Deddy Corbuzier: When the Hardest Question Is Who to Learn From
Where does a seeker begin when so many voices claim to speak for a religion? Months before embracing Islam, Indonesian presenter Deddy Corbuzier raised that problem publicly. If he wanted to learn about Islam, who should teach him? [1]
From October 2018, he appeared in a series of filmed conversations with Indonesian preacher Gus Miftah, whose name is Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman. They discussed religion and politics, respect for people with different beliefs, good deeds and the responsibilities of religious speakers. As the conversations continued, the questions moved closer to a decision about Deddy’s own life. [1]
In January 2019, when asked about rumours of his conversion, he wanted to know who could teach him Islam correctly amid its many religious authorities. By April, one conversation carried a more direct question: why should he become Muslim? His profession of faith came after months of discussion and learning. [1]
Deddy said unpressured dialogue challenged his previous association of Islam with harshness; Gus Miftah’s manner offered a different experience. [5]
In these conversations, Gus Miftah stressed that religious invitation should magnify God, not the preacher. Deddy’s question therefore opens onto a wider one: how can a teacher help someone understand a faith without admiration for the teacher taking the place of examining that faith? Trust can make questions possible; learning, understanding and choosing still belong to the seeker. [1]
On Friday, 21 June 2019, after Friday prayers at the Ora Aji Islamic boarding school in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Deddy repeated the two declarations of faith after Gus Miftah, in front of worshippers and students. He said nobody had forced him and that he had spent about eight months learning about Islam. [2][3]
He attributed his conversion to God’s guidance, denied a marriage motive and kept his deepest reasons between himself and God. [4]
At the beginning of his Muslim life, he found prayers difficult to memorise, attributing this to unfamiliarity and expecting improvement. [6]
According to Gus Miftah, he taught Deddy prayer movements and ritual washing practically before congregational prayer at Ma’ruf Amin’s home. [7]
The question of whom to learn from now led into the daily work of learning how to practise. Months of discussion did not make every detail immediately familiar, and the declaration of faith did not end his education. For someone facing a crowd of competing voices, the journey leaves a useful question: who will welcome your honest questions and patiently help you move from understanding to practice?