By Ahmad
Syafii Maarif
(A key-note
address delivered at International
Research Conference on Muhammadiyah /IRCM,
on the campus of Malang Muhammadiyah University, Nov.29-Des. 2, 2012)
Introduction
What
does the Muhammadiyah stand for? Founded on November 18, 1912 by Ahmad Dahlan
in Jogjakarta, the Muhammadiyah is basically a non-mazhab though not
anti-mazhab Islamic modernist movement, both in jurisprudence and in theology.
This movement has tried to judge critically the theologico-legal discources and
opinions developed for centuries by all schools of thought in Islamic history
with the Qur’ân and the sunna
of the Prophet as the main sources.
With this characteristic, the Muhammadiyah hopes to have more freedom and space
to understand and interpret the teachings of Islam in line with the dynamic
changing situation. Therefore, because of its flexibility in interpreting
Islam, this movement from the very beginning has had no difficulties to say
welcome to the ideas of Indonesian nationalism, democracy, civil society, and
other relevant contemporary issues, as I want to elucidate further.
The Muhammadiyah and its contribution
to the Indonesian nation-state
The
Muhammadiyah’s counterpart, Persatuan Islam (Islamic Union) with its
prominent God Father, Ahmad Hassan , for instance, had totally rejected all
forms of nationalism. For Hassan, nationalism as a political ideology was no
other than the concept jahiliyah (pre-Islamic practices and norms). Framed
theoretically by G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) and J.J. Rousseau (1712-1778),
nationalism has, in the past 250 years, overtaken every corner of the globe as
the most powerful political ideology. Philosophically, the deification of the
nation-state is the foundation of nationalism. For Hegel, and in some ways, for
Rousseau as well, the state is a God-like creature. As such, it is the most
object of man’s devotion.
For the
Muhammadiyah, this philosophical background of nationalism was also naturally
denied and rejected, but its practical aspect was harnessed as an effective tool
to fight against Dutch colonial rule. As a liberating force, Islam in the eyes
of the Muhammadiyah shared the nationalist ideal of freedom from any alien
domination, both politically and militarily. In the history of modern
Indonesia, the Muhammadiyah movement was one of the most important and
influential socio-religious movements involved in this process of liberation.
Its socio-educational strategy of enlightening the minds and hearts of the
common people has contributed significantly not only to independence, but also
to imbuing spiritual meaning into the future of a free Indonesia. The
Muhammadiyah also inherited the spirit of the ‘ulamâ’s religious
resistance to colonialism. Thus, the Muhammadiyah’s philosophy is that the life
under foreign or domestic exploitation is not a life of honor and dignity. And for
this reason, the freedom of a nation or an individual is absolutely sacred, and
a Muslim should fight to achieve it at any cost.
The
Muhammadiyah not only helped support the independence movement, but also laid
the foundations for Indonesian democracy and civil society. 33 years before
Indonesia declared its independence, the Muhammadiyah put forth in its first
constitution (Anggaran Dasar) the right of majority to elect its top
leadership, whlle embarking on an educational program to educate Indonesians
who could lead Indonesian society. Until now, the Muhammadiyah has established
and fostered around 20.175 schools/madrasahs, from the level of earlier
education for kids to universities, 457 hospitals and clinics, hundred of
orphanages, houses for the elders, and other humanitarian institutions and
services. Indeed, there have been hundreds upon hundreds of Indonesian
scholars, generals, politicians, social workers, and civil servants who
attended, if not graduated, from Muhammadiyah’s school system. This is the way
through which the Muhammadiyah has given a substantial meaning to nationalism.
Organizationally,
this Islamic movement adopted a strategy of keeping out of practical politics,
thus enabling its members to actively and creatively concentrate their works
towards educating the masses, helping the weak, and offering spiritual values
to safeguard and shape the course of modern Indonesian culture. This has
enthroned the Muhammadiyah as one of the leading Islamic movements in the world.
I would say that in terms of its gigantic socio-religio-educational networks,
that there is no other social and educational Islamic movement in the world
comparable to the Muhammadiyah.
