![Islami[dot]co](https://en.islami.co/wp-content/themes/jambualas/images/logo.png){kind=logo}
The bomb blasted in Sarinah (Jakarta) is a solid prove that radical movement, extremism and terrorism are still positioned themselves as threats, both to Indonesia as well as to humanity. It’s also became more apparent that the target is now so blurred we could hardly tell who or what the target of these terror acts is.
Weapons could defeat terrorists, but only education could deprive it. It is education that make for a rigid milestone for a long termed deradicalization. The “demographic bonus” of youth that is quite large in Indonesia becomes a mixed blessing, a blessing and a challenge simultaneously. The religious spirit of youngsters is really getting higher nowadays, but this high ghirah would end up causing concern among the society when it meets with the extremists that used them in a wrong way. Limited knowledge on the law and nature of their religion combined with naivete are being used as the spear heads of extremism, radicalsm and terrorism. This is the most distinct, terrible oucome of choosing the wrong teachers and the wrong institution in education.
Facing this phenomenon, it’s only natural for us to strongly suggested the younger generation, the generation that is very eager to learn about faith, to be more selective in choosing a halaqah (groups of religious study)those; it’s best for them to be affiliated with Islamic organisation with reliable track records in caring for the people, like the NU or Muhammadiyah. It is also compulsory for parents to pay close, active supervision on their children. Active supervision would give them an early warning when their children is involved in suspicious religious groups; and they can immediately launch precaution in the form of thourough comprehension and guidance to avoid further trouble.
Sharia maqasheed, solution for terrorism
Tahir ibn Asyur, Ahmad ar Raisuni and Jasser Auda are philosophers with serious concern in developing maqasheed sharia. Their efforts are not without reasons. They want to make sharia more “down to earth” through a comprehensive understanding of Islamic philosophic-law. Maqasheed is a science based on the question of “why”. Why jihad? Why is the rich bound to pay zakat? Etc,etc. Muslims are not persuaded into blind “taqlid” (following) of Islamic law, but are highly recommend to understand the theoritical base of the forming of the law. Several ulama are groping maqasheed sharia under the tree of munasabatul qiyas or maslahah mursalah in usul fiqh.
The re-reading of maqasheed sharia is very urgent these days; the more we understand sharia, the more we could differ which one is the priority and non-priority in our relligion; which one is right, or wrong, because the source of sharia is God, and formed for the sake of the benefit of humankind, consists of hikmah (wisdom), affection, love and justice. If any of the law deviate from those affection, justice, wisdom and love, that law is definitely not derived from the sharia.
Maqasheed which in the first place was interpreted as a guardian to the faith (hifdhud-din), soul, reason, treasure and descendance, in the adl-dlaruriyatul-khamsah (the five principal of necessities) it was re-narrated as the sharia goal to develop and exalting human rights. That means all forms of criminal deeds that threat human rights are forbidden by sharia.
It is a need to reconsider the standard of sharia coined by ibn Qoyyim al Jauziah: sharia were based on wisdom to gain salvation, both in life and in the afterlife. Sharia is al-connected to justice, affection, wisdom and virtue. Therefore, any law that changed justice, affection, benefit and wisdom for human race, can e confirmed as NOT a part of the sharia.
Corrections toward this primordial interpretation could only be done through education, because the fundamental false in the problem of terrorism is distortions toward interpretations of the holy texts. Although the fundamentalists claimed that they were constituting the sharia (according to their interpretations); killing people accused as heathens with thousands of argumentation or hundreds of books to justify their act, once the deed deviate from the principal of sharia mentined above, once again we can say that it is NOT a part of the sharia.
Groups of young believers are very prone to accepting the new concept of maqasheed sharia, creating an inclusive paradigm without omitting the old treasury, thus giving out the right understanding of Islam. Taking care of young people are very crucial nowadays because the major supporters of intolerance, radicalism and terrorism movements are the young generations. If we got careless in embosomed and educating them, it is very probable that they will lose directions and plunged into the movements that chose radical ways in spreading their ideology and religious beliefs.
Violence done on behalf of religion are sporadically increased these times, and this is such an alarming and disgraceful issue. Disgraceful, because Islam never taught violence, and alarming because coercion in faith means we already have lost our sane mind. Eyes are no longer of any use when the mindis already blind.
Maqasheed in contemporary context
It is now time for Indonesia to seize a major role in defeating the global terrorism and be an example for other countries on how to handle terror threats. The Sarinah tragedy is a prove that we as a great nation couldn’t fall victim to terrors carried out by a small terrorist group. Only three hours after the blast people are already out of the grasp of terror. It’s a prove that any form of terrorist group couldn’t beat us up and create terrors as long as we keep alert and unite.
Indonesia is a great nation, home to the highest numbers of Muslims in the world, and therefore possess the potency and devices to be the centre of Islamic civilization. Islam Nusantara discourse can be established as the entry point in the effort to make Indonesia as the axis of the global Islamic culture. Let us conserve the past treasury and accomodate an effective contemporary treasury. Maqasheed sharia as a classical treasury with contemporary nuance is worthy to be set as a new discourse for the teachers, ustadz, ulama and commoners as well so that they could bring change into the society, understand sharia wholly (kaffah), so that we are free from intolerance, radicalism and terrorism.
People could understand God’s intention in giving the sharia to human race, and that is to be a way of life for the benefit of human kind. Critic ability onto sharia should be build. And in the end, when the fundamentalists claimed that they are constituting sharia, we can ask them calmy, which sharia? Whose sharia? Because God never wanted the downfall of human race, but to care for the right to live, to adopt faith and for the good of His worshipers.
Last but not least, Islam Nusantara culture like reciting the good books in the surau (small, traditional small mosque), Quraan reciting and studying groups, groups of Thursday nights’ Yaasin (Quraan Chapter 33) reciting and tahlil, all those had proven capable in caring for the people needed to be preserved. Terrorists groups are not fond of all these. By doing the Islam Nusantara tradition we are taking just another step in fighting terrorism.
By: A Fathurrohman Rustandi, Ma’had Aly Hasyim Asy’ari Pesantren Tebuireng
