Every 17 August, we recall a historic decision: the Indonesian nation\nrefused to live under colonialism. The Proclamation became an important\nmarker of the nation\u2019s journey to determine its own direction after\nbreaking free from colonial power.<\/p>\n
But independence also leaves a more personal question. Is a person\ntruly free when they are no longer under the power of another human\nbeing, yet still ruled by their own desires?<\/p>\n
This kind of question brings us to an important area within Sufism.\nIndependence is not only a matter of outward circumstances, but also of\na person\u2019s ability to control themselves. Someone may possess power,\nwealth, and position, yet remain inwardly unfree. They may not submit to\nothers, but their life is controlled by greed, ambition, or a constant\nneed for praise.<\/p>\n
Sufism extends the question of freedom to this point. Sufi reflection\nis not intended to replace the meaning of national independence, but\nrather to add another question: after being freed from external\ncolonisation, how does a person use that freedom to shape\nthemselves?<\/p>\n
This question is relevant to Indonesian life today. Political\nindependence provides space to manage power, the economy, education, and\nsocial life. That space can be misused if people are unable to control\ntheir own self-interest. Power can turn into a tool of personal\ninterest, and economic freedom does not automatically liberate a person\nif their entire life orientation is controlled by consumption, prestige,\nand social status.<\/p>\n
Simply put, freedom means being released from bondage or domination.\nIn the context of a nation, independence means being free from\ncolonialism and having space to determine collective life.<\/p>\n
From a Sufi perspective, the question of freedom can be extended to\nthe inner realm. What needs to be liberated is not only the body from\nexternal pressure, but also the soul from various forms of domination\nthat are not always visible.<\/p>\n
A person may possess wealth, but lose their freedom because their\nentire life is directed towards pursuing wealth. Someone may hold\noffice, but their life is determined by the need to maintain power.\nAnother person may appear modest, but still be heavily dependent on the\npraise and recognition of others.<\/p>\n
From here, spiritual freedom can be understood: it relates to the\nability to control desire, manage wants, and not make the world the\ncentre of inner submission. In certain Sufi traditions, this freedom can\nbe understood through several levels of spiritual depth. At the initial\nlevel, a person strives to free themselves from the domination of\ndesire, learning that not every want must be fulfilled. Desires remain,\nbut the person does not allow themselves to be controlled by them.<\/p>\n
The matter then becomes more subtle. A person is not only confronted\nwith material desires, but also with the ego. The desire to be praised,\nrespected, considered successful, or to always receive recognition can\nbecome a form of attachment that is difficult to recognise. At the next\ndepth, a person strives to release the inner dependence that makes\nsomething other than God the centre of their life orientation.<\/p>\n
This division is one way of understanding the depth of the spiritual\njourney, not a single classification representing the entire Sufi\ntradition. The more seriously a person undertakes self-formation, the\nmore subtle the forms of attachment they need to recognise and\ncontrol.<\/p>\n
Liberation from other than God does not mean severing relations with\npeople. What is liberated is the heart from absolute dependence on\nanything other than God. The world is still lived in, people still work,\nhave families, participate in society, and carry out their\nresponsibilities. The question is who becomes the centre of their inner\norientation.<\/p>\n
Spiritual freedom is a process that is continually lived throughout\nlife. It can be both a direction and a spiritual attainment, but\nrealising it requires practice that does not stop at a single point.<\/p>\n
This idea needs to be read carefully so as not to be misunderstood:\none interesting point in Sufi reflection on freedom is the relationship\nbetween servitude to God and human freedom. At first glance the two\nappear contradictory\u2014servant means submissive, free means independent.\nBut the main issue is not whether a person will submit or not, but to\nwhom and to what that submission is directed.<\/p>\n
A person can submit to money when all their life decisions are\ndetermined by material interests. They can submit to praise when their\nself-worth depends on the assessment of others. They can also submit to\nthe ego when personal interest becomes the main measure in every\ndecision.<\/p>\n
Tawhid directs the centre of servitude to God. Within this framework,\nbeing a servant of God does not mean losing freedom. Servitude to God\ncan actually free a person from absolute dependence on anything other\nthan Him, so that their life choices are increasingly directed by values\nand guidance they believe come from God.<\/p>\n
Spiritual freedom, therefore, is not the freedom to do anything. It\nis the ability to choose consciously and responsibly, without being\nenslaved by desire, greed, or self-interest.<\/p>\n
Freedom also does not mean living without rules. People need values\nand moral limits so that their freedom does not turn into actions that\nharm themselves or others. Within a Sufi framework oriented towards\nservitude to God, sharia becomes part of the path to order life and\ndirect human action.<\/p>\n
