PATTERNS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION MODERATION IN INDONESIAN

107
HISTORY

PATTERNS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION

MODERATION IN INDONESIAN

HISTORY

Abdul Najib

Abstract
This article aims to find out and describe the pattern of Islamic education
moderation in Indonesian history. Islam in Indonesia is manhaj tawasuṭ
(moderate). With manhaj, Islam as a religion followed by the majority of the
Indonesian population succeeded in entering into every aspect of life in
Indonesia from social, cultural, economic and even political and government
bureaucracy. Similarly, Islamic education managed to occupy an important
position in education in Indonesia. Even though it is an alternative
education, the fact is that Islamic education in Indonesia is a very important
part to educate the nation. Moderation of Islamic education in Indonesia
began with the first education model in Indonesia, namely pesantren. The
pattern of moderation found from pesantren is cultural acculturation which
is very obvious, from the knowledge learned to educational methods used,
Arabic pegon to fill the language gap. The next phase is accommodation
patterns that we can see from madrasa that adapts the classical government
system from the colonial side. The next pattern is formalization that can be
described through the phenomenon of state madrasas. Then, the latest is
mu'adalah policy and formal diniyyah education. From these patterns it can
be concluded that Indonesian Islamic education always takes the middle way
(wasaṭiyyah) of every challenge that arises due to historical movements. This
modernization is a genius manner by paying attention to the rules of
muḥafadzah ‘alāqadīm al-ḥāliḥ wa al-akhdzu bi jadīd al-aṣlaḥ. With this
understanding, Islamic education in Indonesia will always be relevant in
every space and time (ṣaliḥli kull zamān wa makān) as aspired by the salāf al-
ṣaliḥ.

Keyword: Moderation, Islamic Education


STAI Al-Anwar Philosophy Lecturer Sarang Rembang, email:
[email protected]

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‫‪108 Abdul Najib‬‬

‫ﻣﻠﺨﺺ‬
‫تهدف هذه المقالة إلى اكتشاف نمط اﻻعتدال في التربية اﻹسﻼمية في إندونيسيا ووصفه في المسار‬
‫التاريخي‪ .‬كما هو معروف أن اﻹسﻼم في إندونيسيا لديه منهج التوسط كإحدى خصائصه‪ .‬مع‬
‫منهاجه المعتدل ‪ ،‬نجح اﻹسﻼم كدين يتبعه غالبية السكان اﻹندونيسيين وهو يدخل في كل مفاصل‬
‫حياتهم بدءا من البيروقراطية اﻻجتماعية والثقافية واﻻقتصادية وحتى السياسية والحكومية‪.‬‬
‫وكذلك‪ ،‬نجح التعليم اﻹسﻼمي في احتﻼل مكانة هامة في عالم التعليم في إندونيسيا‪ .‬على الرغم من‬
‫أنه تعليم بديل‪ ،‬إﻻ أن التعليم اﻹسﻼمي في إندونيسيا جزء مهم للغاية في الجهود الرامية إلى تثقيف‬
‫حياة اﻷمة‪ .‬أول اﻻعتدال في التربية اﻹسﻼمية في إندونيسيا وهو في المعهد اﻹسﻼمى‪ .‬هذا النمط‬
‫اﻻعتدال الموجود في المعهد اﻹسﻼمى هو التثقيف الثقافية الواضح عند النظر إلى خصوصيات‬
‫ذلك المعهد وعمومياته بدءا من نظام تعليمه‪ ،‬والعلوم المستفادة فيه حتى اﻷساليب التعليمية التي‬
‫تستخدم منها العربية ‪ Pegon‬كجسر من الفجوة في لغة التدريس‪ .‬في المرحلة التالية‪ ،‬يمكن العثور‬
‫على أنماط اﻹقامة التي يمكن رؤيتها من خﻼل التعليم في المدرسة التي تكيّف النظام الحكومي‬
‫الكﻼسيكي من الجانب اﻻستعماري‪ .‬النمط التالي هو الشكل الرسمي الذي يمكن وصفه من خﻼل‬
‫ظاهرة ازدهار المدارس اﻹسﻼمية الحكومية‪ ،‬وصوﻻً إلى أحدث سياسات المعضدة وهو لتعليم‬
‫الرسمي لتعليم المسائل الدينية ‪ .Madrasah Diniyah‬من هذه اﻷنماط‪ ،‬يمكن أن نستنتج أن التعليم‬
‫طا )الوسيطية( من أي تحديات تنشأ بسبب حركة‬ ‫مسارا متوس ً‬
‫ً‬ ‫اﻹسﻼمي اﻹندونيسي يأخذ دائ ًما‬
‫التاريخ‪ .‬الرد على التجديد بطريقة عبقرية من خﻼل اﻻهتمام بقواعد المخافظة على القيم الصالح‬
‫واﻷخذ بالجديد اﻷصلح‪ .‬وبهذا الفهم ‪ ،‬سيكون التعليم اﻹسﻼمي في إندونيسيا دائ ًما صالح لكل زمان‬
‫ومكان كما أمله السلف اصالح‪.‬‬

‫ﻣفتاح الكﻠمات‪ :‬اﻻعتدال ‪ ،‬التربية اﻹسﻼمية‬

‫‪Abstrak‬‬
‫‪Artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan mendeskripsikan pola moderasi‬‬
‫‪pendidikan Islam di Indonesia dalam lintasan sejarah. Sebagaimana‬‬
‫)‪diketahui bahwa Islam di Indonesia memiliki manhaj tawasuṭ (moderat‬‬
‫‪sebagai ciri khasnya. Dengan manhaj moderatnya, Islam sebagai agama yang‬‬
‫‪diikuti mayoritas penduduk Indonesia berhasil masuk dalam setiap sendi‬‬
‫‪kehidupan di Indonesia mulai dari sosial, budaya, ekonomi bahkan politik‬‬
‫‪dan birokrasi pemerintahan. Demikian pula pendidikan Islam berhasil‬‬
‫‪menempati posisi penting dalam dunia pendidikan di Indonesia. Sekalipun‬‬
‫‪ia merupakan pendidikan alternatif, faktanya pendidikan Islam di Indonesia‬‬
‫‪menjadi bagian yang sangat penting dalam usaha mencerdaskan kehidupan‬‬
‫‪bangsa. Moderasi pendidikan Islam di Indonesia diawali sejak model‬‬
‫‪pendidikan pertama di Indonesia yaitu pesantren. Pola moderasi yang‬‬
‫‪ditemukan dari pesantren adalah akulturasi budaya yang sangat kentara jika‬‬

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HISTORY

mencermati seluk-beluk pesantren mulai dari sistem pendidikannya, ilmu

yang dipelajari hingga metode pendidikan yang menggunakan arab pegon
sebagai jembatan dari kesenjangan bahasa pengantar. Pada fase berikutnya
ditemukan pola akomodasi yang bisa kita lihat dari pendidikan madrasah
yang mengadaptasi sistem pemerintahan klasikal dari pihak kolonial. Pola
selanjutnya adalah formalisasi yang bisa digambarkan melalui fenomena
menjamurnya madrasah negeri, sampai yang terbaru, kebijakan mu’adalah
dan pendidikan diniyyah formal. Dari pola-pola tersebut bisa disimpulkan
bahwasanya pendidikan Islam Indonesia selalu mengambil jalan tengah
(wasaṭiyyah) dari setiap tantangan yang muncul akibat gerak sejarah.
Kebaharuan direspon dengan cara yang jenius dengan memperhatikan
kaidah muḥafadzah ‘alā qadīm al-ṣāliḥ wa al-akhdzu bi jadīd al-aṣlaḥ. Dengan
pemahaman demikian maka pendidikan Islam di Indonesia akan selalu
relevan dalam setiap ruang dan waktu (ṣaliḥ li kull zamān wa makān)
sebagaimana dicita-citakan para salāf al-ṣaliḥ.

Kata Kunci: Moderasi, Pendidikan Islam

Introduction
Islam in Indonesia gets the world's attention due to the ability to
implement Islam as rahmatan li al-‘alamin. Historically, this is because in its
spread, the Wali songos always pay attention to Indonesian local culture.1 The
stories of the spread of Islam that accommodate local culture have become
famous among Indonesian Muslims. Evidence of cultural products from this
process is also not difficult to find. The tradition of selametan, bedug, mosque
architecture, wayang, dolanan songs are many examples of the product of the
spread of Islam in Indonesia by the wali songo.2
The brilliance of Indonesian Islam cannot be separated from manhaj
wasaṭiyyah (moderate) in Indonesia. The study of the concept of Islamic
moderation (wasaṭiyyah) itself has attracted the attention of many scientists
in various fields such as socio-politics, language, Islamic development, socio-
religious, and Islamic education. This terminology is of the terminology that
is often used to refer to Muslim labels such as modernist, progressive, and
reformist Islam. As El Fadl acknowledges, this moderate terminology is
considered the most appropriate among other terminology. Although
moderates are often portrayed as modernist, progressive, and reformist

1
Miftahuddin, “Islam Moderat Konteks Indonesia dalam Perspektif Historis”
dalamJurnal Mozaik, Vol. V, No. 1, 2010, 5.
2
See, Agus Sunyoto, Atlas Walisongo (Bandung: Mizan, 2012).

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110 Abdul Najib

groups, none of these terms replaces the term moderate. This is based on the
legitimacy of the Qur'an and the Prophet's hadith that Muslims are
commanded to be moderate.3 This is where the moderate term finds its roots
in the Islamic tradition, let alone this wasathiyyah terminology is the basic
identity and character of Islam.4
The concept of wasaṭiyyah in some Islamic literature was interpreted
in various ways by experts. Kamali analyzed wasaṭiyyah as a synonym for
the words tawassuṭ, i’tidâl, tawazun daniqtiṣād. The term moderation is
closely related to justice, and this means choosing the middle position
between the extremities. The opposite of wasaṭiyyah is taṭarruf, which means
"tendency towards marginalization" "extremism," "radicalism," and
"excessive".5 Whereas Qardhawim identifies wasaṭiyah into several broader
meanings, such as fairness, istiqamah, elected and best, security, strength,
and unity. Masdar Hilmy identified several characteristics of the use of the
concept of moderation in the context of Indonesian Islam, including: 1) non-
violent ideology in spreading Islam; 2) adopting a modern way of life with
all its derivatives, including science and technology, democracy, human
rights and the like; 3) the use of rational thinking; 4) contextual approach in
understanding Islam, and; 5) the use of ijtihad.6
Some of the meanings of wasaṭiyyah above show that this
terminology is very dynamic and contextual. This terminology also not only
stands in one aspect, but also involves a balance between mind and
revelation, material and spirit, rights and obligations, individualism and
collectivism, naql and ‘aql, ideal and reality, all of which are interwoven in
an integrated manner. That is why Hanapi calls wasaṭiyyah a comprehensive
and integrated approach. This concept actually demands Muslims to practice
Islam in a balanced and comprehensive manner in all aspects life by focusing
on improving the quality of human life related to the development of
knowledge, human development, economic and financial systems, political

3
Khlaed Abou El-Fadl, Selamatkan Islam dari Muslim Puritan, terj. Helmi Mustofa
(Jakarta: Serambi, 2005), 27.
4
Haidar Bagir, Islam Tuhan Islam Manusia: Agama dan Spiritualitas di Zaman Kacau
(Bandung: Mizan, 2017), 130.
5
Ali Muḥammad Muhammad al-Salabi, al-Wasāṭiyyah fi al-Quran al-Karīm (Kairo:
Maktabah at-Tabi’în, 2001), 13-14.
6
Masdar Hilmy, “Whither Indonesia’s Islamic Moderatism? A Re-examination on the
Moderate Vision of Muhammadiyah and NU”, dalam Journal of Indonesian Islam, Vol.
07, Number 01, June (Surabaya: The Institute for the Study of Religion and Society
(LSAS) and the Postgraduate Program (PPs), IAIN Sunan Ampel, 2013), 28

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HISTORY

systems, education systems, nationality, defense, unity, equality between

races, and others.7
This concept of moderation has become the spearhead of Islam so
that it can penetrate in every part of life in Indonesia. The culture that is built
in the scope of Indonesia in general cannot be separated from the interference
of Islam. In economics, for example, sharia-based economic institutions that
flourish in Indonesia are evidence of the position of Islam in Indonesia. Islam
even occupies an important position in social order in Indonesia. Public
positions that govern Islamic life can be found from the smallest level of
modin to the ministry level, namely the minister of religion.
This article will then highlight how modest moderation in Islamic
education in Indonesia. Islamic education in Indonesia can play an important
role in the national education system as we see it today and is believed to be
inseparable from the long history of Islamic education. So then the patterns
of moderation of Islamic education emerged which were produced in every
phase of history. The pattern of moderation in Islamic education is then
focused on the period of Islamic penetration into the archipelago, colonialism
and modern times to focus on the expansion of this article. At the time of the
arrival of Islam to the archipelago, Islamic education in question was a
pesantren and then a madrasa in the era of colonialism. Then, in the modern
period, it will highlight about the changes of madrasah education system that
was originally alienated from public education to become an integral part of
the Indonesian education system.

Islamic Boarding School and Penetration in Indonesian Culture

Dealing with Islamic education in Indonesia will not be complete if it
does not look at pesantren education. Pesantren in Indonesia is a very
distinctive (indigeneous) Islamic education system. Although several
theories state that genealogies originate from other Islamic regions, pesantren
in Indonesia appear as a vital part of Islam by forming social, cultural and
religious forces. Islamic boarding schools are also considered active in
shaping the building of modern Indonesian Islamic culture and shaping
Indonesian identity.8

7
Sauqi Futaqi, “Konstruksi Moderasi Islam (Wasathiyyah) dalam Pendidikan Islam,
dalam 2nd Proceedings Annual Conference for Muslim Schoolars Kopertais Wilayah
IV Surabaya 2018, 523.
8
Zamakhsyarie Dhofier, Tradisi Pesantren: Studi Pandangan Hidup Kyai dan Visinya
Mengenai Masa Depan Indonesia (Jakarta: LP3ES, 2011), 6. Lihat pula: Taufik

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112 Abdul Najib

Data about the history of pesantren that first appeared is still

confusing. Historians often complain about the lack of written data that can
be used as a reference before the 12th century. This is because the tradition of
transmitting culture that was formed at that time was not a written tradition
but oral. From the search of historical data, Ricklef came to the conclusion
that the pesantren education system began in the 12th century by relying on
the proof of the lamreh sultanate that had existed since the beginning of the
12th century.9 While Zamakhsarie Dhofier stated that the Islamic education
system had appeared two centuries earlier based on some evidence which
shows that Barus has become a cosmopolitan city and also the center of
Islamic education in the archipelago.10
From the very beginning, the pesantren has shown how strong the
identity and dynamics of the nation in the archipelago are in adopting
aspects of an outside civilization that are considered good and useful. The
word pesantren itself is considered to be taken from the Indian language
shastri which means people who know the holy books of Hinduism or a
scholar of Hindu scripture.11 While AH. Johns argued that the pesantren was
derived from the word santri which came from the Tamil language which
meant the teacher recited. While the hut, which is the equivalent of the
pesantren, comes from Arabic funduq which means hotel or dormitory.12
From this term, it was found that pesantren had genealogy not only from the
Islamic tradition (Arabic), but also from other cultural traditions (India). This
theory is reinforced by the fact that indeed Indonesians use a large number of
pseudo etymologies which express the intersection of the semantic field of a
term and physical object.13
A similar pattern can also be found in kyai and santri which are the
main elements of pesantren besides huts, mosques and their scholarship.14

Abdullah, Islam dan Masyarakat: Pantulan Sejarah Indonesia (Jakarta: LP3ES, 1987),
110.
9
MC. Ricklefs, Sejarah Indonesia Modern 1200-2008 (Jakarta: Serambi, 2008), 39.
10
Dhofier, Tradisi Pesantren., 30.
11
Dhofier, Tradisi Pesantren., 30. Latar Hindu dalam sistem pendidikan pesantren ini
juga ditampilakal oleh Karel A. Streenbrik dalam bukunya, Pesantren Madrasah
Sekolah. Dalam analisanya, selain alasan terminologi, kesamaan letak pesantren dan
pertanahan yang memunculkan desa perdikan dianggapnya sebagai sebuah indikator
korelasi pesantren dengan tradisi Hindu India. Lihat: Karel A. Streenbrink, Pesantren,
Madrasah, Sekolah: Pendidikan Islam dalam Kurun Moderen (Jakarta: LP3ES, 1994),
21.
12
Dhofier, Tradisi Pesantren., 41.
13
Mark R. Woodward, Islam Jawa: Kesalehan Normatif Versus Kebatinan, terj. Hairus
Salim (Yogyakarta: LKiS, 1999), 304.
14
Dhofier, Tradisi Pesantren., 79.

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HISTORY

Santri, as explained earlier, is an absorption of the word sashtri which comes

from the Indian language. But another theory states that the word santri
comes from the word cantrik which is a term for a person who studies at an
ancient Javanese educational institution namely mandala. In mandala, the
learners learn from a teacher called a yes. The term "yes" is then integral to
the word kyai who are teachers of the santri in the pesantren. Apart from the
theory, the word kyai also comes from the Javanese word used to refer to
someone or object that is respected and derived from the word iki ae. The
Banjar tradition refers to the kiai as the title of the district head and not the
ulama, who transferred it to the Dutch East Indies government.15
Even though there is a wide gap between Islam developing in Arabia
and Indonesia due to the adoption of culture, the scholarship studied in
pesantren cannot be separated from its great tradition. The books commonly
taught in pesantren in various fields of religious science (fiqh, Arabic,
Ushuluddin, Sufism and Tafsir) are works from the Middle East. Even some
scholars of the archipelago needed to go to Arabia to study directly at the
main source (the author).16 The need for scholars to go and study in Arabia
was allegedly inseparable from the aspects of sanad connection which
became an affirmation of scholarship in the scientific tradition that
developed in the Ahlus Sunnah school which was mostly followed in
Indonesia.17
The use of books from Arabic, which of course speaks Arabic, is
certainly a problem in the success of the educational process in pesantren
considering that pesantren santri are indigenous archipelago foreign to that
language. So to fill the language gap, the archipelago scholars genuinely
created "Arabic Pegon". Arabic Pegon is a Javanese text or writing written in
the Arabic text (hija'iyah). This Pegon in its use is a local literary tradition of
Islamic communities in Java in transmitting Islamic teachings through text.18
With the Arabic pegon the problem of language isolation from the audience
is closer, and thus the learning of Arabic-language books in the pesantren can
be ascertained.

