'Aswaja littered fully with intellectual passion'

Surabaya, NU Online
So far the term of Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah (Aswaja) has commonly been understood as a religious teaching related to the matters of taqlid (the acceptance of a religious principle, without questioning its validity) in addition to following one of the four schools of thought (madzhab). In fact, it has for long time emerged since the time of the companions.<>

For instance the Prophet's companion Umar ibn Khattab that made such new "innovation" as a form of worship (ibadah) by saying "nikmatul bid'ah hadzihi" (the best innovation is this) and even the process of contemplation of Prophet Muhammad SAW in the time was called as khalwat.

Prof. Dr. KH Sonhaji made the remarks at a "Kiswah" meeting held at the East Java's NU (PWNU) headquarters in Surabaya.

"Historically, there was no Aswaja in the era of Rasul but truely and substantially it emerged," KH Sonhaji Who is also the board member of PWNU said before participants from the Nahdlatul Ulama Scholars Association (ISNU) throughout East java.

The lecturer at Sunan Ampel State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) said, the  first words of the Qur'an revealed to Prophet Muhammad SAW could be considered a symbol of intellectual breakthrough. The content of the Qur'an, he added, was littered with symbols partly that describe intellectual values. For instance in the sura Ar Rahman, it talks more about science and technology (Iptek).

"Iqra is the symbol of refreshing intellectual development and Islam emerges to evolve intellectuality. It was narrated in a hadist that if a fly falls into the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it (in the vessel) and then throw it away [and use the material in the vessel], for in one of its wings there is a disease and in the other there is a healing," he said. 

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq