Ruben Onsu’s Alif Spiritual Journey During Umrah
ruben Onsu’s Mysterious Umrah: Called ‘Alif’ in the Holy Land
Jakarta – During his recent Umrah pilgrimage, beloved Indonesian celebrity Ruben Onsu experienced a series of mysterious encounters, repeatedly being addressed as “Alif” by strangers in both Medina and Mecca.
The strange occurrences began upon Ruben’s arrival in Medina.While praying at the Prophet’s Mosque, he was repeatedly greeted by unfamiliar individuals. “From the moment I entered the Nabawi Mosque, until we were heading home, it wasn’t our group. The people there, who seemed to know me, kept greeting me, ‘Assalamualaikum’,” Ruben recounted, as quoted by FYP Trans 7 via detikcom thursday (November 9, 2025).
One night, after performing Tahajud prayers, ruben was returning to his lodging when a man in a white robe embraced him from behind. “He hugged me from behind, like we were walking in a pesantren hall, like he was our teacher. ’Assalamualaikum’,” Ruben explained.
Initially thinking he was being reprimanded for using his cellphone, Ruben was taken aback when the man addressed him as “Alif” in broken English. This was just the beginning. The next morning, at a different mosque entrance, a security guard greeted him with the same name.
“assalamualaikum Alif. Really. This continued until I arrived in Mecca. Different people at different doors,” Ruben shared.
The experience followed Ruben to Mecca, where he was consistently greeted as “Alif” during prayers and while walking. “Assalamualaikum Alif, as if we were very familiar,” he said, deeply moved.
The climax of these events occurred at the door of the Kaaba. After easily touching the Hajar Aswad, Ruben held onto the Kaaba’s door. To his surprise, he wasn’t pushed away by the askar, unlike others around him. As he held the door, a clear voice echoed in his ear, “‘Assalamualaikum Alif’.”
Shocked, Ruben instantly released his grip and stepped back, gazing at the Kaaba from a distance. “That was it. ‘Oh my God’,” he exclaimed.
Ruben admitted that he hadn’t shared the full details of these experiences with anyone, not even his team, until his return to Jakarta. He didn’t want to sensationalize the events but acknowledged that they had a profound spiritual impact on him.