Restrengthening pesantren tradition

Massive transformation efforts to change Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) to become modern educational institutions fully separated from their traditional roots have been conducted since 1970s. On one hand, there have been some staying survival amid difficult circumstances and there have been some others remaining keeping up with the continuing developments without putting aside the importance of defending their genuine traditions. Efforts related to the education reform have also constantly been conducted along with the national political reform. Even, many foreign funding agencies have given enormous amount of money to the traditional institutions for expecting them to be moderate Islam instead of being the hotbed of terrorists. But what so-called as moderate Islam is extremely different form what having so far been practiced in pesantren so that there have still been many pesantren rejecting any reform in terms of education and remaining committed to defend their long-standing Islamic tradition in the learning and teaching process.

Not only has it been in Java, in the epicentrum point, the Islamic modernism movement having since the 17th century  been driven by Wahabi group in West Sumatera has also not been able to raze the pillars of Syafi'ie school of thought (mazhab) which has existed for centuries in the region. As an evidence, up to now there have still been thousands of traditional (salaf) pesantren in the region and various sufi orders (tarekat) have also increasingly developed. The most typical tradition from pesantren in the Minang Land is the inauguration of santri that graduates from pesantren to be named as tuanku (my master) as recently conducted by Pesantren Nurul Yakin. The NU-based pesantren inaugurates between 30 to 50 santri every year.<>
 
Not all santri mastering all subjects can be inaugurated as tuanku if they are not ready both mentally and morally. The inauguration process is also in need of their family readiness because in addition to keeping their attitudes as ulema (Muslim scholars) candidates, those named as tuanku should also keep their family attitudes so that they can expectedly be models for their social attitudes. They should keep morality by, for instance, wearing polite clothes and not violate what called as muru'ah (appropriateness).

For these ulema candidates, science should be manifested in deeds and attitudes. That is why they must be ready to do good deed as that  of ulema candidate so that they can be inaugurated as santri that deserve to earn the tuanku degree and have intellectual as well as moral integrity. Though in other pesantren in Indonesia there have been no such formal and tight rules as implemented in NU pesantren in Minangkabau, all the pesantren have basically had the same principles.

For those since the beginning intending to devote themselves to Allah and the ummah, certificates and many other formal beraucratic rules including considering their knowledge interests with job career opportunities are not important. As a result, they can fully and keenly  learn various disciplines (classical books). They later put knowledge into action as well as transfer the knowledge to their surroundings.

Amidst the exodus of villagers to various cities, they are relatively able to guide and protect those living in villages for having any required instruments. Moreover if the ulema candidates are local residents whose capability to work as farmers or businessman, such professions are ethically permissible as ulema or tuanku. At this point, they can work and guide their people both socially and spiritually. Up to now, their role has never been appreciated and even considered as the obstacles to progress.

Whereas they have so far conducted various big activities in protecting and building a civilization which is expectedly capable of supporting any scientific subject in the future. When the modern educational world has met such satiation and deadlocks, they will inevitably look back and take lessons from the originality and the excellency of the traditional education systems. Not only have they been able to develop science which is regarded strange (outdated), but they have also been able to produce generations whose admirable attitudes because since the beginning they have been educated to implement glorious moral values. If we want to see what does Islamic education look like, traditional (salaf) pesantren is the example. If we want to look at the typical Indonesian education, the traditional pesantren is the form. (Abdul Mun’im DZ)