NU Rais Syuriah: Ithafu Ummati Book Could Serve as Reference at NU Congress
Books such as this need to be presented at NU congresses and national working meetings (Munas).
Jakarta (ANTARA) — Rais Syuriyah PBNU Abdul Ghofur Maimun explained that the book Ithafu Ummati Al-Muqtafa, written by PBNU Deputy Chairman Zulfa Mustofa, could be developed or serve as a reference for Bahtsul Masail deliberations during NU congresses.
“The issues in this book deserve their proper place,” said Gus Ghofur, as Abdul Ghofur Maimun is known, in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday.
Gus Ghofur made the remarks during the book launch and discussion at the Sunda Kelapa Mosque hall in Menteng, Jakarta. The launch was welcomed by several NU figures who considered the book an important contribution to the development of contemporary Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
Gus Ghofur noted that at NU congresses, Bahtsul Masail issues often receive less attention than the dynamics of electing the PBNU General Chairman and Rais Aam.
“Books like this need to be presented at congresses and Munas meetings,” he said.
One of the book’s main discussions examines the methodology of legal decision-making within NU, emphasising the importance of understanding the objectives of Islamic law (maqasid sharia), social conditions, customs and the development of the times before a fatwa is issued.
Echoing Gus Ghofur, PBNU Mustasyar Said Aqil Siroj viewed the book as an important effort to revive the deep, well-grounded and rooted scholarly spirit of the pesantren, especially amid the flood of digital information that is often shallow.
“Amid the torrent of digital, shallow technological information, producing a reference firmly rooted in one field of scholarship, such as this book, is a fundamental necessity for the development of knowledge,” he said.
PBNU Deputy Chairman and author Zulfa Mustofa invited scholars, kiai, academics and pesantren circles to revive the tradition of writing books as part of the effort to maintain the continuity of knowledge and build Islamic civilisation.
“The tradition of ulama is a tradition of knowledge. And a tradition of knowledge will not stand firm without a tradition of writing. That is why the scholars of the past not only educated their students, but also left behind books as an intellectual legacy for the community,” said Kiai Zulfa.
According to him, from the early days of Islam through its development in the Indonesian archipelago, the progress of civilisation has been sustained not only by the emergence of knowledgeable and virtuous scholars, but also by the scholarly works they left behind.