The career of Prof Mukri, PBNU chairman from Lampung

Jakarta, NU Online

The Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) for the 2022-2027 period has arranged its management and was officially announced at the PBNU Jakarta headquarters, Wednesday (12/1/2022). The composition of the current management structure reflects the multipolar reality within NU, in terms of regionalism, gender, and political orientation.

From a regional point of view, all regions in Indonesia are represented in the ranks of PBNU so that the current management has an archipelagic face. The position of NU figures outside Java in the management of PBNU is also in an important position. Among them are important positions as Chairman of PBNU which was mandated to Prof. Mohammad Mukri, an NU figure from Lampung.

Prof. Mukri is a person who is noted for being successful in his activist and academic career. The career of the male activist who was born on April 16, 1959 could be seen from various social organizations. He is a figure who helped contribute to NU Lampung. He served as a board member of PMII, Chairman of the Lampung Ansor Youth Movement, Chairman of PWNU Lampung, and Mustasyar of PWNU Lampung.

His career as an NU activist has grown since he studied at the Langitan Islamic Boarding School and studied the Qur'an from the prominent cleric KH Abdullah Abbas. Prof. Mukri is also an alumnus of the Krapyak Yogyakarta Islamic Boarding School under the leadership of KH Ali Ma'shum along with his higher education at IAIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. The involvement of the Usul Fiqh Professor of in various organizations was also proven as General Chairman of the Lampung Province Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for the period of 2021-2026.

His academic career also deserves two thumbs up. He was the initiator who carried out the transformation of the Lampung's Raden Intan High Instutute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) into the Raden Intan Islamic State University (UIN) Lampung. This transformation has made UIN Raden Intan develop rapidly under his leadership as the rector since 2010 until now.

In the hands of the best NU cadre in Lampung, UIN Raden Intan has become a favorite university in Indonesia with tens of thousands of students from all over Indonesia and the world. For this success, he was also named The Inspiring University Leader of the Year 2021 by the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking.

The principle of life of Prof. Mukri

In his life, Prof. Mukri has the principle of always thinking positively and cheerfully. According to him, Islam has emphasized on its people to live in a cheerful atmosphere. Various things must be addressed positively as a form of awareness that there is a God who has predestined everything.

The two main sources of islam, namely the Qur'an and hadith, have also emphasized this command to live in joy. Among them is contained in the Qur'an Surah Yunus verse 58 which means: ""By the Grace of Allah, and by His mercy; so with that let them exult; it is more charitable (i.e., better) than whatever they (heap) together."

According to him, this verse reminds people that being happy is a form of being grateful for favors. So that people who are not grateful become part of the characteristics of people who are not happy. Including according to him, people who are always pessimistic and think negatively in dealing with various differences in life are a form of not being happy in life.

In addition to the Qur'an, the command to rejoice is also emphasized in a hadith which is also written in the Ihya 'Ulumuddin, written by Imam Ghazali. In his hadith, the Messenger of Allah said: "Inna min khiyari ummati qauman yadhakuna jahran min sa'ati rahmatillah, wa yabkuna sirran min khaufi adzabi": (Including the chosen people of the Prophet, they laughed out loud with other people because they believed in God's grace/gift and when they were alone they cried because of being afraid of Allah's punishment).

This is what according to this friendly and humorous figure illustrates to us that life should be colored by joking, relaxing, joking, and laughing. These are all expressions of happiness and pleasure in the gifts of Allah SWT.

Reporter: Muhammad Faizin

Editor: Sudarto Murtaufiq