Darul Arqam: A historical reflection

Darul Arqam: A historical reflection

Nine provinces have banned the activities of the controversial
Kuala Lumpur-based Darul Arqam sect in Indonesia and press
reports say other provinces are considering following suit.
Intellect Azyumardi Asra doubts the ban will be effective.

JAKARTA (JP): To date at least nine provincial prosecutor's
offices have banned the beleaguered Darul Arqam.

What is most interesting in this case is that the decisions to
outlaw the Islamic religious movement were not issued by the
Attorney General's Office as some people had expected. Instead
that office has let the provincial authorities decide for
themselves.

This indicates that the highest level Indonesian authorities
are attempting to avoid giving the impression that they have been
under pressure, in the name of ASEAN solidarity, to bow to the
Malaysian government's desires to ban the movement.

Despite all this, it is really doubtful whether the bans
issued here can be effective. Several instances these days have
shown us that the banning of allegedly "deviationist" religious
movements suffices largely on paper only. Some of them -- the
most notorious being the Inkarus Sunnah -- are smart enough to
survive by changing their names, or even by adapting, at least
temporarily, to suit the political establishment.

There is little doubt that Darul Arqam has generated one of
the most widely debated controversies in Indonesia in recent
times. Other Islamic organizations banned in the past included
Qadiani Ahmadiyyah, which originated in India, Islam Jamma'ah
(Community of Islam) and Inkarus Sunnah (Denial of Prophet
Muhammad's tradition).

In contrast, Darul Arqam has created at least two divisions
among Indonesian Moslem scholars and organizations. The first
group thus created consists of those who regard Darul Arqam as
having gone astray because of "heretical" teachings. This group
advocates the sect's banning on this basis. Religiously and
intellectually, this group belongs to the reformist wing of
Islamic school of thought as reflected in Muhammadiyah and some
leaders of the Council of Indonesian Ulemas (MUI) who have a
reformist background.

The second group is those whose members claim there is almost
nothing wrong with the teachings of Darul Arqam. In other words,
the movement's doctrines and practices are still within the realm
of Sunni orthodox faith. Therefore, at least from a religious
point of view, Darul Arqam should not be outlawed. This group
largely consists of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) scholars who have been
typified as the traditionalist wing of Islamic school of thought
by observers.

Conflicts between Islamic reformism and traditionalism are not
new. They can be traced back throughout history in the
development of Islamic doctrines and practices.

The basic tenets of Islamic reformism, preached vehemently by
such outstanding scholars as Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328), Muhammad
ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1787), Jamaluddin al-Afghani (1838-1897),
and Muhammad 'Abduh (1849-1905), are that Islam should be
understood and practiced in their "pristine" form. These scholars
in turn influenced reformist organizations like Muhammadiyah,
which has preached that Islam should be freed not only from
bid'ah (unwarranted innovations), khurafat (superstitions) and
tahyul (delusions), but also from the unquestioned following
(taklid) of the religious scholars or ulemas.

Therefore, the reformists, or purists, oppose some long-
standing Islamic institutions, such as the tarekat (Sufi
brotherhoods), which are considered to be full of unwarranted
innovations or doctrines, such as the belief in the messianic
figure of the Mahdi. All of these are central to Darul Arqam.

In contrast, the traditionalists cling to the customs that
were developed by the "People of the Sunnah" (the traditions of
the Prophet) and the community of believers (Ahlus Sunnah wal
Jama'ah) throughout Islamic history. The special emphasis on the
Sunnah by these people, leads them to adopt almost the entirety
of the hadits (the sayings of the Prophet), including those
segments which have been classified as weak by certain scholars.

As a result, the religious world view and the practices of the
traditionalists are pregnant with innovations and additions. It
is no surprise that traditionalist Moslems in Indonesia,
including NU and Darul Arqam, have practiced various kinds of
tarekat, or elaborated rituals under the leadership of ulemas,
who command the total obedience of their followers.

Given differences in their religious world views and
practices, one may reasonably expect that the conflicts between
the reformist and traditionalist Moslems will endure. The banning
of Darul Arqam will not resolve the conflicts. The sparks remain
in the ashes and will burst forth into flame if any sort of fuel
is added.

The writer is a lecturer of the Post Graduate Faculty at the
State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN), Jakarta.