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

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.