.

He then explained the schedule of activities at the school. Started at 04.00 am, the students read and memorize the Quran. Especially for those who live, every day their must memorize one verse of the Quran.

"Like Ustadz Yusuf Mansour, we oblige students to memorize one verse a day," he said.

After the Fajr prayer, it is followed by studying fiqh books. Even, the students are required to learn such books as Fathul Muin and Fathul Qarib.

"The books in the Middle East are learned by the university students. But here the two are compulsory subjects for all students. And Alhamdulillah, the two could be understood," he explained.

Pesantren Al-Ikrom is located in Mentor Village Sumberasih subdistrict, Probolinggo, East Java. To come to this pesantren, people must pass through winding roads and it is difficult to be passed by motorcycles. If riding public transportation, it could be from the Bayuangga terminal, Probolinggo, by a mini bus or city bus to Surabaya.

Then find the SDN 1 Lemah Kembar I Sumberasih subdistrict. From the school, you can ride tricycles which are the only transportation to Pesantren Al Ikrom by paying around Rp 15 thousand to Rp 20 thousand to get the boarding school.

Reporting by Syamsul Akbar; Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq