Tuan Guru H. Zaini Ganie and Gus Dur: A Meeting

 

Tuan Guru H. Zaini Ganie and Gus Dur: A Meeting

Last week I returned to my hometown, Tabalong, which is about 200km from Banjarmasin. On the way from Banjarmasin, we stopped at a food stall in the town of Kandangan. Like most of the stalls and houses of Banjarese in this area, the walls of this shop are filled with posters of pictures of ulama.

Among the dozens of photo posters, there is a photo of Tuan Guru H. Zainie Ghanie or commonly called "Guru Sekumpul" sitting cross-legged facing KH Abdurrahman Wahid, or familiarly called Gus Dur (GD). If Guru Sekumpul wears a white koko shirt and a white turban, then Gus Dur wears an orange batik shirt and a black cap. Guru Sekumpul's right hand was on Gus Dur's shoulder. It was clear that the two of them looked familiar and close.

The installation of photo posters of ulama is a form of respect for the scholars. The installation of posters for Guru Sakumpul and Gus Dur shows the restaurant owner's respect for the cleric. And of course he hopes the people, the diners of his restaurant also respect them both.

Memorable Notes

The photo poster reminds me of a memory of about a quarter of a century ago. At that time, GD came to Salatiga to be a speaker at the Conference of Religions (KAA) held by PGI. Apparently after that activity, GD intended to visit his daughter, Alissa, a student at the Faculty of Psychology at UGM who was currently doing Community Service Program in Magelang. Gus Dur asked us, friends in Yogya, to be accompanied. Incidentally, I was the one who received a message from the committee that there was no activity. Be me accompanying him.

In the committee's Toyota Kijang, as usual, Gus Dur had a friendly conversation. Telling stories about political situations, asking questions about the development of books and the intellectual world and of course interspersed with fresh humor. Sometimes Gus Dur's voice disappeared because he was asleep, there was a snoring sound, but only for a moment, then he woke up again to continue the conversation.

Suddenly, Gus Dur asked, who in South Kalimantan is a scholar who is now highly respected. Spontaneously, I answered "Master H. Zainie Ghanie". I told how the routine studies that he nurtured in a village area were always attended by thousands of people and how the village, 'Sekumpul', was later attributed to him. Be his familiar nickname 'Guru Sekumpul'. The ratio of a person to the name of a village clearly shows his class.

In the history of Islam in Kalimantan, this is exemplified by 'Guru Kelampayan', a cultural-religious title for Sheikh Muhammad Arsyad, who opened and developed Islamic teaching in Dalam Pagar village, in the Kelampayan district in the 18th century. Sanad of Tuan Guru Sekumpul's own teachers and students connected to this Master Kelampayan.

Gus Dur listened and listened to the information I conveyed. While interspersed with several questions about details that he seems to want to know more about.

The conversation probably took place around April 1994. The political sky in Indonesia is dry as protests and dissatisfaction with the Suharto government began to grow and spread widely. In that hot climate, NU also experienced an extraordinary heat effect because Gus Dur – who incidentally was the General Chair of PBNU – was an important axis of the protest voices.

Pak Harto is said to be very angry with Gus Dur. Several times GD wanted to submit a sowan to report on the congress implementation plan and at the same time asked Pak Harto to open it, but it was always rejected.

At that time, Pak Harto didn't want GD to be the general chairman anymore. Because of ITU, his 'alus orders' – a colonial era term that indicated the government's unwillingness to sit in an organization – were carried out through the military and bureaucracy in various ways to thwart GD. Even when he beat the gong to open the congress, Pak Harto didn't say hello at all and just turned his back on GD. “Dinengke” and “ra considered”, the Javanese term, are symbols of very strict Javanese politics.

The hottest congress in the history of NU, and the politics of Indonesian civil society at the end of the New Order was violent and ended dramatically with the re-election of GD as chairman of PBNU. GD only won 3 votes with his competitor, a completely unknown figure, Hasan Syazili.

But that's not the point. At the 1994 NU Congress, I – who was a participant in the 'romli' (wild group) met with senior Dr. Humaidi Abdussami, lecturer at IAIN (now UIN) Antasari, Banjarmasin, who came as a congress participant from NU South Kalimantan. He told me that actually Guru Sekumpul wanted to come to this congress. In the previous week's recitation, he said that this week's recitation was closed because he wanted to attend the congress at the invitation of Gus Dur. Unfortunately, continued Humaidi, on the day of the “H' congress, Guru Sekumpul was sick, so he canceled his attendance.

I don't know if when we chatted in the car and asked about the ulama in South Kalimantan a few months earlier, GD really didn't know and had never heard of Guru Sekumpul's name. Did he just want to test my knowledge? Or simply to confirm and match pre-existing information about the Sekumpul Guru. Who knows. What is clear, as the story of Dr. Humaidi Abdussami above, Guru Sekumpul intended to come to the congress at the invitation of GD, although it was later canceled due to his absence.

