PBNU Chairman: The Saadatuna Concept, an Exposition on Forming the Best Community
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) General Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf has explained the Saadatuna concept as an exposition of the Mabadi Khaira Ummah, the foundational principles for forming the best community conceived by former PBNU Chairman KH Mahfudz Shiddiq.
He explained there are five main principles in Mabadi Khaira Ummah: ash-shidqu (honesty), al-amanah wal wafa bil ahdi (trustworthiness and keeping promises), al-adalah (justice), al-istiqamah (consistency), and taawun (mutual assistance in goodness).
“The first principle, ash-shidqu, is the primary foundation because honesty is a basic requirement for building social life. Before anything else, number one is honesty. That is why KH Mahfudz Shiddiq placed ash-shidqu first,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.
He stated that honesty means not distorting facts. According to him, social relations and economic activities will not function properly if marred by dishonesty. “What we can strive for is how those who are truly honest can still prevail, even if their honesty is not visible,” he said.
The second principle is al-amanah wal wafa bil ahdi, which means safeguarding trust and fulfilling promises. He stressed that a mandate is a trust that must be protected, not owned or used outside its intended purpose.
“This citizens’ data is a trust, not the property of the administrators. So it cannot be traded. It cannot be borrowed for politics or anything else. And there must be a guarantee for that,” he said.
For this reason, PBNU is building a technology system that guarantees the security of citizens’ data so it is only used for their welfare.
The third principle is al-adalah, or justice. Gus Yahya said justice means putting something in its proper place so that all NU administrators and members, regardless of region, receive equal opportunities and facilities.
Therefore, PBNU is striving to build a system capable of delivering justice, so that all administrators and members receive opportunities and facilities at the same time.
The fourth principle is al-istiqamah, or consistency. The General Chairman stated that organisational development must take place continuously and not stop within one management period.
He assessed that the foundations that have been built need to be continued until completion so they do not stall or become abandoned because successors do not understand the grand design.
The final principle is taawun, which is mutual assistance in goodness. According to Yahya, the spirit of helping one another has long been a characteristic of NU members, not merely an organisational programme.
He said what the organisation needs to build is a system capable of quickly connecting those who need help with those who can provide assistance.
Gus Yahya affirmed that taawun is a fundamental value of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, which serves as a basis for protecting and strengthening one another.