Nyai Ahmad Dahlan, a Light Bearer and National Heroine of Muhammadiyah
Behind the growth of Muhammadiyah as an Islamic reform movement in Indonesia to this day, at the time of its founding there was a woman who worked diligently in quiet dedication.
She was Siti Walidah, known as Nyai Ahmad Dahlan, the wife of Muhammadiyah’s founder, KH Ahmad Dahlan. Not only did she support her husband through the ups and downs of marriage, this woman from Kauman, Yogyakarta, also contributed significantly to the maturation of Muhammadiyah as an Islamic reform movement in the archipelago.
Nyai Ahmad Dahlan made Islamic missionary work, education, and women’s empowerment her life’s mission. She supported KH Ahmad Dahlan in his spiritual endeavours and helped establish Muhammadiyah in 1912.
Nyai Ahmad Dahlan actively led women’s study circles and worked to increase women’s religious literacy, reading and writing abilities, and self-confidence. She was one of the key founders of Aisyiyah, the women’s wing of Muhammadiyah.
According to the National Heroes Encyclopaedia, Siti Walidah, known as Nyai Ahmad Dahlan, was born in Yogyakarta in 1872. She never received formal education at a secular school, only Qur’anic studies and Islamic instruction in Javanese using Arabic script.
According to the official website of the Aisyiyah Central Board, Siti Walidah was the fourth daughter of seven children of Kiai Penghulu Haji Muhammad Fadhil. One of her brothers, KH Ibrahim, served as President of the Muhammadiyah Central Board during the period 1923-1932.
In her youth, when she was ready for marriage, Nyai Ahmad Dahlan was married through family arrangement to Muhammad Darwis, later known as KH Ahmad Dahlan, in 1889. Dahlan was the son of KH Abubakar, who was the Khatib Amin of the Great Mosque of the Yogyakarta Sultanate.
After returning from Mecca, where Dahlan had studied under prominent Islamic reformers, he founded the Muhammadiyah Association, the first Islamic reform organisation in Yogyakarta.
Since Muhammadiyah’s establishment, Siti Walidah supported her husband’s efforts by organising religious education study circles for women in several villages, including Kauman, Lempuyanagan, Karangkajen and Pakualaman. These study groups became known as Wal Ashri. She frequently took on her husband’s role, delivering lessons at Wal Ashri forums.
Nyai Ahmad Dahlan accompanied her husband in his struggle through Muhammadiyah until his death. Especially after her husband’s passing, she emerged as both a mentor and driving force for the organisation, particularly Aisyiyah.
Nyai Ahmad Dahlan also paid particular attention to female workers in the batik business units of Kauman. She provided dormitories for female batik workers in the Kauman area. There, her female workers were taught religious knowledge, reading and writing with the aim of ensuring they acted honestly and did not feel discouraged by considering themselves uneducated. These study groups became known as Maghribi School.
In 1917, the women’s association changed its name to “Aisyiyah,” which had previously been proposed under the name “Fathimah.” Interestingly, Nyai Ahmad Dahlan did not become the chairwoman of Aisyiyah. The first chairwoman of Aisyiyah was Siti Bariyah, sister of Haji Fachrodin. Only in 1921, at the General Assembly in Yogyakarta, was Nyai Ahmad Dahlan elected as chairwoman of the Muhammadiyah Central Board’s Aisyiyah Division, replacing Siti Bariyah.
In 1922, at the General Assembly, she was re-elected as chairwoman. During her leadership, she focused on education and founded a kindergarten named Frobe School. Subsequently, the kindergarten became Bustanul Athfal, and Nyai Ahmad Dahlan was re-elected as chairwoman of Aisyiyah at the 15th Muhammadiyah Congress held in Surabaya in 1926.
Nyai Ahmad Dahlan passed away on 31 May 1946 in Yogyakarta. In recognition of her dedication and struggle, the Indonesian Government awarded her the title of national heroine through Presidential Decree No. 042/TK/1971.