Despite his absence, in the management of NU later the name Guru Sekumpul with the official name KH Zaini Abdul Ghani, was listed as one of the 9 members of the PBNU mustasyar for the 1994-1999 period. Mustasyar means advisor. Mustasyar or the Advisory Council is at the highest strata in the NU management structure. Mustasyar is, from a practical point of view, more of a list of names. There is no organizational task that must be carried out. But in terms of meaning, mustasyar shows the high recognition of this organization on the figure of the ulama as the guardians of this organization. Ulama are symbols of this organization.

The name Guru sekumpul as mustasyar means even more important considering that after the congress, NU was dragged into a conflict between the GD and Abu Hasan camps which later created the "NU Tandingan". Incidentally, NU South Kalimantan is in the opposite camp with GD. However, the opposition to GD from South Kalimantan was not so strong because there was the name Guru Sekumpul in Mustasyar's ranks, even though Guru Sekumpul himself did not interfere at all. (Later before Abu Hasan and GD died, the two met, reconciled, and forgave each other. Differences in political views were one thing, brotherhood was another.)

When in 2012 I was invited to be a member of the team of writers and editors of the NU Excyclopedia, I proposed and included Guru Sekumpul's name as an entry. This proposal was unanimously accepted and the figure of Guru Sekumpul was displayed as one of the entries in the encyclopedia.

Being NU itself does not have to have a membership card or be an administrator. So it is with the Guru assemblage. In terms of the teachings that are taught and developed he is a true NU. His influence and contribution to the 'NU community' was also enormous, not only in South Kalimantan, but in the five corners of Kalimantan, even outside Kalimantan. Therefore, whether his name is included in the NU board of directors or not is not important to him. Likewise, if it is not included in the encyclopedia, it does not in any way reduce the greatness of his name, just as the inclusion does not increase the greatness of his name. Those who feel interested and fortunate are of course NU itself because the inclusion has a deep and broad symbolic meaning.

President Gus Dur and the Campaign

1999. Indonesian politics underwent rapid and dramatic changes after Soeharto was impeached. Unexpectedly, GD was appointed president, through a complicated political crisis.

GD is a fan of friendship. He stays in touch with anyone and anywhere. Being president did not prevent him from continuing his hobby of friendship. Of course, scholars are always on the list of GD's visits. And among the scholars that is the name of Guru Sekumpul.

On Friday, May 26, 2000, Gus Dur visited Martapura to visit Guru Sekumpul and made a pilgrimage to Maulana Sheikh Muhammad Arsyad Al-Banjari's meal. During the meeting, Gus Dur presented Guru Sekumpul a pack of cigarettes with the Presidential Palace brand. Gus Dur knew that Guru Sekumpul liked to smoke. According to the story, Master Sekumpul accepted it, laughing very happily and gratefully. One writer, Muqarramah Sulaiman Kurdi, described their meeting as “very friendly and full of laughter. The two of them were like old friends who only met again at that time.”

According to records, it was the first meeting between GD and Guru Sekumpul. But from the widely circulated photo archives, where both GD and Guru Sekumpul wore different clothes, at least GD met and visited Guru Sekumpul's place more than once. It could be that before and after May 26, 2000 the above had happened. However, because the visit on 26 May 2000 was GD's unofficial visit as president, this was the first to be recorded and widely covered.

In this case, I should repeat the story that I quoted from Dr. Humaidy Abdussami about Guru Sekumpul and GD. It is well known that after the reformation, GD founded the National Awakening Party (PKB). Of course, this stance did not please the old parties, because it eroded their supporters, especially in this case the United Development Party (PPP), which in South Kalimantan, incidentally is also based on the NU community.

During the 1999 election campaign, the contestation between PKB and PPP was unavoidable. South Kalimantan is no exception. It was during this campaign that undue ridicule of GD as the founder and general chairman of PKB emerged. Gus Dur's physique, who could not see and was blind, became the target of ridicule.

Guru Sekumpul apparently heard that. In a study, he finally said something like this in the Banjar language: "I heard that there was a lot of gus dur's chanting. I told the priest, don't repeat it again, Gus Dur is a scholar. Scholar's son. And grandson of scholars. If I win, I'm sorry." (I heard a lot of people mocking Gus Dur for being stupid. I'm telling you, don't do it again, Gus Dur is a scholar. The son of a scholar, the grandson of a scholar. I can tell you later.) That's about Humaidy Abdussami's story, with a paraphrase that I made it back. And Guru Sekumpul's warning echoed like thunder. Since then there have been no more such mockery of Gus Dur.

This story shows how much Guru Sekumpul respects the ulama on the one hand, and considers Gus Dur as one of the scholars who deserves respect as well. Second, the Sekumpul Guru indirectly reminded that it was okay to be different, that's why the Sekumpul Guru did not order to choose one of them. But what he reminded him was to maintain good manners and morals and brotherhood.

