Sufism in Modern Indonesia by Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir

The existing of Sufism in Javanese religion, according to Mark Woodward in his book “Islam in Java; Normative Piety and Mysticism in the Sultanate Yogyakarta”, is the evidence that Javanese Islam is not the deviant Islam or the synthetic religion of Hinduism-Buddhism-Islam. Woodward inclines not to put Islam in a diametrical position in contradiction with Javanese culture or its mysticism. To him, Islam of Javanese people is one of variants of Islam of the world practiced in the land of Java. It is rather the dynamic of religious beliefs and practices in balancing the legalistic and mystical dimension of Islam. (p. 3). The concern of Kejawen much more to the isi (content) rather than wadah (container) is similar to the focus of Sufism to the bathin more than to zahir. Although the relationship of the inner and the outer is controversial in Islamic discourse, but it exists in the whole of Islamic world not excluded Javanese people. Manunggaling Kawula Gusti, the union of the servant and the Lord, also derives from the concept of wahdat al-wujud of the Persian-mystical al-Hallaj (922 AD). (p. 71-75).

Indonesian Muslims, in this case Javanese people, are not separated from global narrative of Islam, although the development of their religion has been influenced much more by dynamics of local and national factors rather than global ones. Sufism as well as modernism, in Indonesian context, is not static or monolithic. The Banten revolt 1888, which was organized by the leaders of Sufi organization, is obviously evidence that Sufism is not separated from practical lives due the dynamics of politics and economics in the region. Islamic modernism, which was against Sufism in the first development, has adopted New-Sufism based of the Qur’an and Hadith and some traditions of Islam. In the later part of Suharto era, Sufism was introduced profoundly around the country by New-modernism movement of Nurcholis Madjid as the important element of modern Islam.

Recently in this decade, the well-known spiritual training of ESQ is the metamorphosis of Sufism in the context of the socio dynamics of urban people. Ary Ginanjar, the founder of ESQ, promotes spiritual Islam through several days of trainings as the power for people to gain success in all level of their lives; business, politics, education, and family. He links the rituals of Islam to its spiritual messages which in many cases suit to the habits of being success in this modern life. Of course, this is only one face of what so called as New-Sufism. What we need, I think, in the context of social injustice is Sufism that advocates lower and marginalized people to gain their rights.

Resources:
1. Mark Woodward, Clifford Geertz, Islam in Java; Normative Piety and Mysticism in the Sultanate Yogyakarta, pp. 1-140.