The Muhammadiyah and its current
challenges
However,
I must admit that qualitatively, in terms of the moral restoration of the
Indonesian nation, Muhammadiyah’s goal is far from realized. This country has
a Muslim majority, but corruption has
become rampant in all sectors of life, from
city centers to remote villages. The lines have blended to such a degree
that it would be difficult for us to clearly distinguish between corruptors and
recognized leaders and elites, between traitors and heroes. From this
perspective, Muhammadiyah’s prophetic mission will be harder and harder in the
future. There is a long way to go before restoring the moral life of Indonesian
people, especially the elite. We are facing serious moral problems.
The real problem of Indonesia since its
declaration of independence in 1945, in my view, has been the problem of clean,
strong, and effective leadership. Unfortunately, for the most part, the
Muhammadiyah has not yet been able to provide the nation with these types of
leaders yet. Perhaps the Muhammadiyah has, in fact, from the very beginning,
not been equipped with the means to give to such leaders. But we must note that
Indonesia is not alone here. Almost all Muslim nations are facing the same
acute moral problems. Translating Islamic moral ideals into the concrete
realities of social life remain problematic for the entire Muslim world. The
work of Muhammadiyah is this direction will be meaningless unless all sectors
of society are ready to share this prophetic mission deliberately and
seriously. A nationalism or democarcy that is not imbued with clear moral
vision will no doubt bring a nation into bankrupcy, total or partial.
According to
its Constitution, the Muhammadiyah is an Islamic movement to carry out the
mission for enjoining the good and forbidding the evil under the guidance of
the Qur’ân and the sunnah
of the Prophet .[1]
And the long-term goal it wants to achieve is “to uphold and uplift the religion
of Islam so as to create the true Islamic society.”[2]
From the perspective of moral restoration of Indonesia, the Muhammadiyah has so
far not much done yet. Here lies the great and real challenge of Muhammadiyah
and other Indonesian religio-moral movements. To hope the political parties to
meet this challenge in the present
moment is equivalent with the hope of a
horned horse, because a horse has no horns. This is one of the ironies
facing Indonesia as the largest Muslim nation in the world.
In my view,
the Muhammadiyah in entering the second
centenary of its existence should also focus on the issues of human
brotherhood, pluralism, democracy, tolerance, and equality. In the context of our
discussion, by pluralism I mean the acceptance of many groups in society or
many schools of thought in an intellectual or cultural discipline. If this
definition is extended, one must accept the reality of the existence of many
different religions, philosophies, ideologies, nations, tribes, ethnicities,
and cultural bacgrounds as hard facts of history. These differences, according
to the Qur’ân, are not to
divide but to enrich our human vision and understanding of reality. “O mankind
Behold, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations
and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of
you in the sight of God is the one who is mostly deeply conscious of Him.
Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.”[3]
The requirement of knowing one another is both the religious and sultural
foundation behind building up a universal human brotherhood and pluralism. This
cultural building can only be solid and effective if we are ready to accept the
reality of differences with tolerance.
Then comes the
concept of equality among men. Without accepting the principle of the equal
status of mankind there will be no justice and sincere brotherhood on this
planet. In my understanding of the Qur’ân, the spirit of brotherhood should
not be confined just between believers of different faiths, but it is also
possible to creat it between believers and non-believers, even atheists,
provided no one has a hidden agenda to eliminate and destroy the other. The
Qur’ân is firm in
the defense of religious freedom: “For, if God had not enabled people to defend
themselves against one another, all monastries, churches, synagogues, and
mosques--in [all of] which God’s name is abountly extolled--would surely have
been destroyed.”[4]
In this verse, the Qur’ân has made it
clear that the mention of God’s name is not only found in mosques, but also in
monastries, churches, and synagogues. But, of course, we must also admit the
fact that in and under certain circumstances, the Qur’ân is more
tolerant than those Muslims who claim to be the only representatives of
religion and truth. This is whrere the culture of intolerance comes from.
To sum up
The
Muhammadiyah is quite optimistic to see the future of Islam in the world.
Though Islamic civilization in the present era lags behind Western
technological and materialistic progress, that core--its inner dynamic or èlan
vital--never dies out. Almost all Muslims believe that they indeed have the
future, of course, on the condition that they are ready to correct their past
mistakes and inner weaknesses. This strong faith in God’s mercy and justice has
prevented them from committing intellectual and spiritual suicide by giving
into nihilism, a phenomenon found now in the age of post-modernity.
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