International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences Vol. 8 , No. 10, Oct. 2018, E-ISSN: 2222-6990 © 2018 HRMARS The Role of Tasawwuf Ulama in the Governance of Aceh Yulisman Nazim, Mohamad Zaidin Mohamad, Omar S.H.S., Wan Ismail Wan Abdullah, Engku Ibrahim Engku Wok Zin, Sofyuddin Yusof, Afriani Maifizar, Fajri M Kasim To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i10/4746 DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i10/4746 Received: 26 Sept 2018, Revised: 24 Oct 2018, Accepted: 28 Oct 2018 Published Online: 31 October 2018 In-Text Citation: (Nazim et al., 2018) To Cite this Article: Nazim, Y., Mohamad, M. Z., S.H.S., O., Abdullah, W. I. W., Zin, E. I. E. W., Yusof, S., … Kasim, F. M. (2018). The Role of Tasawwuf Ulama in the Governance of Aceh. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(10), 437–448. Copyright: © 2018 The Author(s) Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com) This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode Vol. 8, No. 10, 2018, Pg. 437 - 448 http://hrmars.com/index.php/pages/detail/IJARBSS JOURNAL HOMEPAGE Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://hrmars.com/index.php/pages/detail/publication-ethics 437 International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences Vol. 8 , No. 10, Oct. 2018, E-ISSN: 2222-6990 © 2018 HRMARS The Role of Tasawwuf Ulama in the Governance of Aceh 1Yulisman Nazim, 1Mohamad Zaidin Mohamad*, 1Omar S.H.S., 1Wan Ismail Wan Abdullah, 1Engku Ibrahim Engku Wok Zin, 1Sofyuddin Yusof, 2Afriani Maifizar, 3Fajri M Kasim 1 Faculty of Islamic Contemporary Studies, UniSZA, Malaysia 2 Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Teuku Umar, Aceh 3 Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Malikussaleh, Aceh *Corresponding Author : [email protected] Abstract History has recorded a great contribution of tasawwuf ulama towards the arrival and development of Islam in the archipelago, especially in Aceh. However, their contributions and roles, particularly for the government are rarely highlighted. Hence this article aims to analyze the role of tasawwuf ulama in assisting the governance of Aceh into a sovereign government and loved by its people. This article is qualitative with documentation design. Data collection is through primary and secondary sources that related to the title. The data obtained are analyzed by content analysis and deduction. This article clearly demonstrates the role of tasawwuf ulama in the government by acting as an adviser, diplomatic and mufti. This study contributes to the purification of understanding and perception of the great contribution of tasawwuf ulama in Aceh. Keywords: Tasawwuf, Governance, Aceh INTRODUCTION According to Nasr and Smith, “Islam is not only a religion; it is also the creator and living spirit of major world civilization with a long history stretching over fourteen centuries”. Contemporary orientalist Bernard Lewis stated that “Islam, the offspring of Arabia and the Arabian Prophet, was not only a system of beliefs and a cult. It was also a system of state, society, law, thought and art as well as a civilization with religion as its unifying element and eventually, a dominating factor”. This means that Islam and civilization are inseparable. Since coming into existence, Islam has introduced a concept and a mission pertaining to civilization because the system introduced by Islam patronizes the happiness of the individual and society. It would not be something strange if Islamic civilization cannot be isolated from its spiritual component, which is Islam. With Islam being the al-din and al- 438 International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences Vol. 8 , No. 10, Oct. 2018, E-ISSN: 2222-6990 © 2018 HRMARS madaniyah or al-hadarah (civilization), hence, the meaning, concept, characteristics and contributions of Islamic civilization towards humans and humanity is quite evident (Qosim, 2015). The rise of Madinah is proof of the statement above. This was the success of Prophet Muhammad SAW in developing a social order that was fair, peaceful and civilised. That success was the pride and source of inspiration for Muslims until today. Madinah was a symbol of victory invigorated the value of unity and pride among Muslims. Madinah was not only occupied by Muslims but occupants of other religions as well, such as the Jews, whose safety was guaranteed according to the al-Sahifah or the “Madinah Charter” (Pulungan, 1995). After the demise of Prophet Muhammad SAW, those who carried on the message of Islam were the Ulama. A popular hadith of the Prophet SAW states that the Ulama are heir to the Prophets (al-ulama' warathah al-anbiya’); hence, they are highly