Tombo Ati is a traditional

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

nese song composed by

Sunan Bonang Sunan Bonang (born Raden Makdum Ibrahim) was one of the nine Wali Songo (lit. "Nine Saints"), along with his father Sunan Ampel and his brother Sunan Drajat who are said to have established Islam as the dominant religion amongst the Javanes ...

, one of

Wali Sanga ''Wali Songo'' (), also transcribed as ''Wali Sanga'', are revered saints of Islam in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java, because of their historic role in the spread of Islam in Indonesia. The word ''wali'' is Arabic for "trusted one ...

, from

Tuban Tuban is a town located on the north coast of Java, in Tuban Regency (of which the town is the administrative capital), approximately west of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. Tuban Regency is surrounded by Lamongan Regency in the east, Bojo ...

East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...

. The song is about a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

's ways of gaining spiritual peace and tranquility, through

tahajjud Tahajjud, () also known as the "night prayer" or "Qiyam-u-lail", as well as "Namaaz-e-Shab" (نماز شب) in Persian (later borrowed into Urdu and Hindi) is a voluntary prayer performed by followers of Islam. It is not one of the five oblig ...

, reciting the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

, gathering with pious people, and in constant remembrance of god, all of which are considered to be "Remedies for the Heart". This song is still taught at

pesantren ''Pesantren'' is a traditional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia. It is taught either in private houses, a ''wiktionary:pondok, pondok'' or a mosque, the teaching includes classical Islamic texts and ''santri'' thought, taught by Kyai, ''kya ...

s, and has been sung, recorded and released by several Indonesian singers.

Lyric

The lyric of this song was written in

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

Javanese language Javanese ( , , ; , Aksara Jawa, Javanese script: , Pegon script, Pegon: , IPA: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken primarily by the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, Indones ...

s. There are several modern adaptations, but a common version is: Javanese text :Tombo Ati iku limo perkorone :Kaping pisan moco Kuran lan maknane :Kaping pindo sholat wengi lakonono :Kaping telu wong kang soleh kumpulono :Kaping papat wetengiro ingkang luwe :Kaping limo zikir wengi ingkang suwe : :Salah sawijine sopo iso ngelakoni :Mugi-mugi Gusti Allah nyembadani

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Translation :There are five remedies of heart :First, read the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and understand its meaning :Second, do the night

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

:Third, gather with pious people :Fourth, fast (literally: keep a hungry stomach) regularly :Fifth, do long

zikir (; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific p ...

at night : :Anyone who can do even one of those :may the Lord God (Allah) bless The key message of this song is to gain spiritual peace, someone must follow the guidance of God.

Popularity

Five centuries after its composition, this song is still one of the most popular traditional Javanese songs. Its popularity also spread to mostly Muslim

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

n region such as

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

. Islamic song contests in Indonesia often use it as a mandatory song. Due to its spiritual contents,

s often teach it, particularly in traditional inland parts of

. Indonesian singers have re-released it as a modern religious song, often accompanied with

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

translation. One of the latest adaptations, on the album 'Istighfar' by Opick, has sold at least 180,000 copies. Another adaptation, by Emha Ainun Nadjib, is also famous. This song is especially popular during the holy month of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

Notes

{{Islam in Indonesia Wali Sanga Javanese culture Indonesian songs

Lyric

Popularity

See also

Notes