by A Zamhari · Cited by 5 — whether or not the belief and ritual of Majlis Dhikr are relevant to the normative dimension of Islamic teachings and Islamic Sufi practices. This research reveals
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Arif Zamhari JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 122 THE MAJLIS DHIKR OF INDONESIA Exposition of Some Aspects of Ritual Practices1 Arif Zamhari State Islamic University Malang – Indonesia Abstract: This study will explore the extent to which Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups interpret and respond theologically certain aspects of their ritual practices. Several topics discussed in this paper wish to answer whether or not the belief and ritual of Majlis Dhikr are relevant to the normative di mension of Islamic teachings and Islamic Sufi practices. This research reveals that some aspects of Sufi practices have been adopted by Majlis Dhikrthe groups in their main ritual practices have a strong basis in the practices of the Prophet and Sufi masters. I argue that what they have practised actually cannot be regarded as the viol ation of Islamic teachings as has been frequently accused by other groups of Muslims. Some aspects of Sufi practi ces and concepts adopted by Majlis Dhikr group include the reciting of s}alawa >t, the concepts of sainthood ( wali >) and miracle ( kara>mah), tawas }s}ul, sending the merit of pi ous deeds to deceased persons, and the concept of tabarruk. Keywords: Islamic ritual, majlis dhikr , the concepts of sainthood. Introduction One of obvious scenes in Indonesian Islam today is the proliferation of Islamic spiritual groups which has attracted its followers not only from rural but also urban area. The interesting feature of these groups known as Majlis Dhikr (religious chanting group) is that they are not affiliated with previous Isla mic groups that have been known as tarekat (Sufi group). Unlike tarekat , in order to 1 I am grateful for the comments of Jame s Fox, Muhaimin A.G., and Abdul Kadir Riyadi on an earlier version of this paper.
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The Majlis Dhi krof Indonesia 123 JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 become a member of Majlis Dhikr group, people should not make an oath ( bay‚at ) to the leader concerned. As a result, people can voluntarily join one group, while also being member of another group, something, which is not, generally, possible for members of tarekat. Another obvious different is the form of dhikr being recited. The dhikr text recited by Majlis Dhikr groups are generally composed by the leader of the groups or taken from dhikr formulas taught by the Prophet or those which are widely practised by prominent ulama (Muslim clerics) . In contrast, dhikr formulas recited by tarekat are those which are transmitted by a series of unbroken links from the Prophet (sanad ). It is in this sense that tarekat groups in Indonesia have considered themselves as t}ari >qah mu‚tabarah (Ar., an acknowledged Sufi order). In other words, any Islamic ritual groups which do not have a series of unbroken links from the Prophet to their leaders cannot be regarded as mu‚tabarah. Although the Majlis Dhikr groups that I have studied cannot be categorised as a recognized tarekat (t}ari >qah mu‚tabarah ), their ritual practices have been strongly influenced by Sufi teachings. For example, the dhikr ritual practised by these groups is similar to the ritual that has long been practised by other tarekat groups. Apart from the dhikr ritual, these groups also teach and practise some aspects of Sufi which have been written and practised by earlier Muslim Sufi masters. Therefore, instead of accusing these groups of introducing innovation (I., bid‚ah ) within Islam and performing syncretistic practices, I argue that they can be regarded as groups that still preserve and maintain the continuity of Sufi practices in Islam. To support my argument, this study will explore how and to what extent these groups interpret and respond theologically to certain aspects of their ritual practices. Several topics discussed in this paper w ill answer whether the belief and the ritual of majlis dhikr are relevant to the Islamic teachings and Islamic Sufi practices. Furtherm ore, these topics will gi ve an understanding of the common ritual practised in the majlis dhikr groups. Research for this paper was conducted during twelve months of fieldwork in the East Javanese city of Kediri beginning in 2004. Kediri is a home to dozens of pesantren salaf (traditional Islamic boarding house). The research was focused on three Majlis Dhikr groups, namely, Shalawat Wahidiyah , Dhikr al-Ghafilin and Istighasah Ihsaniyah groups. All of these groups have established their branches in many regions of Indonesia.
