Profile of Inayah Wahid's Husband, KH Shalahuddin Warits: A Progressive Young Islamic Scholar from the Heart of Madura
News of the marriage of Inayah Wahid, the fourth daughter of former President Abdurrahman Wahid, has circulated on social media. Inayah married KH Shalahuddin Warits, or more familiarly known as Ra Mamak. He is one of the influential young Islamic scholars on Madura Island, particularly in Sumenep Regency. As part of the extended family of caretakers of the Annuqayah Islamic Boarding School in Guluk-Guluk, he is known not only for the depth of his religious knowledge but also for his active involvement in social, environmental, and practical political issues.
Ra Mamak was born and raised in a pesantren environment thick with intellectual traditions. He is the son of the late KH Warits Ilyas, a charismatic Islamic scholar who also served as Chairman of the PPP Sumenep Branch and a key figure in Annuqayah. This lineage places Ra Mamak in a strategic position as a successor in leadership at one of the oldest and largest pesantrens in Madura.
His basic education was undertaken within the pesantren itself, before he travelled to various educational institutions to deepen his knowledge of auxiliary sciences (nahwu-sharaf), fiqh, and philosophy. The combination of traditional pesantren education and modern insights makes him an adaptive Islamic scholar to the changes of the times.
At the Annuqayah Islamic Boarding School, KH Shalahuddin Warits serves as one of the board of caretakers. Annuqayah itself is known as a “civilisational pesantren” that strongly emphasises the independence of students and concern for ecology. Ra Mamak continues this tradition by integrating religious values with real actions in the field.
He often emphasises that students should not only be skilled in reading yellow books but must also be sensitive to the suffering of the people and environmental damage around them. This makes his leadership style in the pesantren feel more dynamic and relevant to the younger generation (millennial students).
The name KH Shalahuddin Warits became a hot topic in local politics when he ran in the Sumenep Regional Head Election (Pilkada). This political step was taken not merely to pursue power, but as a political ijtihad to bring systemic change for the welfare of the people of Sumenep.
Even though the world of politics is full of dynamics, Ra Mamak maintains his integrity as a kiai. He brings a polite political narrative based on religious moral values. For him, politics is a means of service (khidmah) to the ummah on a broader scale.
One interesting aspect of Ra Mamak is his extraordinary concern for environmental issues. He is often involved in movements rejecting natural resource exploitation that harms small communities. His thinking on “Environmental Fiqh” has become a reference for many activists in Madura.
He believes that preserving nature is part of faith. Ecosystem damage in Madura, such as phosphate mining or illegal logging, is viewed by him as a form of evil that must be combated with preaching and real actions.
As a young Islamic scholar, Ra Mamak has excellent communication skills across generations. He is active in using social media and discussion forums to spread messages of peace and religious moderation. His straightforward, intelligent, yet humble speaking style makes him highly respected by students and activists in East Java.