Indonesia
It is not enough for a Muslim to take pride in personal piety while remaining indifferent to the wellbeing of their social environment. Equally, it is not enough to acknowledge difference as sunnatullah, a natural law of God while turning a blind eye to every effort aimed at building social cohesion across religious, racial, ethnic, and other divides (ed. peacemaker).
A truly good Muslim must affirm their identity as an epicentre of goodness for those around them. It is therefore a profound anomaly when a Muslim let alone a religious figure takes pleasure in advocating violence, fuelling conflict, and widening divisions under any banner whatsoever. A true Muslim must be actively engaged as a promotor of peace, within the framework of ukhuwwah Islamiyah (Islamic brotherhood), ukhuwwah wathaniyah (national brotherhood), ukhuwwah basyariah (human brotherhood), and even ukhuwwah makhlūqiyah (brotherhood of all creation).
In the hadith narrated by Abu Darda’ and recorded by Abu Dawud, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Shall I not tell you of something more virtuous in degree than fasting, prayer, and charity?” The companions replied, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: “Reconciling those who are in dispute. For indeed, the corruption of relations between people is the razor. It shaves away good deeds.” (Hadith Abu Dawud No. 4273)
The asbab al-wurud, the circumstances behind this hadith relate to the Prophet’s observation of the companion Abu Darda’, who was deeply immersed in acts of worship: fasting throughout the day and standing in night prayer. So consumed was he by devotion that he neglected his own wife. Salman al-Farisi, whom the Prophet had paired as a brother with Abu Darda’, once reminded him: “Truly, your Lord has a right over you, your body has a right over you, and your family, your wife has a right over you. So give each their due.”
This hadith is, in essence, a gentle but firm rebuke from the Prophet: individual piety pursued in the hope of divine reward and pleasure is not the product of human efforts to “compel” God. Those who think this way forget that Allah holds the absolute and sovereign prerogative to determine, with perfect validity and precision, the appropriate reward for His servant’s worship.
This is the very message of this hadith that all acts of worship carry personal value for the individual servant. Yet when a servant becomes a source of benefit for others, that is of even greater worth (social piety). The Prophet strongly encouraged Muslims to cultivate social piety and to serve as peacemakers. It is not enough for the Prophet’s followers to love peace and conduct themselves peacefully; they must actively take on the role of peacemakers among their fellow human beings.
As a peacemaker, one must fulfil two conditions: first, one must be capable of making peace within oneself. Second, one must be genuinely averse to hostility and enmity.
Islam and its followers are meant to be the foremost promotors of peace. The word “Islam” itself means peace. It is a profound irony when Muslims conduct themselves in a manner that runs contrary to the spirit of peace that their faith teaches.
Islam, whose Prophet declared himself the perfector of akhlaq al-karimah (noble character) has set the example of showing compassion even toward adversaries. The Prophet forgave those who had wronged and oppressed others; he held both spiritual and political authority, yet offered anyone he may have hurt intentionally or otherwise the opportunity to seek recompense, so that he might earn genuine forgiveness from the people he led.
This is the school of peace that must be emulated from the Prophet not the school of “violence.” Those who perpetrate violence often cry out in defence of Islam, yet in doing so, they merely brand Islam as a religion of “violence.”
As the nation with the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesian Muslims carry an immense responsibility. They must be able to preserve the peace within Indonesia’s remarkable diversity, while simultaneously serving as a barometer, demonstrating whether Islam can indeed function as a social cement and even an integrating force in Indonesia. Whether acknowledged or not, willingly or otherwise, this is an inescapable reality. As the majority community, Indonesian Muslims bear the responsibility of being peacemakers and promotors of peace.
Cultivating a Muslim worldview centred on peacemaking is of critical importance in this country. Indonesia is a hypermarket of diversity and with that comes an inherent vulnerability to conflict. Conflict is, indeed, part of sunnatullah; but what must be prevented at all costs is religion becoming a cause of conflict. Religion must serve as a social cement and an integrating force not, conversely, as a source of conflict.
This doctrine must be instilled in every generation of Muslims from an early age, by every Muslim family and educational institution. Mainstreaming the Muslim as peacemaker must become a core outcome of Islamic education. The Islamic education curriculum from its planning and implementation through to its evaluation must therefore be grounded in the mainstreaming of peace.
The earlier this process of internalisation begins, the greater the prospect of producing a generation of Muslims who bring reconciliation. This is the upstream input strategy for building the roots of a peace-promoting religious practice in Indonesia, so that the state need not remain preoccupied with downstream efforts to combat intolerance, religious conflict, and religiously motivated violence through deradicalisation programmes that have proven difficult, costly, and of uncertain results.
The Muslim peacemaker fully comprehends the plurality of thought, the value of multiculturalism, the preciousness of harmony, and the importance of a fair social structure in the expression of belief. The Muslim peacemaker must also distance themselves from radical and fundamentalist truth claims, and from the presumption of exclusive righteousness.
The Muslim peacemaker is deeply imbued with noble character: just, honest, trustworthy, compassionate, courteous, gentle, and all other praiseworthy qualities. As the Prophet declared: “A believer is not one who is given to slander, who is prone to cursing, who speaks indecently, or who uses foul language.”
The history of Islam in Indonesia has abundantly demonstrated that Islam has made a profound contribution to safeguarding this nation from forces of destruction. Even so, it is no longer appropriate for Indonesian Muslims today to rest on the laurels of history while neglecting their responsibility to shape the future to create a history of Indonesian Islamic civilisation that is peaceful and hospitable for all who dwell within it. Wallahu A’lam!
This article was previously published at Arrahim.id
By: Moh Faishol Khusni (Doctoral Student, Multicultural Islamic Religious Education Program, Universitas Islam Malang; Multicultural Islam Activist at the Centre of Islamic Multicultural Studies UNISMA; Director of FAST Spirit International)