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Arif Zamhari JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 124 Majlis Dhikr Groups™ Understanding of S{alawa >>t The members of Majlis Dhikr groups in Indonesia believe that it is obligatory for Muslims to recite S{alawa >>t as an expression of their love and their gratitude to the Prophet. For them, the Prophet has sacrificed his life and time bringing his followers from the age of darkness (A., ja>>hiliyya >>t) to the age of brightness and from sadness to happiness in this world and the hereafter. In other words, according to them, the Prophet was the most loving person toward his followers. Moreover, they argue that if it was not for him, there might be no other lives in this world. As a result they feel that they are immeasurably in debt to the Prophet. This notion arises from their understanding of a well-known statement attributed to God who said to Adam, ‚If it were not for Mu hammad, I would not have created you.™ It is in this sense that they should ask blessing from God by reciting S{alawa >>t to the Prophet; rewards will then be given not only to the reciters of the S{alawa >>t but also to other people surrounding them as well as other creatures such as jinn.2 Therefore, for the Majlis Dhikr groups , the reciting of S{alawa >>t is not simply an oral recitation of the blessing phrase for the Prophet but should be seen as a means to communicate spiritually with the Prophet (A., ta‚alluq bi ja >>nibi al-nabi >>). For example, according to a member of the Wa>>h{idiyat group, communicating with the Prophet can be performed in two ways: ta‚alluq s {u>>riyy (outward relationship) and ta‚alluq ma‚nawiyy (spiritual relationship). The former can be achieved by, firstly, completely following what the Prop het has ordered and completely avoiding what he has forbidden as well as maintaining a good relationship with other people, and all human beings. Secondly, by experiencing the state of oneness in the love of the Prophet by reciting S{alawa >>t, continuously remembering the Prophet™s fine qualities followed by love and long ing and the recitation of the life stories of the Prophet together with poems which can help people to increase their love for him. The second way ( ta‚alluq ma‚nawiyy ) can be done, firstly, by visualizing the image of the Prophet. Of course, this way of communication can only be done by those who have experienced a visionary dream of the Prophet or have met him when awake. Those who have not experienced this simply imagine his fine personality 2 Interview with Kyai Zainuddin, 2005.
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The Majlis Dhi krof Indonesia 125 JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 followed with full of passion and compliments. If they have performed the h}}a>jj, they can imagine historic places in Mecca and Medina where the Prophet used to teach his followers. After this, they should internalize the concept of Bih {aqi>>qat al-Muh{ammadiyah, which means that the origin of all creatures is from the Light of Muhammad ( Nu>>r Muh{ammad ). This notion is based on the statement attributed to God that ‚I (God) created you (Muhammad) from My light and I created creatures from your light.™ To intern alize this concept, people should imagine that anything they smell, see, and touch consists of Nu>>r Muh{ammad. If they fail to visualize this concept, it is believed that their mind™s eye must have been veiled by the dirt of passion (I., nafsu ). Moreover, for the Wa>>h{idiyat group in particular, the simplest way to implement the concept of communicating with the Prophet is by increasingly reciting the phrase, ya>> sayyidi >> ya >> rasu >>lulla >>h, which helps people remember the Prophet. 3 In order to pay homage to the Prophet, the Majlis Dhikr groups add the word sayyidina >> prior to the name of Muhammad when they recite the S{alawa >>t phrase. Some of them argue that it is considered stingy if Muslims do not mention sayyidina > prior to the name of the Prophet of Muhammad >, whereas when they address the president, they always add his title before his name such as Mr. President (I., Bapak Presiden ). They believe that adding the word sayyidina >> before the name of Muhammad in the S{alawa >>t phrase is a courtesy (I., sopan santun ), which is preferable to complying with the command. They also base their notion on the Prophetic tradition that Abu >> Bakr refused the order of the Prophet who asked him to lead prayers. In courtesy, Abu >> Bakr requested that the Prophet be the leader. Based on this story, members of Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups add the sayyidina >> before the Prophet™s name, as a courtesy, ignoring the Prophet™s prohibition of the practice . From the perspective of Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups , the recitation of S{alawa >>t is an important aspect of their ritual practices. They fully understand that S{alawa >>t is a necessary condition for a prayer request to be granted. In other words, every prayer directed to God without adding S{alawa>>t is considered meaningless. It is for this reason 3 Anonymous, Bahan Up Grading Da ™i Wahidiyah Bagian A (Kediri: Yayasan Perjuangan Wahidiyah dan Pondok Pesantren Kedunglo, 1999), pp. 36-40.
