The Workshop for Morality

THE WORKSHOP FOR MORALITY The Islamic Creativity of Pesantren Daarut Tauhid in Bandung, Java THE WORKSHOP FOR MORALITY The Islamic Creativity of Pesantren Daarut Tauhid in Bandung, Java Dindin Solahudin A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology Faculty of Arts The Australian National University February 1996 Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/morality_citation.html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Solahudin, Dindin. Title: The workshop for morality : the islamic creativity of Pesantren Daarat Tauhid in Bandung, Java / author, Dindin Solahudin Publisher: Acton, A.C.T. : ANU E Press, 2008. ISBN: 9781921313677 (pbk.) 9781921313684 (pdf) Notes: Bibliography. Subjects: Pesantren Daarut Tauhid (Bandung, Indonesia) Islamic education--Indonesia--Bandung. Islamic religious education--Indonesia--Bandung. Community leadership--Indonesia--Bandung. Islam and state--Indonesia--Bandung. Islam--Indonesia--Bandung--Social life and customs. Dewey Number: 297.7795982 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design by Teresa Prowse Printed by University Printing Services, ANU This edition © 2008 ANU E Press Islam in Southeast Asia Series Theses at The Australian National University are assessed by external examiners and students are expected to take into account the advice of their examiners before they submit to the University Library the final versions of their theses. For this series, this final version of the thesis has been used as the basis for publication, taking into account other changes that the author may have decided to undertake. In some cases, a few minor editorial revisions have made to the work. The acknowledgements in each of these publications provide information on the supervisors of the thesis and those who contributed to its development. For many of the authors in this series, English is a second language and their texts reflect an appropriate fluency. Table of Contents Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi Notes on Foreign Language xiii Abstract xv 1. Introduction 1 1.1 The Study in Perspective 1 1.2 The Pesantren Tradition 3 1.3 Daarut Tauhid: A Pesantren Milieu 6 1.4 The Organisation of the Work 9 2. Initial Stages and Foundation 13 2.1 The Founder: K. H. Abdullah Gymnastiar 13 2.2 I'tikaf and Lailatul Qodar 17 2.3 The Dreams Involving the Prophet Muhammad 21 2.4 The Hajj and The Umrah 26 2.5 The Shilaturrahmi 31 2.6 The Foundation of Daarut Tauhid 35 3. The Leader, the Followers, and the Pattern of Relationships 41 3.1 The Leader: Personal Qualities and Popularity 41 3.2 Ma'unah: the Miraculous Power of Aa Gym 46 3.3 The Followers: Numbers, Diversity, and Identity 47 3.4 The Followers: Reasons for Joining 50 3.5 The Patterns of Relationship 55 4. Creative Expression Eschatological and Worldly Orientations 61 4.1 The World and Beyond: A Balance 61 4.2 Inner Dynamics: A Harmonious Combination 67 4.3 Modesty and Modernity: A Wonderful Combination 70 4.4 Multi-style Management: A Solid Combination 72 5. Daarut Tauhid as the Bengkel Akhlaq Religion and Morality 77 5.1 Moral Decadence 78 5.2 Qolbun Salim: Qualities of Heart and Mind 81 5.3 Taushiyah Penyejuk Hati 85 5.4 Ritual Weeping: Nature and Structure 91 5.5 Ritual Weeping: Meaning and Function 98 vii The Workshop for Morality 6. Conclusion 103 Selected Glossary 107 Bibliography 115 viii Foreword This volume, The Workshop for Morality by Dindin Solahudin is a remarkable study of a most unusual pesantren. Officially known as Pesantren Daarut Tauhid, this pesantren was located in Bandung and flourished at the beginning of a period of Islamic resurgence in Indonesia. More commonly referred to as the Bengkel Akhlaq, this `Workshop for Morality' exerted a special appeal to groups of young urban Muslims, particularly students. Its founder was H. K. Abdullah Gymnastiar, popularly known as Aa Gym, who later went on to become one of Indonesia's most important Muslim preachers and television celebrities. Pesantren Daarut Tauhid was notable for the popularity of Aa Gym's preaching and the emotional response that he affected among his followers. Ritual weeping was a prominent feature of gatherings at the pesantren. But Pesantren Daarut Tauhid was also unusual for the way that it organized the teaching of classic Islamic texts (kitab klassik) by inviting distinguished religious teachers from other West Javanese pesantren to lecture at different times during the week and to present varying Islamic orientations. Dindin Solahudin did his fieldwork for this study in the mid-1990s and is able to provide exceptional insights into the operations of Pesantren Daarut Tauhid while at the same time conveying a sense of the religious enthusiasm that