The Way of Our Religion

On one occasion, Kiai Said Aqil Siroj said that there is no use in being religious if people did not observe the following three things: First, continuously give alms; second, always do good; third, seek reconciliation or peace among humankind. This is Kiai Said’s interpretation of the Surah An-Nisa verse 114. It is an interpretation that is not only highly contextual, but even more so, it is increasingly relevant if we connect it to our religious behavior today.

Three dimensions

The three dimensions of the "virtues of faith" revealed above, if we look at them carefully, actually carry an intense sense of social worship. They are rites that have an impact beyond human beings, namely our social environment. That means that social piety also has a degree of importance that is no less important than the simple piety shown through rites and ubudiah.

Regarding the first point, religion is useful if a religious person constantly gives alms. To give is the true core of Islamic teachings. The constant spirit to give and share is one of the pillars of religious teachings. In sharing, donating or giving charity is a love and concern for others.

There are many awe-inspiring stories about giving. One of most wonderful and touching, for example, is the story of a prostitute who gives water to a dog that is suffering from thirst. It is said that because of her charitable heart, God welcomed her to Heaven.

The second point, constantly striving to do good. This point is very interesting to note. It means that God\'s command to His servants is that they must always strive for and try to do good. What God records is not the results of the good deeds, but rather the very effort to do good. It is highly important to note this distinction because our average orientation, which has always been wrong in understanding, focuses on the outcome of a deed. In fact, it is clear that religion is oriented toward the process, wherein the process is preferred, not the outcome, impact or consequence of the struggle to do good.

The paradigm that emphasizes loyalty to the process, although it is easy to say and imagine, is very difficult to implement. Many of us religious people secretly betray the process under the pretext that the most important thing in our religious life is the ultimate goal. An aim of good, of course, will be perfect if it is done in a good way, too. Amar makruf, for example, or the command to do good, will be good if it is also carried out in a good manner. Amar makruf must be done in a makruf way, not in a mungkar or unjust way. In this context, it is very important to understand the pattern of dakwah (propagation), or fiqhu dakwah in the language of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools).

Fiqhu dakwah is a system of knowledge that is used as a tool to make decisions and steps in observing dakwah, or propagation. If it is properly put into practice, the fruits of mastering the tenet of dakwah is da\'wah, a product that reveals the face of Islam as rahmatan lil alamin. Islam spreads love to all creation, not just human beings. Unfortunately, not all preachers today properly understand fiqhu dakwah.

The third point is constantly seeking reconciliation or peace among humanity. Religion upholds humanity. Islah,or peace, is the ideal that underlies every religious movement. Religion does not aspire to a situation that causes the destruction of life. Religion is a set of values that urges His servants to become agents of peace.

Religious epidemic

Interestingly, especially in relation to the third point, there has been a very alarming outbreak in religion. If left unchecked, the outbreak could become a pathogical epidemic. What is meant by this “outbreak”? To borrow from Jean Couteau (2017), this disorder called “delirium religiosum”prominently features religious people who are seized by an obsessive-compulsive delusion of being religious who continue to grow ever more religious, while at the same time negating all and everyone external to themselves, their understandings, their perspectives and their beliefs.

The Bekasi case a few months ago of burning alive a burglar who stole an amplifier is clear evidence that points to the crystallization of this social pathology. Religion is used as a tool to legitimize an act of persecution: burning alive a human being. Religion, which is basically protective in nature, has become a terrible institution because of the social disease of delirium religiosum. Religion is not used as a medium for spreading harmony; instead it is used as a means of sowing hatred. Regarding from whence hate comes, I want to quote Emmanuel Levinas (1986), who said that the seeds of hatred are sown when one becomes disturbed by the presence of “the Other”, as well as when “the Other” poses a threat to one\'s safety and freedom.

In this context, religious social pathology can also be seen in the case of Intan Olivia, a child who was a victim of a Molotov cocktail attack a year ago at Oikumene Church in Samarinda. Viewing people who are not of their beliefs as liyan (outsiders) is the basis for this kind of social pathology. In fact, it is mentioned in a variety of literature, for example in Al-Masudi’s in Murujud Dhahab (1997), that the Nusantara nation is a very cosmopolitan nation that possesses a framework of understanding that what is foreign is something that can perfect us. There is no term for “the Other”. Elements of foreign origin serve to perfect oneself, and are not even considered an enemy that must be fought. Therefore, the Nusantara people truly value differences.

Therefore, inter-faith harmony is clearly treasured in the archipelago. For example, in Mpu Prapanca’s Negarakertagama or Mpu Tantular’s Kakawin Sutasoma, one of their most famous passages is “bhinneka tunggal ika, tan hana dharma manruwa”(different but as one, because there are never two truths).

Alakullihal, in the context of facing our challenge in religion, primarily related to religious life in this diverse state of Indonesia, the most important understanding is that our spirit for religion should not surpass our spirit to study, reflect upon and fully comprehend religion itself.

A Helmy Faishal Zaini, Secretary-General of the Central Executive Board, Nahdlatul Ulama