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Arif Zamhari JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 126 that those groups include the blessing phrase of S{alawa >>t in their ritual practices. Some Majlis Dhikr groups urge that S{alawa >>t be read hundreds of times. One group has even singled out S{alawa >>t for their practice, and believe that the S{alawa >>t is the easiest way to acquire the knowledge (ma‚rifa ) of God without the medium of the perfect master (A., ka>>mil al-mukammil ), especially in the current situation where a perfect master is difficult to find. Another reason to recite S{alawa >>t relates to the suggestion by Muslim scholars that S{alawa >>t removes intense emotion, while other litanies ( dhikr ), can result in intensifying the emotion of the reciters. Adding S{alawa >>t among other litanies according to these scholars, can therefore balance the effect of those other litanies. As far as the benefits of S{alawa >>t are concerned, Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups, in common with other Muslim scholars, consider that reciting S{alawa >>t can be used for worldly purposes and non-worldly purposes. Furthermore, they argue that S{alawa >>t can be used as a means to ask for the Prophet™s intercession in this world and the hereafter. In this world, the members of these groups ask for the Prophet™s intercession so that the Prophet can help them to succeed in their worldly endeavours. In this respect, one Majlis Dhikr group composed S{alawa >>t for particular purposes and performed special rituals to obtain their particular needs. Moreover, they also believe that some S{alawa >>t composed by Muslim scholars have particular benefits. For example, S{alawa >>t Nariyat can be used to improve one™s livelihood (I., rizki); while S{alawa >>t Munjiyat can be used for safety purposes. In the hereafter, they believed that the Prophet will give his shafa >>‚at (intercession) to those who recite S{alawa >>t and hence save them from trials of the hell.4 In relation to the texts of S{alawa >>t that must be recited, the Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups use and recite not only the texts of S{alawa >>t taught by the Prophet but also S{alawa >>t written by other scholars. Unlike some Muslim sc holars who forbid Muslims from reciting the latter, the Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups regard those S{alawa >>t as appropriate to follow the commands of God to send S{alawa >>t to His Prophet Muhammad. As a re sult, instead of regarding these S{alawa >>t as innovations ( bid‚ah ) to Islam, they consider reciting any respectful kind of S{alawa >>t to be lawful. In this respect, Kyai Busyra Mughni, one of the members of those groups argued as follows: 4 Interview with Gus Latif, Kediri, September, 2004.
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The Majlis Dhi krof Indonesia 127 JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 Since the meaning of S{alawa>>t itself is prayer or supplication, it cannot be considered as bid‚ah if Muslims compose texts of S{alawa >>t and recite the texts of S{alawa >>t which were not taught by the Prophet. Like prayer, the Prophet only asked Muslims to pray, but he did not ask them to pray any particular prayers. In other words, the Prophet gave them freedom to recite various pr ayers. Furthermore, none of the Prophet™s HHadith asked Muslims to recite S{alawa>>t as taught by the Prophet. God and His Prophet only asked Muslims to recite S{alawa >>t. The Prophet never asked them to recite only the texts of prayer s from him. In this case, as long as they have ability, people can write their own beautiful texts of S{alawa >>t. However, I admit that the S{alawa >>t and prayer taught by the Prophet are more excellent than others.5 Kyai Marzuki, a leader of a pesantren in East Java, shared Kyai Mughni™s view on this issue. Kyai Marzuki argued that Muslims can pray by using either text of prayers taught by the Prophet or texts from others. His view was based on the fact that according to Islamic law, all things are permissible (A., ‚iba>>hah ) unless there is evidence of prohibition. In line with this notion, composing S{alawa >>t and reciting of these texts are permissible because no HHadith prohibits Muslims from doing so. In addition to this argument, Kyai Marzuki categorized religious affairs into two categories. The first is ‚ iba >>da mah {dla, which means something ordained specifica lly by God in the Qur™an and by the Prophet in his sayings ( HHadith ), including detailed instruction of such matters as prayers, almsgivi ng, fasting during the Ramadhan month, and the pilgrimage (the hajj ). The second is ‚ iba>>da ghair al- mah{dla, which means something ordained by God and his Prophet in general, but without specific mention of how to perform and practice it. Examples of this latter category are dhikr (chanting religious litanies) , reciting S{alawa >>t and reciting the Qur™an . God and the Prophet only asked Muslims to recite these, but how many times was not specified. Therefore, Marzuki argues that Muslims are allowed to recite various texts of S{alawa >>t, recite as many pages of the Qur™an as they like, and perform dhikr as many times as they wish. 6 5 Interview with Kyai Bu syro Mughni, Kediri, 2004. 6 Interview with Kyai Marzuki, Malang, March, 2005.