15
Zulkifli, Gelar dalam Islam (Yogyakarta: Pinus, 2009).
16
See, Azyumardi Azra, Jaringan Ulama Timur Tengah dan Kepulauan Nusantara Abad
XVII & XVIII (Jakarta: Kencana, 2007).
17
About the urgency of sanad in Islamic Tradition in Indonesia, see, Aziz Masyhuri,
Ensiklopedi 22 Aliran Tarekat (Surabaya: Imtiyaz, 2014), 30.
18
Karel A. Streenbrink, Beberapa Aspek Tentang Islam di Indonesia Abad ke 19 (Jakarta:
Bulan Bintang, 1984), 108.

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114 Abdul Najib

Madrasa and Modernization of Islam in Indonesia in the Period of

Colonialism
Madrasas are recognized as a complete form of the long evolution of
the development of Islamic education throughout Islamic history. The
development of Islamic education began with the education of the halaqah
system as carried out by the Prophet Muhammad at the home of a friend,
Arqam, and then the Prophet's Mosque after Hijrah. This phase, according
Ahmad Syalabi, is called the phase of the khuttab mosque because the place
of education is focused on the mosque. In this phase, the mosque has a dual
function, a place of worship as well as a place of learning (khuttab). In the
next phase, when Muslims have been divided into various firqahs, a mosque
system emerges where students who come from far away to study are
provided with accommodation facilities (khan) to stay overnight.19
The Islamic education system later became an embryo for the
establishment of madrassas and their complete and concrete systems
pioneered by Nizam al-Mulk. Madrasas as a new educational institution
emerged systematically during the Saljuk dynasty. Nevertheless, the
emergence of these madrassas does not automatically eliminate other
educational institutions, such as khalaqah (mosque) or mosque-khan,
because madrasas are basically intended for higher education while khalaqah
and Masjid-khan are aimed at more basic education. In the history of Islam,
there are several large madrasah that are most prominent in the development
of madrassas in this classical period, including the Nizamiyah Madrasa,
Baghdad Hanafiyah Madrasa, Baghdad's al-Mustanshiriyah Madrasa.20
In Indonesian context, the first madrasa was established Madrasah
‘Adabiyah (‘Adabiyah School), established in Padang, West Sumatra in 1909,
by Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad.21 However, broadly speaking, indeed the
establishment of madrassas began to wriggle in the early 20th century and
became one of the aspects in the reformation of Islam itself in Indonesia. This
flow of renewal of Islamic Education as explained by Streenbrink, is related
to the following factors:22

19
Abdullah Fadjar, Peradaban dan Pendidikan Islam (Jakarta: Rajawali Pers, 1990), 11-
21.
20
Agus Salim, “Madrasah dan Globalisasi: Respon Madrasah Menghadapi Globalisasi”,
dalam Jurnal Tajdid, Vol. XIV, No. 1, 2015, 67.
21
Mahmud Yunus, Sejarah Pendidikan Islam di Indonesia (Jakarta: Pustaka Mahmudiah,
1960), 54.
22
Streenbrink, Pesantren, Madrasah, Sekolah., 27-28.

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HISTORY

1. The Islamic renewal movement that took place in the Islamic world which
was pioneered by Muhammad Abduh and the spread of the Wahabism
had reached Indonesia.
2. Resistance of Muslims against Dutch authorities.
3. Islamic efforts to strengthen organizations in various fields including
education.
4. Dissatisfaction with Muslim people and organizations with traditional
education methods that emphasize rote memorization rather than
understanding.
Renewal made by Muslims in Indonesia are mostly influenced by one
or more of the above factors. Therefore, various terms related to Islamic
renewal such as modernism and conservatives have ambiguous meanings
and will be avoided in this discussion. This article will then discuss
controversial matters as a result of the renewal of Islamic education in
Indonesia which includes two things: the establishment of madrassas as a
form of resistance to Dutch control and dualism of Religion and General
education as a demarcation line of indigenous education and colonial
education.
Madrasas as a form of resistance to the colonial government were
practiced by Kyai Ahmad Dahlan through a religious organization which he
founded namely Muhammadiyyah by establishing madrassas. The
establishment of this madrasa was based on Kyai Dahlan's understanding
that colonial education for the indigenous population in HIS (Hollandsch-
Inlandsche School) was a form of reciprocal politics. So, to free Indonesia
from the debt bondage to the colonial government, Muhammadiyyah took
the initiative to establish a governor education model school with Islamic
lessons. The addition of religious studies then replaced the Catholic religion
lessons in HIS. However, because the imitation was done too quickly, the
portion of religious education provided was smaller than that of general
education as with the HIS curriculum. As an illustration, religious education
is only given a few hours a week in a madrasa founded by
Muhammadiyyah.23
Different renewal was done in Tebu Ireng Islamic Boarding School,
where Kyai Hasyim Asy'ari as its leader applied renewal in Islamic
education without eliminating the Islamic education system of pesantren
which had been established previously. Unlike Muhammadiyyah which
gives more portion to general education, Tebu Ireng provides a greater
portion of religious education. General education includes Latin literacy,

