A New Epicentre of PERSIS's Economic Autonomy in its Second Century
As it enters its second century, the Islamic Union (PERSIS) is rewriting its movement narrative. The public has long identified this jamiyyah with a purist focus on creed purification and tajdid in the field of education—a thrust that is strongly oriented towards motivational preaching and instilling moral values. Yet behind that track record lies a historical reality often overlooked in main discourse: that the very earliest foundation of the movement’s economic independence sprang from the womb of economic power.
Structural transformation being promoted now is not an entity that suddenly appears, but an effort to ‘return to the roots’. The past record makes very clear that the founding figures of PERSIS, such as KH Zam Zam and M Yunus, were robust traders navigating a competitive business climate in Bandung. The spirit of financial autonomy that also elevated the name A Hassan. He demonstrated that economic independence—through the innovation of publishing and distributing his own literary works—was a core pillar supporting the courage, acuity, and lucidity of his preaching ideas.
The test of resilience and pioneer of Islamic finance. The entrepreneurial DNA proved to have resilience beyond its era. When the discourse on modern Islamic economic literacy had not yet become mainstream in the country in the 1990s, PERSIS figures under the leadership of KH Latif Mukhtar (Allahuyarham) took avant-garde initiative. Amanah Rabbaniyyah was born, a prototype Islamic financial institution that stood even before national Islamic banking institutions were officially established.
Interestingly, history later tested the resilience of similar institutions through various waves of crises. When many umat-based financial institutions collapsed due to failure to adapt, Amanah Rabbaniyyah remained upright. This fact underlines an important thesis: an economic movement backed by a solid ideological foundation and trustworthy governance yields extraordinary systemic resilience.
‘Dakwah Aksi’ and Relevance to Urban Society. Awareness of the strength of history is now crystallised by the leadership of the PERSIS Central Leadership under K.H. Jeje Zaenudin. Through the momentum of PERSIS Ramadhan EXPO 2026, a strategic realignment is assertively stated: the community movement must transform from merely ‘motivational preaching’ to ‘action preaching’.
Against the backdrop of increasingly complex socio-economic realities, preaching is no longer enough to echo solely in the pulpit. Moral counsel requires tangible manifestations that touch the lifeblood of community needs. This EXPO is designed as a tactical response to those demands, presenting an aggregation space for the creative economy without diluting the values of sharia.
Moreover, the event offers a breakthrough through the concept of ‘Urban Da’wah’. Urban residents who constantly race with the harsh rhythm of life need an oasis that both calms and empowers. The SME exhibitions moving the real sector, the halal product exchange, and public discourse with renowned mubalighs featured at the EXPO, become a tangible realisation of an adaptive and inclusive preaching ecosystem.
Breaking Down Barriers, Building an Orchestration of the Ummah. The most fundamental impact of this paradigm shift occurs at the sociological level of the PERSIS community itself. For years, there may have existed a kind of cultural ‘inferiority’ barrier that made parts of the PERSIS diaspora reluctant to display their identity in public. Yet the management of EXPO 2026, packaged professionally and massively, succeeded in breaking down those psychological walls.
The event has brilliantly become a meeting point—a magnet of reconciliation for successful entrepreneurs, robust merchants, and professionals who have memory and emotional ties to PERSIS. They now step onto the main stage with heads held high, proudly acknowledging their cultural identity, and ready to re-orchestrate the strengthening of the umat’s economic network.
Ultimately, the transformation toward ‘Dakwah Aksi’ is a proclamation that PERSIS is ready to be the engine driving civilisation. A solid proof that Islam’s teachings, when translated into concrete economic solutions, will always be a progressive force that brings prosperity and remains relevant to meet the challenges of the times.