13 Facts About Abdullah Gymnastiar

Abdullah Gymnastiar's sermons revolve around self-control, conscience, tolerance, and persistence of faith.

Abdullah Gymnastiar is considered favored by its audience due to his construction of image as a religious figure different from other scholars.

Abdullah Gymnastiar has been gradually regaining his popularity since then.

Abdullah Gymnastiar was born as one of four children, and he had worked from the ground up such as selling newspapers and driving public transportation to self-finance while attending the after schooling in electrical engineering before turning into an entrepreneur.

In 1994, Abdullah Gymnastiar established Cooperative Pondok Pesantren DT to prop up his dawah.

In 2000, after the incorporation of radio broadcasting among DT in 1999, Abdullah Gymnastiar began performing preaching on National TV.

Abdullah Gymnastiar became one of the permanent performers in the program Hikmah Fajar on RCTI.

In 2001, Abdullah Gymnastiar owned an independent program under a series of programs entitled Manajemen Qolbu.

In 2004, Abdullah Gymnastiar presented a political theme titled Ada Aa Gym on RCTI in relations with the 2004 presidential election.

Abdullah Gymnastiar was recorded receiving 1,200 invitations to be a speaker every month.

In December 2006, Abdullah Gymnastiar held a press conference announcing his polygamous marriage to a widow with three children who was a former model, Alfarini Eridani as his second wife.

Abdullah Gymnastiar stated that this polygamy was done as an emergency exit, yet it was mocked and faced the extensive protest by the public and his fans, among them quoting Gymnastiar's past statement of not advocating for polygamy.

In March 2012, the media reported that Abdullah Gymnastiar reconciled with a reception at the home of his former first wife in the Sariwangi area of Bandung.