Indonesian Chinese Businessman Converts to Islam, Afraid of the Sin of Having Too Much Wealth

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Masagung or Tjio Wie Tay is an Indonesian businessman of Chinese descent. He is rich thanks to owning the Gunung Agung Bookstore, which went bankrupt in May 2023. One of the interesting fragments of his life was when he experienced extraordinary inner turmoil when he became a billionaire.

In the 1970s or when Masagung was 50 years old, he experienced a kind of crisis of consciousness. A super comfortable life, lots of money and a respected position, apparently made Masagung afraid. At that time, write a book What and Who? (2004), was indeed the peak of Toko Gunung Agung's glory. The company has become a center for buying and selling books in Indonesia.

In fact, Gunung Agung is no longer limited to publishing and selling books, but has also started playing in the tourism, hospitality and money exchange sectors. Thanks to all that, Masagung was crowned a billionaire.

“He was reluctant to mention the amount of his wealth. However, the amount of tax he had to pay as a group reached IDR 200 million. For customs duties it was IDR 2 billion. This does not include income tax from his more than 2,000 employees,” wrote the author of the book. What and Who? (2004) when asking about Masagung's wealth.

As told by Denys Lombard in Nusa Java Cross Culture (2009), with these conditions, Masagung is actually very uncomfortable. He is afraid that the glory and wealth he obtains will backfire on him.

The point is, he doesn't want all of that to make him fall into the world of immorality. Luckily, in the midst of his anxiety, he accidentally met Mrs. Tien Fuad Muntaco. Denys Lombard called Tien Fuad Muntaco an expert in hypnotism and telepathy. He is a kind of 'smart person' because he claims to be able to see Sunan Kalijaga at the age of 19.

“After that meeting, he fell under Mrs. Tien's spiritual influence and decided to convert to Islam (previously he converted to Hinduism),” wrote Denys.

The strong influence of Tien Fuad Muntaco was apparently able to change Masagung's life drastically. Leo Suryadinata in Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent (2012) said he became more Islamic and became a figure in spreading Islamic teachings.

It is recorded that he founded the Jalan Terang Foundation which aims to finance the construction of the Wali Songo mosque, hospital and museum. Not only that, he also actively plays a role in preaching mosques in the capital. And don't forget, he actively promotes Islam by publishing Islamic books.

“After experiencing a restless youth, Masagung's actions to embrace Javanese traditions and his passion for mysticism are steps forward,” praised Denys Lombard to Masagung.

Efforts to spread Islamic teachings continued until he breathed his last breath on September 24, 1990.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(mfa/sef)