A person does not automatically become freer simply by rejecting all\nrules. If that rejection actually makes them more dominated by desire,\nthe freedom they obtain is merely illusory. Freedom requires the ability\nto choose as well as the willingness to take responsibility.<\/p>\n
One easily recognisable form of unfreedom appears when the means of\nlife become the purpose of life. Wealth can be used to meet needs, help\nothers, and carry out responsibilities. The problem arises when the\nentire orientation of life is directed towards possessing it. At that\npoint, a person no longer merely possesses wealth; wealth begins to\npossess them.<\/p>\n
The same can happen with position and recognition. Office can be used\nto carry out a trust, but when a person is unable to detach themselves\nfrom the ambition to maintain their position, office can turn into a\nshackle.<\/p>\n
This is where zuhud needs to be understood proportionally. Zuhud does\nnot have to mean physically abandoning the world. What matters more is\nhow a person places the world in their life\u2014using it without being\nenslaved by it, possessing wealth without making it the main measure of\nself-worth, holding office without making it the centre of identity.<\/p>\n
This issue has real social relevance. Power becomes a problem when\noffice is used primarily for self-interest. Consumption becomes a\nproblem when the freedom to choose goods and lifestyles turns into\ndependence on social status. In both cases, the problem is not merely\nthe existence of wealth, office, or consumption choices, but when these\nmeans take over life\u2019s orientation.<\/p>\n
It is in this context that the education of the soul has meaning.\nRepentance, wara\u2019, zuhud, patience, tawakal, and rida, as described in\nsome Sufi literature, can be understood as part of the process of\nself-formation. These stages show that freedom is not born from a single\naction completed in a day, but grows through practice, self-control, and\ncontinually renewed awareness.<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s independence is a historical achievement born from the\nstruggle to free the nation\u2019s life from colonialism. The freedom of the\nsoul has a different field of struggle. The nation needs freedom from\nforeign power, while the individual needs self-formation so as not to\nlose control due to desire and inner attachment.<\/p>\n
The two need not be opposed. National independence gives people space\nto determine collective life. Spiritual freedom helps people use that\nspace with moral awareness. Sufism should not be used to reduce national\nissues to matters of individual inner life. National independence\nrequires structural and political liberation, while inner freedom\nrequires self-formation. The spiritual dimension provides a moral\nfoundation so that politically obtained freedom is not used\narbitrarily.<\/p>\n
The discussion of freedom also relates to qada and qadar. Within an\nIslamic theological framework that acknowledges God\u2019s power as well as\nhuman effort, human limitation does not erase moral responsibility.\nPeople do not control all the circumstances of their lives, but they\nstill have room to choose, strive, and determine their attitude.\nTherefore, freedom and responsibility go together. People strive with\nthe abilities they possess, while the final outcome remains in God\u2019s\npower. This awareness should not produce passivity, but rather encourage\neffort as well as acceptance of one\u2019s own limitations.<\/p>\n
The Proclamation has a date. The formation of the soul does not.<\/p>\n
Every 17 August we are reminded that independence is not only\nsomething inherited from history, but also a responsibility that must be\nsafeguarded in daily life. The question returns to oneself: are we truly\nfree, not only from the power of others, but also from what rules our\nown hearts?<\/p>\n
Greed, praise, office, wealth\u2014all of these can quietly become masters\nthat govern our lives without our realising it. The question is no\nlonger whether these things exist in our lives, because of course they\ndo, but whether we are still able to place them as means, not as\nrulers.<\/p>\n
This question does not erase structural problems in national life. On\nthe contrary, it places individual moral responsibility as one element\nthat complements the national struggle. The state needs just\ninstitutions, society needs responsible governance, and individuals need\nself-formation so that freedom does not turn into a space for greed.<\/p>\n
Spiritual freedom can be both a direction and an attainment in the\nhuman journey. It is called an attainment not because it is a finished\nand fixed state, but rather a quality of self that is continually\nstriven for and renewed throughout life.<\/p>\n
True freedom is not something that ends once the flag is raised and\nthe ceremony is over. It is present every time a person is able to\novercome their greed, grows when they are able to subdue their desires,\nand finds its deepest meaning when a person is able to be a servant of\nGod while also carrying out their responsibilities as a human being.<\/p>\n
The Proclamation can be read in a single day. The liberation of the\nsoul is a struggle that never ends.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/becoming-a-free-servant-a-spiritual-reflection-on-the-proclamation-1786863091", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }