Getting to know the late KH Cholil Bisri

 

Getting to know the late KH Cholil Bisri

Kiai Cholil NU Kiai from Central Java who is highly respected. In him there is the figure of a person who is not only a true kiai, but also a writer, politician, and at the same time a Sufi. His extended family are great kiai and great writers.

His father's name was KH Bisri Mustofa, a prolific writer and author of the famous commentary, al-Ibriz, in Javanese. His younger brother is KH Mustofa Bisri, a poet, humanist, kiai, and prolific writer.

Cholil Bisri is the eldest child born to Kiai Bisri Mustofa and Ma'rufah bint KH Cholil Kasingan. He was born in October 1941. His education as a child was at Sekolah Rakyat 6 Kartioso which he took in five years, because he was immediately accepted into the second grade and did not want to be in the same class with his younger brother, Mustofa, who was at the same time entering the first grade.

In addition to studying at the People's School (1954), Cholil also attended Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (1954), then continued at Taman Siswa Junior High School (1956) along with attending Islamic College (1956). He then continued his education at the Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School, Kediri, East Java, (1957), al-Munawwir Krapyak Islamic Boarding School, Yogyakarta (1960), Aliyah Darul Ulum Mecca (1962), and IAIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta.

Kiai Bisri Mustofa did not force his son to study at a certain pesantren. Therefore, when Cholil was asked by KH Machrus Ali from Lirboyo and KH Ali Maksum Krapyak to study at his pesantren, he was asked to choose himself. He then chose to study in both places. In the hands of Kiai Ali Maksum, he honed his writing tradition, because every time he made a mistake he was rewarded. One of the rewards, he was asked to write a certain book with two curated meanings. This tradition helped shape the tradition of writing Cholil as an adult.

Within the organization, Cholil works in the NU environment. Starting when he was active as Chairman of the GP Ansor Rembang, Chairman of the NU Rembang Party (when NU became its own party in 1971), Chairman of the PPP DPC (when NU fused with PPP). He has also been A'wan and Mustasyar PWNU Central Java, and Chairman of MPW PPP Central Java.

At first Cholil was not involved in a political party. Until one day Kiai Ali Maksum reprimanded him at the Kaliurang Ulama National Conference in Yogyakarta, "Why don't you participate in politics like your sister, Mustofa, why?"

In the end Cholil was also interested in politics, and he had a very deep parody of NU in politics. His often-quoted parody reads, “NU is often idolized (spit on).”

Because of his involvement in the PPP, in 1982 he was asked to become a member of the DPRD Level I, but he refused, because he had the principle to take care of the pesantren. At that time, he only wanted to be in DPRD Level II, for life. Moreover, after his father died in 1977, he assumed the responsibility of being a caregiver at the Raudhatut Thalibin Islamic Boarding School so that he was only interested in local politics.

At the pesantren, he taught bandongan Alfiyah, Syarah Fath al-Muin, Jam'ul Jawami', and Ihya' Ulumuddin.

At the time when NU fused into PPP, at the 1994 congress, the NU faction formed the Rembang Group, referring to the name where Cholil Bisri became an important motor. This group originally intended to propose a NU figure to compete with Buya Ismail Metareum from the Indonesian Muslim community (MI).

Together with Matori Abdul Djalil, Imam Churmen, and others, they coordinated the NU faction in PPP. However, when the battle had not yet been carried out, the Rembang group disbanded because before the PPP congress there had been a split with the exit of Hamzah Haz's group from the Rembang group. However, the name Cholil Bisri is highly respected as a political kiai figure who is persistent in defending NU.

When NU returned to the Khittah in 1984, Kiai Cholil was involved in the restoration of the NU Khittah. In the 27th NU Congress (1984), which formulated the NU Khittah, Kiai Cholil Bisri became Chairman of the Formulating Committee at the Program Commission with Secretary H. Tan Gatot and members: H. Dahlan Ch, HM Husaini Tiway, HM Uthman Limbong, HM Asy'ari Sanak, H. Asnawi Lathif, H. Muhammadiyah, and H. Syafrudin Syah.

Before PKB was founded, Kiai Cholil Bisri seemed interested in taking part in PPP again, namely in 1992 when he entered the DPR RI from PPP. However, when PKB was founded, its role was also great in this party. Before PKB was established by the PBNU Working Team, the initial initiative to form a party occurred on May 30, 1998 when a kubro istighatsah was held in East Java, and many kiai gathered at the PWNU East Java office.

After the event, many kiai urged Kiai Cholil Bisri to initiate and initiate the establishment of a party as a forum for NU's political aspirations. On June 6, 1998, he invited 20 kiai to discuss the matter, and no less than 200 kiai came. It was from this meeting at his house that the idea crystallized until the process of establishing the PKB by the PBNU Working Team.

When the PKB was declared on June 23, 1998, Kiai Cholil Bisri became one of the most important figures. He became Deputy Chairman of the Syuro Council of the PKB DPP, with Chairman of the Syuro Council KH Ma'ruf Aien and Chairman of the Tanfdiziyah Council Matori Abdul Djalil. His involvement in the PKB led him to become a member of the DPR from the PKB, even to the point of becoming the Deputy Chair of the MPR.

Despite being a politician, Kiai Cholil Bisri's kiaiship did not fade. In Rembang, he continued to teach the Koran and was the caretaker of the Raudhatut Thalibin Islamic Boarding School until he died at the age of 62 on August 23, 2004. In fact, he really liked the wise words of Ibn Athaillah as-Sakandari in the famous al-Hikam.

He is also a writer, his published books are We Are Not Riding Horses and When Blue Sky. He left a wife named Hj. Muhsinah, eight children, and a number of grandchildren.