Jakarta, NU Online
A gathering to take up issues on Islam Nusantara was held by the Graduate School of Nahdlatul Ulama High Institute for Islamic Studies (STAINU) Jakarta at the STAINU campus, Jl Taman Amir Hamzah, Jakarta on Friday (17/4). The gathering was attended by historian and expert on Islam Nusantara Ki Agus Sunyoto.

The author of Atlas Waliongo said that the Islam Nusantara scientific legacies  brought by the 14th-15th century Islamic scholars were very much alive and kept growing. Unfortunately, Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) as educational institutions inherited from so-called Walisongo (nine saints) have narrowed the legacies only at the 17th century Islamic jurisprudence. According to him, this is a tremendous catastrophe.

"But the scene is not like that. Let's take an example when the Portuguese came to Malacca, they did not dare to come Java, because they did know that (in the time) in Java the technology was considerably sophisticated for being capable of making large size cannons, rifles, and various weapons such as warships, and others," said the lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities, Malang's University of Brawijaya.

If we look take it into account, he added, the scientific thoughts brought  by Walisongo were a continuation of previous scientific ones. According to him, there are three aspects of science that was brought by the Walisongo.

"The first is reason, this knowledge is only at the level of the material, and is analytical-speculative, the second is so-called kawruh, the knowledge that comes from the heart, and is intuitive, the third is  a balancing factor called langu, imagination, and this knowledge is the development of reason," he said.

He was of the opinion that the science of the ancient men developed by Walisongo was based on the source of the three aspects, because it could affect the forms of knowledge that was growing in the time.

Present also at the held-every-Friday gathering were some lecturers at the Graduate School of STAINU Jakarta such as Dr. Radhar Panca Dahana, Dr. Rumadi, Dr. Mamat Burhanuddin, Arif Zamhari, PhD, Dean Hamdani, PhD, Dr M Ulinnuha, and Dr. Sa'dullah Affandy.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq