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At the peak, he had a substantial number of followings, and his media enterprise had regular audience of more than 80 million people. 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. Gymnastiar is considered favored by its audience due to his construction of image as a religious figure different from other scholars.
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His sermons revolve around self-control, conscience, tolerance, and persistence of faith.
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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. Yan Gymnastiar (born January 29, 1962), better known as Abdullah Gymnastiar or Aa Gym (lit: elder brother Gym), is an Indonesian Islamic preacher, singer, author, businessman and founder of the Da'arut Tauhiid Pondok Pesantren in Bandung.
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