Gus Dur amidst the pluralistic 'pesantren' chain

By Ainur R. Sophiaan

JOMBANG, East Java (JP): It was the afternoon of Oct. 20 when close relatives of Abdurrahman Wahid, affectionately called Gus Dur, gathered in a modest house on Jl. Imam Bonjol 25, Denanyar, Jombang, some 70 kilometers west of Surabaya.

They were following the ballot counting of the presidential election on television. All the viewers in the house were emotionally involved. Some were apprehensive, others joyous, anxious and touched. Each time Abdurrahman's name was called, they unanimously reacted with Alhamdulillah (all praise to God). Afterwards silence fell. At the end, when he was declared as the winner, they were carried away by their emotions and cheerfulness.

Something different was happening at Pondok Pesantren Mamba'ul Maarif Islamic boarding school, some 100 meters north of the house. About 3,000 santri, or students at the school, were taking part in a istighosah mass prayer ceremony.

They had been praying for the nation's safety, the success of the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly and of course, for the physical and mental strength of Abdurrahman, from early that morning.

When he won the presidential race, without being ordered, all the santri bowed to a kneeling position, expressing their thanks to God the Almighty.

At a neighboring pesantren Bahrul Ulum in Tambakberas, some 4,000 santri said prayers together for Abdurrahman's victory when the voting was taking place in Jakarta. Sholeh Hamid, a senior leader of the pesantren, led the prayers.

The activities in the pesantren stopped when Abdurrahman was announced to have become the country's President for the 1999- 2004 period.

"We were really touched. Following the presidential election on TV was like watching the final of the Soccer World Cup," said Sholeh, one of Abdurrahman's former teachers.

The Bahrul Ulum pesantren was built in 1830 by Sihah, the grandfather of Hasyim Asy'ari who was Abdurrahman's grandfather.

At Pondok Pesantren Tebu Ireng, where Abdurrahman spent his adolescent days before leaving to study in Egypt, it was also the same. During the presidential election, some 5,000 santri of this pondok were also praying all the time, led by Hakam Choliq.

The pesantren, located some 10 kms south of the town of Jombang, was established a century ago by Hasyim Asy'ari, Abdurrahman's grandfather, who was also the founder of the large Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Hasyim Asy'ari's grave is located at the pesantren's compound.

Abdurrahman himself is still NU's chairman. His father, Wahid Hasyim, was Indonesia's first minister of religious affairs. Abdul Wahid Hasyim is also buried in the same compound.

Influence

The three pondok pesantren have been of great influence in the building of Abdurrahman's personality and religious horizons.

Jombang, his birthplace, is a town imbued with religion.

In the entire regency of 1.7 million inhabitants there are 41 pondok pesantren, the three mentioned above and another pesantren, Darul Ulum, are the biggest four.

The town's motto is IMAN (an acronym for clean, beautiful, safe and full of faith). "In this town you can find all ethnicities in Indonesia. Many santri from outside Java choose to live here," said Jombang regent Affandi.

He is proud that many prominent national figures come from Jombang: Abdurrahman, another noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid, and Emha Ainun Nadjib, a cultural observer. Comedian Asmuni from the Srimulat group was a Jombang citizen who studied at Tebu Ireng.

The pulse of Islam is strong in the lives of Jombang natives. It was in such an environment that Abdurrahman was born and raised.

According to Chafidz Achmad, leader of Mamba'ul Maarif and a cousin of Abdurrahman's, since early childhood he never settled in one place in his quest for knowledge. He moved from one pondok to another. The big pondok in this town were managed by the extended family of Hasyim Asy'ari.

"Since childhood Abdurrahman never wanted to be bound by a monotonous tradition or custom. He was more of an self-learner than a student of a kiai (scholar) or an ustadz (teacher)," he said.

Perhaps on account of his ability to socialize with various friends in the pesantren, he acquired a personality that appreciates pluralism. According to Chafidz, pluralism also characterizes Abdurrahman's own extended family.

The President, whose real name is Abdurrahman Ad Dakhil, is the eldest of Abdul Wahid Hasyim's six children. The other five are Aisyah, Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi, Umar, Chadijah and Hasyim.

He cited an example where his own siblings are members of different political parties. Abdurrahman is the founder of the National Awakening Party (PKB), his younger sister Aisyah Baidlowi has been a Golkar member for a long time, Shalahuddin is in the United Believers Awakening Party (Partai Kebangkitan Ummat) and Hasyim is a member of PDI Perjuangan (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle).

"They all think that differences in political outlook is normal. It is rather controversial, the environment of the pesantren has given birth to a beautiful variety," he said.

Mohammad Mudzakir, a neighbor and childhood friend, describes the President's personality as striking, even when he was a child. Although he was educated in the romo kiayi (senior scholar) circle Abdurrahman was not bound by a strict or limited education. He could socialize with anybody.

"Frankly speaking, Abdurrahman's lifestyle was not like that of pesantren children. If one does not know him, one does not understand that he is the grandson of NU's founder who was very respected by his community. I was also convinced that Abdurrahman would be a great leader some day."

Although the President moves in an extended social circle, he never forgets his childhood friends. Besides, he always takes time to visit his relatives in his village when he goes for devotional visits to the graves of his ancestors.

"That was what he did before and after being elected President. All the santri here have idolized him for a long time," said Hakam Choliq, one of the Tebu Ireng leaders.