Guru Sekumpul and GD: Two Guardians of the Early 21st Century 

Both Guru Sekumpul and Gus Dur were scholars. However, both of them appear as ulama in different patterns and fields of service, even though the basic teachings put forward are basically the same.

Guru Sekumpul is a par excellent scholar . He was educated in a strict traditional religious environment, almost without any contact with modern education. Then in time he was trusted by his teachers to give his own studies. First in the village of Keraton. However, because his studies were growing, and the Keraton village could no longer accommodate him, he moved to an area that was still relatively quiet: Sekumpul.

Guru Sekumpul's recitations contain Sufism teachings, both moral and philosophical Sufism. In addition, he also held a recitation of shalawat simtut dhurar , which two decades later became popular throughout Java through the upbringing of the soft-spoken Habib Sheikh.

A group of teachers teach by using a book and people – also holding the book that is being read – sit down to listen to the reading and explanation of the book. The way of teaching is very communicative and easy to understand. Occasionally he slipped a fresh humor. The language used is Banjarese with Indonesian interspersed.

Sekumpul teachers never knew about discussions, seminars, workshops and the like. He has never participated in any organizational training. He is also not a political person, however, his political influence is enormous, especially in the Kalimantan area. Therefore, it is not strange that almost all political leaders in the region took the time to visit him and every candidate for regional leadership sought to seek his blessing.

In contrast to that, Gus Dur grew up as a scholar with a combination of traditional religious education and modern education. He writes essays and reviews various matters ranging from religion to football in the media. He explores various professions from NGO workers, lecturers, writers, consultants, politicians and others. He also met many colorful and religious people from religions, ethnicities, nations, cultures, professions and many others. This means that as a scholar, Gus Dur is a scholar with many faces and with a very wide arena.

Gus Dur held high regard for Guru Sekumpul and therefore asked him to join the ranks of the mustasyar, the advisory council, the association of nine scholars who were worthy of giving advice. On the other hand, Guru Sekumpul himself viewed Gus Dur as a scholar.

So where is the 'meeting' between the two? The encounter between the two lies in the consistency to introduce Islam as a monotheistic religion with universal values: compassion, peace, liberation. Islam as surrender and surrender.

Guru Sekumpul has never been involved in interreligious dialogues, but his teachings contain a deep dimension of personal and community development. A Catholic friend once told me that he had heard several recordings of Guru Sekumpul's recitations and he said he was very appreciative. His teachings are full of positive values, soul character building, optimism, and a balanced life between this world and the hereafter. And more importantly, according to him, there is absolutely no tone of hostility with other circles.

Moving in other areas and with a different strategy, Gus Dur introduced a friendly Islam, not an angry one. He tirelessly and relentlessly assures that Islam is a religion that respects human dignity, is tolerant, and just.

An article by Muqarramah Sulaiman Kurdi (click this article) nicely reviews the Islamic encounter taught by Guru Sekumpul and the 9 values ​​that Gus Dur has developed so far. In short language, both teach 'wet Islam', to quote Frithjof Schuon, not 'dry Islam', which introduces only superficial and partial aspects of Islam. It is not surprising that both of them have a deep influence among their respective followers. And it is not strange if someone can become a follower of Guru Sekumpul as well as a fan of Gus Dur as reflected in the figure of the restaurant owner quoted in the opening of the article above.

I am grateful to have studied with these two scholars directly. During my education at the pesantren, I quite often attended Guru Sekumpul recitations. At that time, he was still holding majlis in Kampung Keraton and had not yet moved to the Sekumpul area. From Pesantren Alfalah we took an angkot to the city of Martapura after Asar, followed the congregational maghrib prayer and then continued with his book recitation, including the book Ihya 'Ulumuddin and Risalah Mu'awanah . While during my student years, I often met Gus Dur, and even had the chance to have a closer conversation with the two of them.

Several years ago, when I visited the tombs of the saints, both in Kalimantan and Java, I once thought that those who were called wali and whose graves were sacred and visited by the crowds incessantly, were figures of the past. Now and in the future there will never be such figures again.

It turns out that my assumption was wrong. When Tuan Guru Haji Zainie Ghani or Guru Sekumpul died on August 10, 2005, a sea of ​​people mourned his departure. After that, his tomb in Sekumpul, which is very clean and neatly arranged, is visited by many people every day. And Guru Sekumpul's annual haul is also attended by hundreds of thousands of Muslims.

Not much different from Guru Sekumpul, when Gus Dur died on December 30, 2009, thousands of people also let him go. Then after that his tomb in Tebu Ireng has now become a pilgrimage site that never runs out. So much so, it is not strange if KH Maimun Zubair from Sarang, once expressed his jealousy and asked Gus Mus, what was Gus Dur's routine practice so that his funeral was attended by hundreds of thousands of people and his grave was never empty of pilgrims. Uniquely, Gus Dur's pilgrims were not only Muslims, some also came from other circles.