Nyai Ahmad Dahlan: Gender Equality, Independence Heroine, and the Role of Women

The history of Indonesia’s independence is often dominated by narratives of physical struggle on the battlefield. Yet, behind this, there is a foundation of civilisation built quietly but solidly by women. One of its main pillars is Siti Walidah, better known as Nyai Ahmad Dahlan. As a national heroine and founder of the women’s organisation ’Aisyiyah in 1917, she laid the first stone of an emancipation that transcended her era. Her struggle proved that the role of women is not merely as companions, but as a driving force for national sovereignty through education, social, and economic pathways.

At the beginning of the 20th century, when custom and colonialism confined women’s sphere of movement, Nyai Ahmad Dahlan broke through this impasse. Through ’Aisyiyah, she established schools for girls, illiteracy was eradicated, and political awareness was instilled. This movement was based on the awareness that true independence was impossible to achieve if half the nation’s population remained shackled by ignorance. Women were encouraged to be independent and empowered so they could produce a generation ready to lead a sovereign nation.

Muhammadiyah views gender equality not as a Western product to be suspected, but as a pure manifestation of theological justice. Through the Majlis Tarjih and Tajdid (MTT), Muhammadiyah has consistently provided equal public space for women. Female scholars are not only involved in domestic affairs but are active in formulating fatwas, making organisational policies, and joining preaching safaris alongside male scholars. Female leadership within Muhammadiyah is not a political compromise, but a recognition of equal intellectual and spiritual capacity.

This is in line with the word of Allah SWT in the Qur’an, Surah At-Taubah verse 71: “And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends of one another; they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.” This verse affirms the existence of a collective mandate (khilafah) for men and women to carry out improvements in the public sphere without discriminatory barriers.

When drawn into the realm of fiqh muamalah, the involvement of women in the public and economic sectors has very strong legal legitimacy. Fiqh muamalah teaches the principle of freedom of contract (al-hurriyah fi al-’uqud) and economic justice for everyone regardless of gender. Women in Islam have full rights to property ownership (dzimmah maliyyah) and absolute authority to manage businesses, work, or occupy strategic professional positions as long as it brings public benefit (maslahah mursalah).

The real implementation of this just muamalah concept has been practised by ’Aisyiyah through the ’Aisyiyah Family Economic Business Development (BUEKA) programme and the Sakinah Family concept. Thousands of educational institutions, from kindergartens to universities, as well as health facilities spread across Indonesia, are tangible proof of how women are able to manage public governance and the economy professionally. This activity shows that women’s muamalah is not only legally valid according to fiqh but is also an instrument for poverty alleviation and a pillar of national resilience.

Now, in modern times where women are free to speak, explore their potential, and become leaders, the legacy of Nyai Ahmad Dahlan’s thinking finds its highest relevance. The 30 per cent quota for women’s representation in parliament and the presence of female leaders in various state institutions, the KPU, and global institutions is not the end of the struggle, but a continuation of the relay pioneered back in 1917.

However, the challenges of the present era have shifted. Women today are no longer fighting against physical colonialism, but against residual gender bias in patriarchal culture, structural poverty, and emotional violence in society. Therefore, the freedom of expression and the right to lead that women now possess must be balanced with an increase in intellectual capacity and moral integrity.

Learning from Nyai Ahmad Dahlan, emancipation is not an effort to selfishly show off or create an axis of inter-gender conflict. Emancipation is the awareness to share the burden of building the nation. Transformative and collaborative female leadership—as continuously nurtured by ’Aisyiyah cadres—is the key to facing the nation’s current multidimensional crisis.

Nyai Ahmad Dahlan has set an example that with steadfast faith, muamalah intelligence, and the courage to speak out, women can become the nation’s saviours in critical times. Looking towards Indonesia’s future, nurturing and fighting for a just space of gender equality is no longer a choice, but a necessity for the realisation of a just, inclusive, and progressive society.

Ultimately, admiring Nyai Ahmad Dahlan is not merely about remembering a great name in history books. It is about how we continue the flame of her struggle in the current era. The independence and public space that women enjoy today is a great trust that must be nurtured with real action. When women continue to be empowered, educated, and independent economically and intellectually, they are not competing with men, but are strengthening the foundation of the nation’s civilisation. From the womb of inclusive and just leadership, a progressive Indonesia—as aspired to a century ago—is no longer just a dream, but a reality we are building together.