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The Majlis Dhi krof Indonesia 129 JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 person whose role is to improve the condition of this world. The heart of a wali is always connected to God. As a result, a wali is not only able to spread the light of God (A., nur >> Allah ) over the world but also to help others to approach God. 9 Kyai Misbah, an older brother of Gus Latif from Pesantren Jampes, pointed out that wali can be divided into two categories. The first category is wali who are consistently devoted to God without any slightest indication of disobedience. The second category is wali who are protected by God. Kyai Misbah believed the former as could be achieved by anyone through consistency of worship. In contrast, the latter cannot be sought because this status is given by God through His blessing. Such a person is sought by God to be His friend (A., awliya >>™)10 and is known as a majdu >>b, a person who is drawn from the place of divine closeness up to God Himself, to the highest of God™s realms. All such persons are chosen by God as wali, although they do not intend to become wali. With these categorizations, Kyai Misbah pointed out that saints are not limited to Muslim scholars; instead they may be chosen from farmers, traders and other ordinary Muslims, as long as they abide by Islamic laws. Consequently, people should not disparage other people because they do not know whether they are wali or not. 11 Like other Sufi, Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups agree that the consistency of worship (I., istiqa>>mat) is a primary requirement for wali. As a result, Muslims who do not undertake active worship (I., ibadah ) and who commit sins cannot be considered as wali . In other words, as pointed out by Kyai Misbah, a major indicator of sainthood is the extent to which Muslims abide to Isla mic Law. If they fail to follow the law, Muslims cannot be considered to be wali, even if they are able to perform miracles. Kyai Misbah told me that this is explained by most ‚ulama>>™ in order to prevent people from wrongly identifying wali. For him, the appearance of kha>>riq al-‚a >>da (lit. violating habits) and the popularity of a person but without constant worship cannot be regarded as signs of sainthood. Kyai Misbah stressed this important aspect because many people misunderstand wali. They think a wali is a 9 Interview with Abdul Latif Madjid, Kediri, February, 2005. 10 This is reminiscent of the two distinct classes of wali haqqullah and waliullah mentioned previously. 11 Interview with Kyai Misbah, Kediri, January, 2005.
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Arif Zamhari JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 130 person bestowed with supernatural powers whose guests ask for blessing. In addition to constant ibadah, Gus Latif added that people cannot be considered as true wali until they die with a h{usn al-kha >>tima (a good ending). In line with this, Gus Latif argued that unlike prophets, the status of saint can be removed by God, if they do not abide to shari >>‚at . He stated: The status of prophets cannot be lost because they have received their status as prophet from the time they were born and God protects them from sins ( ma‚shu>m). In contrast, since God does not protect wali from sins, God can remove their status. This can be described with this analogy: if I love someone, bu t he or she does not respect me, I will not love him or her an ymore. The same is true if God loves or chooses persons as His wali (friends), but they never respect Him, God will not love those saints. 12 Indonesian Majlis Dhikr groups strongly believed in the hierarchy of saints. Zainuddin, one of the senior leaders in Wa>>h{idiyat, believes that the highest level in the hierarchy is called wali qutb or ghawth ha >>dza al-zama >>n. Although he could not name the qutb of his time , Zainuddin believed that these qutb have existed in every age. When one died, another saint will succeed him. Ho wever, Zainuddin believed that by practising particular prayers, Muslims might be able to know the identity of the ghawth of the age, depending on the purity of their heart. Moreover, qutb are considered to have received perfection (I., kesempurnaan ) and a mandate from God so that they can perfect other people. They are so close to God that they are able to help other people who want to approach God. Zainuddin explained to me how these ghawth could bring people closer to God: The closest person to God is a qutb or ghawth. They are so close to God that they ‚know™ where God exists. This closeness is obviously not in physical terms. As a result, they can help others to be close to God. Therefore, as explained by Jalaluddin al-Rum i, it might take two hundred years for people to approach God. However, if people approach these qutb who are able to approach God, they may take only two days. 13 12 Interview with Gus Latif, Kediri, January, 2005. 13 Interview with Zainuddin, Kediri, November, 2004.
