Gus Ulil's view on problems deliberation forum in urban areas

Bekasi, NU Online

One of the intellectual traditions of the pesantren and Nahdlatul Ulama community is bahtsul masail (problems deliberation). This tradition is growing rapidly in several areas of Java, Kalimantan, Sumatra and others but has not developed optimally in urban areas because this tradition has generally taken place in Java.

The young Nahdlatul Ulama intellectual Ulil Abshar Abdalla told NU Online on the sidelines of a bahtsul masail at the Indonesian Motivation Islamic Boarding School, Burangkeng, Setu sub-district, Bekasi on Saturday (22/1/2022).

Therefore, he appreciated the bahtsul masail held in urban areas, for example Bekasi regency. He also hoped that cities around DKI Jakarta could initiate bahtsul masail forum.

"If this can be developed continuously, it will answer the fatwa vacuum among urban Muslims because so far the bahtsul masail in other institutions has a different approach. NU has a specialty in responding to fatwa, namely organizing activities from the lower level, the process is tiered and more democratic, even everyone could be involved," he explained.

"It means that those who are involved in deciding something are not only elites but also ordinary people. I think, this is a specialty of NU which does not exist in other fatwa institutions. So ulema at the village level are involved which are not in MUI and other institutions," he continued.

However, Gus Ulil reminded the importance of modifications in the implementation of bahtsul masail in urban areas because the challenges faced by urban communities are different from other areas without leaving references to old books.

"But for me, the foundation of the bahtsul masail tradition must use the old Syafiiyyah books or the Shafii school of thought before using the new books. I think it's important to keep the old books as references," he said.

In the Shafi'i school of thought, explained Gus Ulil, the main foundation was the Minhajut Thalibin book written by Imam Nawawi from Damascus who lived in the 13th century AD. According to him, the book is important because it gave birth to many other books. Even so, this Shafi'i tradition book must be equipped with a new approach.

"So in accordance with NU's motto of maintaining good old traditions while adopting, taking new approaches, perspectives, paradigms complementing the old ones. The old ones are not put aside but complete. Now, maintaining the tradition of books is important if NU doesn't exist, it's gone," he continued.

Gus Ulil viewed that in this way, Islam would continue to be relevant, be able to answer the challenges of the times, and be accepted by all parties.

"I believe that the traditional books contained in the NU tradition can answer all problems as long as we are creative. For example today, we can answer a problem regarding the construction of houses on the banks of the river with old references from the syafiiyah book," he explained.

He explained that many things were achieved in the bahtsul masail event, starting from legal discussions, fatwas, and strengthening the relationship. "Bahtsul masail is not just bahtsul masail, there are many things in bahtsul masail that are important to maintain the spirit of the NU jamiyyah," said the figure born in Pati, Central Java.

The Postgraduate Lecturer at Unusia Jakarta also hoped that social services in urban areas were managed regularly so that urban communities would have a clear point of reference when they encounter various problems.

Contributor: Suci Amaliyah

Editor: Sudarto Murtaufiq