Abdullah Gymnastiar

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Yan Gymnastiar (born January 29, 1962), better known as Abdullah Gymnastiar or Aa Gym (lit: elder brother Gym), is an Indonesian Islamic cleric, preacher, singer, author, entrepreneur and founder of the Da'arut Tauhiid Islamic boarding school in Bandung. Gymnastiar became popular by introducing a unique way of preaching by theatrical style with practical messages of Islamic propagation that can be commonly applied to everyday life. His sermons revolve around self-control, conscience, tolerance, and persistence of faith. Gymnastiar is considered favored by its audience due to his construction of image as a religious figure different from other scholars. While conventional scholars preach about the virtues of prayers, fasting, and the splendor of heaven, Gymnastiar chooses to tell about the importance of sincerity, peace, and serenity (sakina) of family, using everyday language that is accessible and affectionate. At the peak, he had a substantial number of followings, and his media enterprise had regular audience of more than 80 million people. The topic of discussion about the family is concentrated on the housewives, to the point that he is referred as "ustad of the happy family". This image became controversial when the media announced Gymnastiar's polygamous marriage with Alfarini Eridani, also known as Teh Rini in December 2006, when he had been married to his first wife Hajjah Ninih Muthmainnah, also known as Teh Ninih, since the year 1988 and had seven children. Many fans were disappointed, stopped visiting Da'arut Tauhiid, and went down the street protesting against his polygamy. The controversy had a major impact on his popularity and business. He has been gradually regaining his popularity since then.