characterized this period. He was also able to speak, at some length, with its founder, Aa Gym, and on this basis, he presents a picture of Aa Gym's early life and of the initial setbacks and subsequent spiritual experiences that were to transform his life. He highlights the importance of dreams and the profound experience of the hajj that prompted the first stirring of his preaching career and the eventual establishment of his pesantren. As particularly pertinent to an understanding of Pesantren Daarut Tauhid's mission as a `Workshop for Morality', Dindin Solahudin examines Aa Gym's formulation of the qualities of mind and heart that he sees as fundamental to an Islamic morality: sincerity, modesty, honesty and patience. The attainment of these qualities was the purpose of all religious activities of the pesantren. The Workshop for Morality is a superb work of both historical and ethnographic relevance that reflects the capacity of its author, Dindin Solahudin, to capture a critical moment in the development of Islam in contemporary Indonesian society. A native of Bandung, Dindin Solahudin has had an association since 1993 with the former State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Sunan Gunung Jati that has now become a State Islamic University in Bandung. On the Faculty of Dakwah and Communication, he has, at different times, headed both the Department of Journalism and the Department of Community Development. Since 1996, he has also been a lecturer at Pesantren Al-Ihsan. Since his graduation from The Australian National University in 1998, he has continued to do research ix and to publish on a wide range of topics. He is currently engaged in the study of Islamic moderation for a doctoral degree at the State Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga in Yogyakarta James J. Fox x Acknowledgments First of all, I am immeasurably indebted to Professor James J. Fox, my principal supervisor, who invited me to study Anthropology at the Australian National University. His generous guidance and continuous encouragement have extended my understanding of the Anthropology of Islam. He has been particularly instrumental in the period of my thesis writing not only in offering insightful criticisms and suggestions, but also in tirelessly correcting errors in my English expression. I am grateful to Dr. Patrick Guinness, my co-supervisor, whose questions and comments have been very stimulating. My gratitude also goes to Dr. M. Lyon, my adviser, for her advice. I, however, accept full responsibility for the academic content of this work. A major debt is also owed to my sponsor AusAid (Australian Agency for International Development) which enabled me to take advantage of this very valuable opportunity to study in Australia. Members of the staff at AusAid, in both Jakarta and Canberra, deserve my deepest thanks for their generous financial, material and spiritual support and assistance. I am grateful to Dr. Nicolas Peterson who guided me in my course work right from my first arrival. My gratitude also goes to Prof. Francesca Merlan and all the staff of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Faculty of Arts, and the Department of Anthropology, Research School of Pacific Studies, for their remarkable help over the two years of my study at the Australian National University. My special thank-you goes to all my friends at the ANU who have given me help and support throughout my study. They were particularly helpful when they asked me `how is your thesis going?' The people of Daarut Tauhid, and in Bandung at large, deserve my sincere expression of thanks. I owe a particular debt of gratitude to Aa Gym, the kyai of Daarut Tauhid, who willingly devoted so much time to talk with me, in the midst of his extra-busy preaching schedule. All the officials at Daarut Tauhid were very helpful to me in carrying out my research. The santri and jamaah of Daarut Tauhid were also very open and sincere in sharing their views and feelings. They are too many to mention all of them here, but each is a precious memory. I am grateful to them all and I can only say hatur nuhun. Last, but not least, I express my loving acknowledgment and heartfelt gratitude to Rida, my wife, and Tiaz, my son, to whom this work is dedicated. They shared with me all the emotional dynamics of my study. We were apart during the first year of my study: I was in Canberra while Rida and Tiaz were in Indonesia. I could not even witness the birth of my son and only saw him for the first time when he was six months old. During the second year, accompanying me in Canberra, they patiently and understandingly tolerated my absence from their xi company, often over night.

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