23
Streenbrink, Pesantren, Madrasah, Sekolah., 54.

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116 Abdul Najib

earth science, history and Malay language only given to elementary students.
Then, it was only when the santri mastered this level, they were given
education with a difficult written language using religious books.24
Kyai Hasyim is well aware of the need for Muslim cadres to obtain
literacy and other administrative sciences. So, he took the initiative to send
his nephew, Muhammad Ilyas to study at HIS Surabaya in 1918 as a form of
preparation for modernizing the education of Tebu Ireng while still
deepening religious knowledge directly to Kyai Hasyim during holidays.
After completing his education in HIS and solidifying his religious education
in Tebu Ireng, Kyai Ilyas was then asked to become the leader of the Salafiah
madrasa. It was during his leadership that Tebu Ireng was given general
lessons as an additional lesson.25 The effort of Kyai Ilyas in the modernization
of Islamic education was then continued by Kyai Wahid Hasyim after
returning from studying in Mecca.26 From this we can observe that the effort
to modernize Islamic education in Tebu Ireng and Muhammadiyyah was
carried out by imitating colonial education and at the same time rejecting it
because its original purpose was to prepare Muslim cadres to fight the
revolution against the colonial government on the negotiating table.
Kyai Hasyim's initiative to include general education in the Tebu
Ireng madrassas in turn gained considerable rejection among the Muslim
community. However, thanks to the charisma and perseverance that he had,
the adoption of the colonial education system to the madrasa still existed in
Tebu Ireng and was even transmitted to other pesantren. However, this did
not reduce the negative excesses of society towards the colonial government's
education system. In practice, the system adopted by most madrassas at that
time was only a classical system and still ruled out general education
compared to religious education.27 Religion education is still considered to be
far more important to learn than to learn general siciences.28 So what
happened later was the emergence of the dichotomy of Religion and General
Education due to the emergence of madrassas as a counter to Dutch colonial
education.

24
Dhofier, Tradisi Pesantren., 156.
25
Dhofier, Tradisi Pesantren., 156.
26
Streenbrink, Pesantren, Madrasah, Sekolah., 71.
27
Salim, “Madrasah dan Globalisasi., 72.
28
This can be traced to genelealogy by looking at the thoughts of al-Ghazali that
formulated educational curriculum that devides sciences into two: general and
relisgious sciences. See, Bukhari Umar, Ilmu Pendidikan Islam (Jakarta: Amzah, 2011),
3.

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Formalization of Madrasas as Response to Globalization

The contribution of madrassas that are so large that we can see them
today cannot be separated from the efforts of the Ministry of Religion.
Among the concrete steps of the Ministry of Religion in the assessment of
Islamic education in Indonesia at the beginning of independence was carried
out by Kyai Wahid Hasyim when he served as Minister of Religion since
1949. Kyai Wahid had only succeeded in establishing the State Religion
Teacher Education (PGAN) in almost all residencies in just two years. School
of Teachers and Public Religion Judges in Yogyakarta, Bukittinggi, Bandung
and Malang, and established the State Islamic Religion College (PTAIN) in
Yogyakarta.29 The Ministry of Religion also intensively fought for the politics
of Islamic education in Indonesia until finally religious education was taught
in public schools, in addition to developing madrasas themselves.30
With support from the government through the Ministry of Religion
regulation, madrasas then experienced significant progress. In the decade of
the 60s, for example, the total number of madrasas was recorded at 13,849
with a total students of 2,017,590. This development shows that since the
beginning, madrasa education has made a significant contribution to the
process of intelligence and moral development.31 The movement of
educational struggle at that time could be identified as an effort to formalize
madrasa education which was originally part of non-formal education under
the auspices of pesantren. The peak of the struggle for formalization of the
pesantren was marked by the formulation of a Joint Decree (SKB) of the
Ministry of Religion, Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Ministry of
Home Affairs which contained information on madrasas and public
schools.32 Then in the Republic of Indonesia Act No. 2 of 1989 concerning
Sispenas, madrasa has definitively become an integrated part of the national
education system without losing its religious character.33
Although the government through the Ministry of Religion has made
many changes and formulation of policies to promote Islamic schools, it has
not yet succeeded in eliminating the dichotomy of General Religion
education inherited from colonialism. The urban community, until the 90s,
still had a high interest to enter public schools whose value had better

29
Dhofier, Tradisi Pesantren., 152.
30
Maksun, Madrasah: Sejarah dan Perkembangannya (Jakarta: Logos Wacana Ilmu,
1999), 123.
31
Ibid., 126.
32
Ramayulis, Sejarah Pendidikan Islam: Perubahan Konsep, Filsafat dan Metodologi
dan Era Nabi SAW sampai Ulama Nusantara (Jakarta: Kalam Mulia, 2011), 358.
33
Maksun, Madrasah., 132.

