'Islam Nusantara littered fully with value systems'

Surabaya, NU Online
Islam Nusantara culturally littered fully with value systems has still influenced the development of Islam in Indonesia today. For centuries, the seeds of Islam Nusantara have already been sown in the country and provided a functional tool that gives religious color to the life of the nation as a whole.

Lecturer of the Islamic University of Lamongan (UNISLA) Sudarto Murtaufiq made the remarks on the sidelines of a seminar held in Surabaya recently.

According to Murtaufiq, the ideas of Islam Nusantara as a blueprint for being 'institutionalized' in various belief systems or religious traditions have been inseparable from the process of dakwa (religious propaganda) or the spread of Islam in Indonesia for centuries.

"On this stand, NU has successfully worked to 'Islamize' the values of Nusantara at least through three doctrines of orthodoxy. Firstly, in the field of theology, NU embraces the ideology of al-Asy'ari and al-Maturidi. Secondly, in the field of Islamic jurisprudence, NU follows the four schools of thought (madzhab), namely Hanafi, Maliki, Syafi'i and Hanbali. Thirdly in the field of sufism (tasawuf), NU embraces the thought of Imam Junaid al-Baghdadi and Imam al-Ghazali," he said.

Through these three doctrines of orthodoxy, NU has managed to bring an Islamic face-Islam Nusantara-that is different from the one in various parts of the world.

Islam Nusantara nationally and internationally propagated by NU is a typical Indonesian Islam that promotes tolerance in addition to accepting differences, whether religious, ethnic, racial, or cultural.

"In this respect, the NU doctrine of Islam Nusantara could be such a key acotr in building solidarity through such inclusive values as tawasuth (moderation), tasamuh (tolerance), taáwun (mutual help), tawazun (harmony), and so on." (Masdar)