respected by the Muslimin. Their opinions are presumed to be deciding factors in various problems, not only limited to religious problems only but various other problems. Nikkie R Kiddie in her book “Scholar, Saint and Sufis: Muslim Religious Institution in the Middle East since 1500”, defined the Ulama as a group of powerful and respected people that has a big impact on building the Muslim society. Ulama who carry out their duties as teachers, religious orators receive acknowledgement in various forms based on their services. They also manage organizations related to education, the courts, hospitals as well as other charitable organizations. The authority of the Ulama is not only related to problems pertaining to Islamic law and education but also in other matters (TriPutra, 2015). The Ulama have a unique way in building a relationship with Rulers. They are not reticent in criticizing the actions of Rulers that contradict Islamic teachings. One example is the initiative taken by the tasawwuf scholar Imam al-Hasan al-Basri and his followers on the Umayyah Ruler who acted according to his natural instincts (hawa nafsu). The Imam’s criticisms were aimed at reproaching and improving governance (Rahman, 1984: 185). Imam al-Ghazali, in his book “Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din”, had also advised the Ruler to be cautious with the trust inherent in a leadership. It was this opinion held by Imam al-Ghazali that lead to his apprehension that every Ruler was infected with the Pharaoh’s predicament, which was the greed for power to compete with God (Abidin, 1975). The Ulama’s criticisms and rapprochement towards Rulers were a “golden achievement” in Islamic history. Not all of these actions received a negative response from the Rulers. For example, when Baghdad and Khurasan were under the control of the Saljuq Dynasty, Imam al-Ghazali, who was famous for his reservoir of knowledge, was invited by the government and rewarded with a special position within the government (Hidayat, 2017). AS AN ADVISOR Islamic philosophy states that one of the factors that determines whether a country achieves “Baldatun tayyibatun wa rabbun ghafur” is the cooperation between the ulama and the umara (rulers). The reminder lies in a hadith narrated by Imam Abu Nu‘aym al-AÎfahÉni in the Hilyat al- Awliya’ scripture, meaning: “There are two types of people, if both are good than humankind would 439 International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences Vol. 8 , No. 10, Oct. 2018, E-ISSN: 2222-6990 © 2018 HRMARS be good and if both are depraved, then humankind would be depraved as well, that is the ulama and umara”. This reminder that is 14 centuries old should be considered by the Ulama and umara at all times because the reality in society reflects the truth of the hadith (Nasar, 1996). The success of a government heavily depends on the type of government initiated by the Ruler. The King holds the main position in a government and an important one, which is the focus of the whole leadership under his command. Nevertheless, the King is not a figure who is able to address or administer all the duties in a government. Surely the King would need the assistance of others who are able and qualified in their respective fields. Besides that, the King would need an advisor to accompany him when deciding on certain matters, especially on matters related to religion and the spiritual development of society. In such a situation, the King needs someone who is wise and sincere. Hence, the Ulama are the correct persons to fulfil the above criteria (Gazali, 2016). Since the beginning of Islamic rule in Samudera Pasai, Islamic knowledge started to expand all over the Malay Archipelago. As noted by Ibn Batutah, who visited Pasai in 1345/1346, Sultan al- Malik al-Zahir (the eldest Prince of Sultan Malik al-Salih) loved religion and was close to the Ulama and fuqaha, who mainly came from Iran (Parsi). Besides that, several famous Ulama were chosen as advisors to the Sultan and his Princes (Said, 1981). One of the Ulama who was appointed as an advisor was al-Shaykh Isma‘il. Some believe that he was instructed by the Sharif of Mecca to go to Samudera and propagate Islam (Ayang, 2015, 275). In addition, it was recorded in Hikayat Raja-raja Pasai that he was a Ulama from the Sufi sect originating from Mecca and went to Samudera Pasai to propagate Islam. He had succeeded in convincing Raja Samudera to embrace Islam and was named Merah Silu, who then used the honorific al-Malik al-Salih. This shows that among the strategies used by the tasawwuf Ulama to propagate Islam in a particular area was to approach the local leaders and forge a harmonious relationship with the society there.