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prestige than madrasas. On the other hand, "orthodox" Muslims still

maintain madrassas that are reluctant to include general subjects in their
curriculum. This type of madrasah is then referred to as the madrasah
diniyyah takmiliyyah to distinguish it from madrassas that are already in the
country. Similarly, people from the same group still prefer pesantren
education which is considered more able to provide noble character
education.
The Ministry of Religion as an institution that regulates religious
education, is well aware that pesantren and madrasas are the main choice of
most Muslims amid the recent moral degradation. To respond to that, the
Ministry of Religion then made a strategic step to accommodate the
aspirations of Muslims. The Ministry of Religion then released two
regulations governing the education equality of pesantren and madrasas
with formal education namely PMA number 13 in 2014 and PMA number 18
in 2014. In the Minister of Religion Regulation number 13 of 2014 concerning
Islamic Religious Education arranged that madrassas under the auspices of
pesantren are structured and tiered on the path of formal education can get
formal recognition or in the PMA referred to as formal Early Education.34
While the Minister of Religion Regulation number 18 of 2014 regulates
equality (mu 'is) the pesantren education that develops the peculiarities of
pesantren with the Kitab Kuning base with a multilevel and structured
muallimin education pattern with primary and secondary education within
the Ministry of Religion.35

Pattern of Moderation of Islamic Education in Indonesia

From various dynamics in Islamic education in Indonesia, it is known
that there are various forms of moderation carried out and adapted. This is in
line with the ideals of the predecessors (salāf al-ṣaliḥ) that Islam must always
be relevant (ṣaliḥ) in every dimension of space and time (li kull zamān wa
makān). So, to realize that, every change that occurs in a moving age always
responds creatively to the rules of al-Muḥāfaẓah fī Qadīm al-Ṣalih wa al-
Akhdhu bi Jadīd al-Aṣlaḥ. Islam as a form of national identity does not just
accept the renewal. The preceding clerics pointed out to us how the change
must pay attention to good traditional so that the reforms made will ensure a
better condition than before.

34
PMA no 13 year 2014 about Pendidikan Keagamaan Islam.
35
PMA no 18 year 2014 about Satuan Pendidikan Muadalah pada Pondok Pesantren

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In the case of the first Islamic education in Indonesia, namely

pesantren, Islam as a jadīd did not necessarily eliminate the original
Indonesian culture of qadim. Islamic education then does not necessarily
materialize like Islamic education in the Middle East as a place of origin for
Islam. Islamic education then continued to maintain the Hindu-style
education system and radically changed the sciences studied in it so that the
pesantren education system emerged. Similarly, what happens in other
aspects of pesantren includes social status and pegon arabic as described
earlier. Such a pattern can also be found in almost all Indonesian Islamic
traditions, the legacy of Islamic propagators who still maintain the physical
aspects of indigenous culture. However, the content that was previously
imbued by the traditions of animism, dynamism, Hinduism and Buddhism
was completely replaced by rūḥ al-Islam.36
The pattern of moderation found in pesantren is then the pattern of
acculturation. Acculturation itself is a cultural dynamic that arises due to
foreign cultural contact with indigenous cultures so that new cultural
products emerge without eliminating the original culture.37 The Hindu
education system remains sustainable in India. Likewise Islamic education
remains the same in the east-central place of origin. Pesantren is an education
that is typical of Indonesia (indigeneous) because it is the result of the genius
ijtihad the disseminators of Islamic teachings in the archipelago.
If some people claim that Islamic da'wah is carried out only with an
acculturation pattern, it seems that it must be observed how the emergence
of madrassas in the colonial era and the development of post-independence
madrassas. In those two periods, a completely different pattern was found
compared to the period of penetration of Islam in Indonesia. At colonialism,
madrassas as a form of more modern Islamic education came together with
the modernization of Islam itself. As Streenbrink explained, madrasas merely
add Islamic lessons to the general education system and vice versa. Thus, the
innovation carried out in madrasas is a form of upgrading Islamic education
by paying attention to the needs of the period. In anthropology, such cultural

36
For example, the selametan tradition practiced by almost all Muslim societies was
originally a Hindu Buddhist tradition. This tradition is done by chanting mantras which
aim to worship ancestral spirits by presenting cone as food for the spirits. With the
advent of Islam, this tradition was later replaced by aspects of its contents by replacing
its contents with the reading of al-quran, the purpose of praying for families who had
died, and cone for charity and human consumption (blessings). The phenomenon of
acculturation is thus discussed carefully in various books that describe the Indonesian
Islamic tradition, for example: Nur Syam, Islam Pesisir (Yogyakarta: LKiS, 2005).
37
Koentjaraningrat, Pengantar Ilmu Antropologi (Jakaarta: Rineka Cipta, 2015), 202.

