Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is often defined as the bastion of religious\nmoderation (wasathiyah) in Indonesia. With the foundation of Ahlussunnah\nwal Jama\u2019ah (Aswaja) An-Nahdliyah, NU champions the principles of\ntawassuth (moderation), tawazun (balance), i\u2019tidal (justice), and\ntasamuh (tolerance). Theoretically and theologically, this is an ideal\ngolden doctrine.<\/p>\n
However, when these ideas descend to earth and contend with the\nground reality of nahdliyin community life, moderation often becomes\nmerely an attractive jargon, or even a mere religio-political slogan.\nThere is a wide chasm between what the kiai preach on stage and what the\ncongregation practises at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon demonstrates that moderation and tolerance at the\nNahdliyin grassroots level remain fragile. The most tangible evidence is\nhow easily groups of residents or members of mass organisations under\nNU\u2019s umbrella disband religious study sessions, lectures, or activities\ndeemed to follow a different school of thought or stream.<\/p>\n
The narratives frequently used to justify such actions include\n\u201csafeguarding the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia\u201d,\n\u201canti-Wahhabism\u201d, \u201canti-Nasabism\u201d, or accusations of \u201ccaliphate\nideology\u201d. Yet upon closer examination, these religious differences are\noften matters of furu\u2019iyah (secondary jurisprudential branches) rather\nthan ushuliyah (fundamental tenets of faith).<\/p>\n
A clear example is the frequent tensions at religious events.\nActivities that are \u201cnot of the same school of thought\u201d or do not\nconform to nahdliyin traditions in certain areas often face\nintimidation. Ironically, such disbandments are carried out by parties\nwho claim to be moderate yet impose their own understanding \u2014 a monopoly\non truth \u2014 whilst being unprepared for difference.<\/p>\n
When difference is regarded as error, and error is met with violence\n\u2014 whether physical or verbal \u2014 then tasamuh (tolerance) has fallen.\nHere, religious moderation loses its soul, becoming merely an identity\ntool (\u201cwe are moderate, they are extreme\u201d) without any genuinely\nmoderate behaviour.<\/p>\n
Why does this happen so readily? The primary cause is the religious\neducation curriculum in most traditional pesantren, which remains\nmonocultural. Although NU\u2019s Qonun Asasi acknowledges four schools of\nIslamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi\u2019i, Hanbali), in practice,\npesantren studies remain overwhelmingly dominated by the Shafi\u2019i\nschool.<\/p>\n
Students are rarely introduced in depth to comparative jurisprudence\n(Fiqh Muqaran), Milal wan Nihal (the study of religious streams), or the\ndiverse history of Islamic thought. Consequently, students grow up with\nthe view that Islam is only what is written in the classical texts of\ntheir curriculum.<\/p>\n
This is compounded by the proverb \u201cAdab above Knowledge\u201d, which is\noften misunderstood. In this context, shallow knowledge actually fuels\nan ignorance that believes itself to be right. True tolerance does not\narise from ignorance but from depth of knowledge.<\/p>\n
When a person lacks broad intellectual horizons, they will fear\ndifference and tend to be hostile towards those who are different. Yet\nknowledge is light (nur), whilst ignorance is utter darkness (zhulumat).\nWhen religious understanding is limited, what emerges is blind\nfanaticism (ashabiyah), not inclusivity.<\/p>\n
Strategic and Tactical Steps<\/strong><\/p>\n To address this gap between theory and reality, the PBNU (NU Central\nBoard) must have the courage to take bold steps as a regulator of\neducation, not merely a mobiliser of the masses. NU must facilitate more\npesantren cadres to study at centres of moderate scholarship in the\nMiddle East, such as Al-Azhar (Egypt), Zaituna (Tunisia), and\nAl-Qarawiyyin University (Morocco).<\/p>\n At Al-Azhar, for instance, the curriculum is genuinely diverse \u2014\nstudents study all four schools of jurisprudence in a balanced manner\nand practise them in daily life. They live side by side with adherents\nof other schools without feeling threatened.<\/p>\n The problem is that the PBNU currently provides minimal facilitation\nfor such scholarships. The number of scholarships to Al-Azhar stands at\nonly around 30 students, and to Morocco around 20.<\/p>\n This figure pales in comparison with a single institution or modern\npesantren such as Gontor, which receives full scholarships from Al-Azhar\nfor 100 students and 230 educational scholarships annually. The PBNU,\nwhich oversees thousands of pesantren, should be securing thousands of\nscholarships for its students, particularly to Al-Azhar.<\/p>\n These Middle East alumni would be expected to bring their \u201cmoderation\ncurriculum\u201d back to NU\u2019s pesantren. They must teach comparative\njurisprudence so that students understand that difference is an\ninevitability, not an error to be suppressed. Tolerance and religious\nmoderation must be born from comprehensive knowledge, not from the\npressure of jargon.<\/p>\n Restoring Knowledge as the Basis of Tolerance<\/strong><\/p>\n Tolerance and religious moderation are not weaknesses of faith but\nintellectual strengths. As long as nahdliyin at the grassroots continue\nto regard difference as a threat, and as long as pesantren education has\nnot fully opened itself to broad comparative jurisprudence, religious\nmoderation will remain mere jargon.<\/p>\n Whoever captains it in the future, NU must have the courage to reform\nitself, improve the quality of knowledge amongst its members, and\nfacilitate its key cadres to study at the right institutions. Knowledge\nis light. Let us make knowledge the light that illuminates difference,\nrather than the darkness that blinds.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nu-in-its-second-century-grounding-religious-moderation-from-jargon-to-reality-1771310146",
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