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The Majlis Dhi krof Indonesia 131 JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 Zainuddin argued that in order to help people to approach God, these qutb should not meet people directly. But although they did not meet them, these qutb are believed to be capable of bringing people to approach God and to know God ( ma‚rifa billah ). Zainuddin explained that if these ghawth live at the place of sunset and people live at the place of sunrise, the ghawth are still able to teach people how to approach God. Zainuddin, and his Majlis Dhikr members generally believe that if those ghawth have disciples, they must be able to give their spiritual light (A., nadrat, I., pancaran batin ) to their disciples (I., murid) without meeting them. However, in order to receive this nadrat (spiritual light) , disciples should be ready to accept it , by reciting particular prayers taught by their master. Zainuddin described the process of spreading nadrat (spiritual light) as follows: Disciples are like those who turn on television, while ghawth is like a TV station. When th e TV station broadcasts its programs, people can watch th ese programs if they turn on their television. If they sleep or turn off the TV, they will not be able to watch them. 14 The ability of the ghawth to give their nadrat is illustrated by the following story. Zainuddin told me that when he married his wife, Ima, he asked her to practise a specific ritual (I., muja >hadah) for forty days , a precondition for any new member of the Wa>>h{idiyat group. However, his wife was unable to complete the forty days muja >>hadah. Later, she dreamed one night that Abdul Latif Madjid, a leader of Wa>>h{idiyat, visited her. In her dream, he asked Ima whether she had finished . She said that she had not yet finished the muja >>hadah. After this occurrence, Ima completed the forty days muja>>hadah because she was worried that Abdul Latif would ask her again about it . Zainuddin maintained that this event is evidence that Abdul Latif Madjid, who is believed by Wa>>h{idiyat member to be a ghawth, is able to give his nadrat to his chosen disciples. As well as helping people to achieve the Gnosis of God (ma‚rifat bi Alla >h), ghawth are believed, especially among Wa>>h{idiyat members, not only to be capable of attracting, lifting and strengthening people™s belief but also of withdrawing and weakening people™ belief. 15 14 Interview with Zainuddin, Kediri, September, 2004. 15 Ibid.
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Arif Zamhari JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM Volume 03, Number 01, June 2009 132 Furthermore, the Majlis Dhikr groups believe that saints, even if they have died, are capable of providing intercession (A., shafa >>‚at ) to living Muslims. Gus Latif told me that this is possible because their task is to help prophets, so they can give their intercession to other people. It is even thought that in their tombs, saints can hear people praying because they are still alive. They have only moved from this world to another and are still alive in the ot her world. The evidence for this belief, as Gus Latif argued, is taken from the practice of the Prophet Muhammad. When he passed Muslim tombs, Muhammad always prayed and greeted those buried in the tombs. This proved that the dead persons could hear the voice of living persons. When asked whether saints know that they are saints, Majlis Dhikr members have different views. Kyai Mughni believes that saints do not know that God has chosen them as His saints. 16 They do not realize that they themselves are saints. Kyai Mughni™s counterpart, Kyai Misbah, believes a notion prevalent in Sufi tradition that since sainthood is a secret matter, no one knows saints, including the saints themselves, except other saints of the same status. He quoted the familiar phrase: la>> ya‚rifu al-wali >> illa al-wali >> (no one knows any saint except another saint). This is a strong belief in the pesantren tradition. Kyai Misbah made the following analogy: No one knows wali except another wali. It is fair that students should be tested with students and car mechanics should be tested with other car mechanics. 17 As a result, Kyai Misbah maintained that true wali never disclose their sainthood to anyone else. If th ey expose their sainthood, they can be considered as the extremely stupid. Since sainthood is the trusteeship from God, it should be kept secret and not to be told to anyone else. In contrast, although he quoted the same phrase as Kyai Misbah cited, Zainuddin interpreted it diff erently. He argued that no one knows a saint except the saint himself or herself. Zainuddin based his view on the fact that some Muslim saints such as Shaykh ‚Abd al-Qa >>dir al-Jayla >>ni>> and Ibn ‚Arabi >> knew that they were saints. According to him, some saints were even given the ri ght to reveal their sainthood, some 16 Interview with Kyai Mughni, Kediri, February, 2005. 17 Interview with Kyai Misbah, Kediri, January, 2005.
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