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120 Abdul Najib

dynamics are called patterns of innovation.38 While in the post-independence

era, the pattern found in state madrasas, mu'adalah and formal diniyyah
education is nothing but an effort to formalize Islamic education by the
government.
From this it can be concluded that the moderation of Islamic
education in Indonesia takes a plural form in accordance with the plurality of
situations and conditions. The rule of al-Muḥāfaẓah fī Qadīm al-Ṣalih wa al-
Akhdhu bi Jadīd al-Aṣlaḥ as the basis for caring for tradition then must be
understood creatively because the concept of qadim and jadid is always
dynamic. The so-called qadim and jadid during the penetration of Islam to
the archipelago were certainly different from the qadim and jadid during
colonialism and post-independence. Furthermore, what we call tradition is
not referring to the relics of the past (qadim) alone. Indonesian Islamic
tradition is thus the past, present and future.39
This statement then reinforces the understanding that not all reforms
in religion are bad. Indonesian Muslims today, as exemplified by their
predecessors must be sensitive to change and react creatively with an open
minded mind. Quoting Kyai Maemoen Zubair's statement, "Indonesian
Islamic education must be prepared to accept changes. Because in every
period of time, the world is always changing. It is no longer the time for
pesantren to only study the books. Islamic boarding schools must also
include general education as an adjustment to the changing times. "40

Conclusion
Islamic education in Indonesia has an important position in every
phase of the country's history. In the period of the arrival of Islam in
Indonesia, pesantren was the basis of Islamic education at that time to plant
seeds of peace with local culture by embracing it. Madrasas, in the next

38
Innovation is a process of renewal in the use of natural resources, energy, and capital,
as well as the arrangement of new labor systems and the use of new technologies. Thus
innovation involves cultural reform, which is specific to technological and economic
elements. In the case of madrasas, the innovations found were by incorporating a more
advanced colonial education system and curriculum into traditional Indonesian Islamic
education. See: Ibid., 210.
39
In the study of Anthropology, JJ. Honigmann, as quoted by Koentjaraningrat, said
that tradition has three faces at once, namely ideas, actifities and artifacts. These three
forms represent different time dimensions; ideas are how we look at the future, actifities
are related to contemporary problems, while artifatcts are a matter of past heritage. See:
Ibid., 150.
40
Kyai Maemoen Zubair, “Orasi Ilmiah”, presented at Rapat Senat Terbuka: Wisuda II
STAI Al-Anwar Sarang, 29 January 2018.

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phase, are very outspoken in opposing colonialism by preparing strong

Muslim cadres to fight for independence. Then in the midst of globalization
that demands all legal, Islamic education both pesantren and madrasa appear
as formal education options that remain loyal to the national identity while
remaining open in accepting the newness that comes later. However, these
changes are always responded to by scholars in a creative way. Creative here
does not mean positive by accepting it or negative that rejects it altogether.
Creative acceptance is acceptance with conditions; loyalty to the Indonesian
Islamic tradition and novelty which leads to better change (muḥafadzah ā alā
qadīm al-ḥāliḥ wa al-akhdzu bi jadīd al-aṣlaḥ).
Creative acceptance also presupposes a thorough consideration of the
socio-historical aspects. We can see historical considerations in all cases of
changes in Islamic education that pay attention to the needs of the times.
While sociological considerations can be seen from how modernization of
education is carried out by KH. Hasyim Asy'ari and KH. Muhammad
Dahlan, even though he has the same spirit but produces a different product.
Kyai Dahlan who lived in the city (Yogyakarta) adopts the governor's
education system by adding Islamic religion lessons. While Kyai Hasyim,
who lived in the village (Jombang), only adds general education in the
madrasa at the Tebu Ireng Islamic Boarding School which is still based on
learning the Yellow Book.
At present, Indonesian Islamic education is regulated centrally
through the Ministry of Religion. So, at the macro level, Islamic education is
the responsibility of the Ministry of Religion as a policy maker. The efforts
made by the government in managing Islamic education in Indonesia to deal
with the movements of the times, according to the author, have been done
very well. However, unfortunately the government still issued unwise
policies in educational settings such as the PPDB FDS and Zoning problems.
For this reason it is recommended for the government to return to the
principles that have been exemplified by the Salaf al-ṣaliḥ in upgrading
Islamic education in Indonesia. By maintaining these rules, the manhaj
tawasuṭ (moderate) which is the mainstream of Islam in Indonesia will
remain sustainable and thus Indonesian Islam will remain victorious and
increasingly prosperous.

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