OPTIMIZING THE ROLE OF MOSQUE CARETAKERS TO IMPROVE CLEANLINESS AND CONGREGANT COMFORT AT JAMI’ IKABB MOSQUE

Abstrak

Kebersihan masjid berkaitan erat dengan kualitas ibadah dan kenyamanan jamaah, sedangkan marbot memiliki posisi praktis dalam menjaga kebersihan sehari-hari sekaligus menyampaikan kebiasaan perawatan kepada jamaah. Kegiatan pengabdian ini bertujuan memperkuat peran marbot di Masjid Jami’ Ikabb Palembang melalui kegiatan partisipatif yang melibatkan pengurus masjid, jamaah, dan mahasiswa KKN. Kegiatan menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif yang dipadukan dengan Participatory Action Research. Tahapan program meliputi observasi dan identifikasi kebutuhan, perencanaan bersama, edukasi kebersihan dalam perspektif Islam, pelatihan teknis kebersihan, kerja bakti, penyediaan sarana kebersihan, serta evaluasi partisipatif. Program berlangsung selama 45 hari pada Januari–Februari 2025. Hasil pengamatan menunjukkan adanya peningkatan inisiatif marbot dalam menjaga kebersihan dan memberikan pengingat sederhana kepada jamaah, penataan kegiatan kebersihan yang lebih terarah, peningkatan kenyamanan jamaah, serta keterlibatan pemuda masjid dalam kegiatan bersama. Program ini memberikan model pemberdayaan berbasis masjid yang menempatkan mahasiswa sebagai fasilitator tanpa mengambil alih kepemilikan program dari masyarakat.

Mosque cleanliness is closely related to the quality of worship and the comfort of congregants, while mosque caretakers (marbot) occupy a practical position in maintaining daily cleanliness and communicating care practices to the congregation. This community service program aimed to strengthen the role of the marbot at Jami’ Ikabb Mosque, Palembang, through participatory activities involving mosque administrators, congregants, and university students participating in community service. The program used a descriptive qualitative approach integrated with Participatory Action Research. Activities consisted of observation and needs identification, collaborative planning, education on cleanliness from an Islamic perspective, technical cleaning training, communal work, provision of cleaning facilities, and participatory evaluation. The activities were conducted during a 45-day community service period in January–February 2025. The observations indicated improved initiative of the marbot in maintaining cleanliness and providing simple educational reminders, better organization of cleaning activities, greater congregant comfort, and increased involvement of mosque youth in communal activities. The program contributes a practical mosque-based empowerment model in which students function as facilitators rather than replacing local actors.