Part 2 of 2: Islam is syncretic, inclusive by nature

Mirza Tirta Kusuma, Chicago

With regard to the use of the local vernacular in prayer (salat), we can see how the Javanese have tried to incorporate Islamic tradition into their own tradition. We can also say that the Javanese apply their efforts to understand the Koran in their cultural perspectives. Indeed, there are a number of factors that can influence an individual in his understanding of the Koran.

Sociological, cultural and intellectual circumstances, are significant in determining the forms and substance of interpretation. Thus Islam, as it actually exists, because of "the divergence in contexts", means different things to different people. This interpretable nature of Islam has functioned as the basis of Islamic flexibility.

The general objection from orthodox Muslims to using the vernacular in prayer/salat is based on several aspects that are considered to diverge from the tenets taught by the Prophet Muhammad, who said Sollu kama ra'aitumuni usalli (pray as you see how I prayed). For these people, following the Prophet in his every action is a must, including using the Arabic language. The Koran says that the Prophet is the best example (uswatun hasana) that could possibly be followed. Like the most Koranic doctrines, however, this is subject to a broad range of interpretations.

Some people understand the word "following" here as not simply implying the absorbing and practicing of his teachings, but rather "following" in the literal and physical senses. Others interpret "following" as meaning making progress in one's life of faith. Thus, to be a follower is to find oneself in the same situation as that of the Prophet. The Koran does not give a precise definition of "following". The traditionalists hold that people should strictly follow the example set by the prophet, but the Javanese view is somewhat different.

Incorporating foreign aspects into Islam will not negate or destroy the essence of Islam, as can be implied from Geertz's theory. To suggest otherwise would be to fly in the face of the historical facts, including during the early formative period of Islam (the most authentic and classic period), i.e., in the era of Muhammad. The Prophet used the local traditions (Arab traditions) to convey his messages. There are also many examples from Islamic literature in the Middle East of a "blending" of Islamic and non-Islamic elements. Thus, syncretism is a normal process of mutual influence between religious traditions.

It may be concluded from the above discussion that the root of the problem revolves around interpretation and diversity in the intensity of understanding and experiencing religion. And since the Koran as the source of Islam is polyinterpretable, the appropriate attitude is not to condemn people with different interpretations from our own.

Islam is a missionary faith; among its adherents there is a desire to share the riches of the faith and its heritage with others. But, unfortunately, in the attempt to fulfill this missionary vocation, proselytizing (dakwah) activities by Muslims among people of other religions and cultures have sometimes led to grievances.

Islam considers its message from God to be relevant to all people, everywhere; Islam considers that the truth it was entrusted with is universal in nature. Muslims are under an obligation to present their faith as a fundamental religious duty. This is expressed in dakwah, the invitation or call to Islam, based on the verse, "Invite (all) to the Way of the Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious..."(Q. 16: 125). It is also an effort by Muslims to enable other human beings to share and benefit from the supreme vision of religious truth.

Dakwah is certainly not coercion. It is an invitation whose objective can be fulfilled only with the free consent of the called. Humanistic ethics regards coercive dakwah as a grave violation of the human person, which is why the Koran specified the means of persuasion that may be used.

Thus, people must be called to the way of God, persuasively rather than violently. While Muhammad felt sorry for disbelievers, again and again, both in the Meccan and Medinese periods of his life.

Islamic dakwah is, therefore, an invitation to think, to debate and argue rather than a forceful mission. Islamic dakwah operates under the principle that the right to think is innate and belongs to all men. Dakwah is a critical intellectual process; thus, it is never dogmatic. In engaging in dakwah, the da'i (preacher) is not the ambassador of an authoritarian system, but is a co-thinker who is cooperating with the mad'u (the called) in bringing about an understanding and appreciation of Allah's revelation.

Dakwah is a method through which reality becomes known. It is a means of free intercourse of ideas. The goal of dakwah must be a conversion of truth. A conversion with based on a conviction of the truth is the only legitimate conversion, as Ismail al-Faruqi said. We are not converting people, but merely helping to allow the grace of God work in their hearts and minds.

The issue of using the vernacular in prayer is not a new one. It also occurred during the time of Imam Abu Hanifah, the founder of Hanafi school of thought in Islamic jurisprudence. When one of the Persian converts asked to be allowed to use his local language, Abu Hanifah said, "You can use it till you can say it in Arabic".

The same answer was also given by Ahmad Dahlan, the founding father of Muhammadiyah, one of the biggest Islamic organizations in Indonesia and which is closely associated with the purification movement. When Dahlan, a Javanese, was asked by one of his student, Sugarda, at the Kweek Schools Jetis Yogyakarta, "is it allowed to perform prayers (salat) in Javanese"? he answered: "Yes, before you can pray in Arabic", while adding that the student should try to say prayers in Arabic, as the Koran was revealed in Arabic. His was clearly a flexible attitude.

For Javanese people, the relationship between one's soul and one's God is essentially an internal and sacred matter. Greater pressure for orthodoxy could produce a reaction among some Javanese against what might seem to be a distasteful intrusion into their spiritual lives.

Thus, embracing such people is more appropriate than condemning them. This is the way of the great founding fathers of our tradition. The spark of divine creativity animates every culture and God can be worshiped and encountered in myriad ways. Within human culture, we find God's revelation in the very complexity of culture itself, in the warp and woof of human relationships, which are constitutive of cultural existence.

The writer, an alumni of the Pabelan Muntilan Islamic Boarding School, Magelang, Central Java, is studying for a Ph.D and D. Min at the Divinity School U of Chicagolic Theological Union and the Lutheran School of Technology in Chicago. She can be reached at mirzatk@yahoo.com.