UMS Launches Gema Kampus Ramadan, Calling on Students to Spread Kindness

Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) held the Grand Opening of Gema Kampus Ramadan (GKR) 1447H, alongside congregational tarawih prayers and a grand Islamic lecture, on Tuesday (17/2/2026) at Sudalmiyah Rais Mosque. The event marked the beginning of the Ramadan program series on campus.

The Rector of UMS, Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, M.Hum., expressed gratitude for being able to welcome the holy month of Ramadan once again. In the inaugural lecture, he raised the theme "Empowered and Impactful Youth," encapsulated in the concept of One Ramadan.

According to him, One Ramadan is an effort to attain piety as stated in the Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah verse 183. He emphasized that the main purpose of observing Ramadan is to maintain tawazun, or balance, between worldly life and the hereafter.

“Focus your heart, focus on Ramadan. Not 50 percent, but 50 percent plus one, let us focus on Ramadan,” he said.

The Rector also invited the academic community to use Ramadan as a moment to cleanse the mind of negative energy and replace it with positive energy, and to transform suuzan (negative assumptions) into husnuzan (positive assumptions). He stressed the importance of cultivating positive habits during the holy month.

According to him, the first step is to purify the qalbu, or heart. The mind and heart, he said, can become pure when rooted in sincerity and wholeheartedness.

"Every good deed must be accompanied by sincerity so that it does not become wasted. Sincerity must be rooted solely in fisabilillah. Every act of kindness will be recorded by Allah and will be returned," he explained.

Furthermore, Harun defined "impactful" as something that is sustainable and beneficial. He gave the example of consistently performing tarawih prayers as a form of ongoing goodness.

Harun (center) during the opening of Gema Kampus Ramadan 1447H at Sudalmiyah Rais Mosque, Campus 2 UMS, 17 February 2026. UMS PR.

“Sustainability alone is not enough; it must also bring benefits,” he emphasized.

He hopes that UMS students will not only become a generation that is empowered and impactful, but also capable of sustaining every good deed they undertake, bringing broad benefits to society.

Writer: Maysali Sudarwati

Editor: Fika Annisa’ Sholihah

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid