Nahdlatul Ulama, Nine Stars in Nine Decades

 

Nahdlatul Ulama, Nine Stars in Nine Decades

How many of us Muslims have offended good scholars? Don't think that hurting has to be with insults. Yes, insults are bad, very bad, especially against scholars; but there is something even worse: Slander. We slander our own neighbors, even scholars who are still alive and dead, just because we don't like it, just because we have different opinions, just because we want to be in power, just because of orders rather than envy. Slander is already so bad; then what is worse than slander? Selling lies and slander through the media to earn money.

When people don't like the situation, people get angry and vent it by writing anything that is insulting, cynical, and as if giving advice or motivation but with harsh, harsh, cynical, insulting words. And if there is a personal interest, lies and slander are added. Then negative words and insults, cynicism, ridicule, feeling the smartest, as well as lies and slander, went viral. Spread everywhere. The Internet multiplies these ill effects. The pain in your heart, which you express in such ways, is secretly hurting others without you knowing it.

Scholars, and good people, cry, not because you insult or slander. They cry because they see people happy with evil, cry because they are sad to see the loss of love, justice and respect for fellow human beings - if words are like that, how can hope for good behavior will be born from words and lies and vile slander that poured from heartache, jealousy and endless grudges?

For ninety years, the scholars have been steadfast in their struggle to maintain not only the teachings and the Muslims but also universal human values. That's what I caught from my reading of the history of the scholars of the archipelago. I'm not an official 'nahdhiyyin', I've never had an official stay, but I follow the teachings of the old NU kyai, and even then after slowly reading the history of the struggle of Wali Songo to the hadratus of Shaykh Hasyim Asy'ari and his successors kyai. 

There are many things I admire and learn from, and sometimes I interpret this history myself, although I don't know for sure whether my interpretation is correct or not. Clearly, one of the things that amazes me is the patience and sincerity of the early generation of preachers. I think they really follow the example of the Prophet in preaching.

Kanjeng Prophet before receiving revelations and preaching, for decades proved himself as al-amin, who can be trusted. His words, promises, decency, morals and so on were trustworthy, so that the chiefs of the tribes believed him — even Sayyidah Khadijah entrusted her business affairs to the Prophet Muhammad and wanted to become his wife. And the Prophet did not even lie when trading. Because he has been proven to be al-Amin, he deserves a treatise and conveys it. After receiving the revelation, he is still struggling patiently for more than two decades. He was offered wealth and the most beautiful woman to stop his preaching, he did not want to. Pure is fully acting on the basis of Divine orders, as Muslims generally believe.

Wali songo and kyai-kyai NU used to never rush. They preach as humans who humanize humans; never rush to judge. There are many stories of exemplary patience of those who preach for the benefit and safety of the world and the hereafter. That is why he tirelessly invites the people with the principle of good morals, because the prophet was sent "to perfect morals."

The stories of the kyai in the past have always been captivating: there is the story of Mbah Mutamakkin who preached culturally among the common people, even though he was actually a descendant of the king; about Kyai Saleh Darat who has a big heart by translating the Qur'an into Javanese so that it can be understood more broadly; Hadratus Shaykh Hasyim Asyari with his patience fought in a place that was initially known to have many immoralities; about how Shaykhuna Kholil Bangkalan, the teacher of Hadratus Shaykh, who did not hesitate to return to study hadith to his students and compete to respect each other; there is the story of mbah Hamid Pasuruan who awakened the thief in such a subtle way; about Mbah Dalhar watucongol who preached tirelessly in a deserted hilly area — ah, there are too many beautiful stories from the kyai of this archipelago.

Why are the great kyais who founded NU so respected? because, before inviting people, they have forged themselves into trustworthy persons; Because, they realize, how can preach successfully if the preacher cannot be trusted with his words and actions?

For example, they learned and mastered thousands of hadiths, such as Sheikh Mahfudz Termas, Sheikh Hasyim Asy'ari and Sheikh Yasin Fadani. Or Kyai Ihsan Jampes whose book is worldwide. 

They maintain spiritual manners and a strong Sanad tradition so that they are not easily tempted to sell religion for the sake of politics and power alone; respect for the teachers in the link of the sanad chain, especially in the tradition of Sufism practiced by the kyai, in one sense is a way to keep the blessings of knowledge intact; sanad becomes important, because it connects the authentic spiritual relationship from the Prophet to his heirs in the present. Because of that "spiritual connection" they try hard to maintain sincerity in preaching.

They continue the chain of tradition that has long been held by the great scholars of the past such as Sheikh Hamzah Fansuri, Sheikh Abdurrrauf al-Sinkili, Abdusshamad Palimbani, Tuan Guru Babussalam, Sheikh Yusuf Makasar, Sheikh Arsyad al-Banjari, Datu Nafis, the noble Habaib who too many to mention, also pre-independence era kyai-kyai throughout the archipelago. 

While the previous teachers also taught to the previous scholars whose links continued to connect to the international level - just to mention the famous examples of the network: Sulthan al-Awliya al-Ghauts Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Jailani, Qutb Rabbani Imam al-Rifa' i, Imam al-Ghazali, Shaykh al-Masyayikh Abu Madyan, Sheikh Sultan al Awliya Abu Hasan Syadzili, Bahauddin Naqsyabandi, Abdullah Sattar, Sheikh al-Kuranyi, Sayyid Zaini Dahlan, including the ancestors of the Alawiyyin, the ancestors of the Habaib since the era Grand Imam Sheikh Isa al-Muhajir and Sayyid Faqih Muqaddam to generations of tabi'in, companions and finally connected to the Prophet himself. 

This sanad -based ulama network is like a series of trees, growing and developing branches side by side; These "big spiritual trees" whose leaves soothe the soul, also provide spiritual oxygen for the survival of the heart and sirr, the fruit of which is healthy deeds for the life of this world and the hereafter. The founders of NU are well aware of the importance of preserving this scientific and spiritual network.

But of course the name of the world there is always a temptation. From time to time there are always those who try to take advantage of the already large NU network for certain interests, whether economic, political or power - as happened when the congress was so crowded and rather stressful before Kyai Ilyas Ruchyat was elected, or before Gus Dur was elected in the New Order era. But NU was able to get past that, all the way to the last Makassar congress, because there are still kyai who are sincere and tawadhu' who hold fast to the spiritual traditions — shari'a, tarekat, essence — that were instilled by the founders of NU.

I am not a nobody at NU, but I feel that I have learned many life lessons and blessings after studying the history of the kyai, reading manaqib, or just short sketches, and following their teachings and traditions even though I have to work hard and are far from perfect. The kyai I met also didn't blame me when I came with so many mistakes — including my ignorance in religion, because I couldn't read the Arabic book Pegon/gundhul, especially in Arabic, I don't know if it's true or not. However, the teachers accept kindly, do not blame, invite patiently, even when angry with patient anger, until slowly growing self-awareness without coercion to practice the teachings of Islam. 

As a person who desperately needs sincere scholars, I always hope that this organization will continue to exist, continue to be led by scholars who have been able to maintain and prove themselves trustworthy, sincere and not shaken by worldly storms. 

I, and probably many other lay people, feel that there is still a great need for scholars who really understand religious knowledge, understand the sciences of kalam, fiqh, qur'an, hadith, tasawuf, and all other knowledge of religious tools in depth, and, of course, only, virtuous; I as an ordinary person need and miss such scholars, not political adventurers who want to use jamiyyah for the purpose of world power.