Muhammadiyah for the Advancement of Indonesia
In the midst of the threat of a global recession and the difficult lives of ordinary people, Muhammadiyah provides a good example to act in relation to what we can devote to the advancement of Indonesia.
Sukidi
At the age of 86, Ahmad Syafii Maarif sent a message about going to Bandung, West Java, for the sake of Muhammadiyah.
"God willing, the ground breaking ceremony will take place on 23 Jan., 2022 – a Muhammadiyah mosque and hospital in South Bandung with a total fund of Rp 60 billion. A businessman's contribution. Alhamdulillah," he said.
God summoned the nation's teacher sooner, namely on 27 May 2022. Nine months and 10 days since the laying of the first stone, on Thursday, 3 Nov., 2022, general chair of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board Haedar Nashir inaugurated the mosque and hospital that were established thanks to the charity of entrepreneur and Muhammadiyah member Yendra Fahmi.
For 110 years, Muhammadiyah has grown and developed rapidly thanks to the tradition of sincere dedication from those who aspired to the noble example of the founder, Ahmad Dahlan, to keep Muhammadiyah alive. When the Muhammadiyah treasury was empty in 1921, he was willing to auction off items at home to pay for the salaries of Muhammadiyah teachers, employees and schools. More than 4,000 guilders were collected from the auction results.
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When he offered to deliver the goods that were sold, the people of Kauman replied, “No need, Kiai. Just leave the stuff here. We will return everything to Kiai.” Kiai asked, "Then how is the money collected?"
One of them answered, "Yes, for Muhammadiyah. Kiai said earlier that Muhammadiyah needs funds to pay teachers, employees, and pay for its schools?”
Kiai asked again, “Yes, but Muhammadiyah only needs around 500 guilders. Then what about the rest?"
One of them replied: "Yes, let it be put into the Muhammadiyah treasury."
The story of the exemplary Islamic reformer was witnessed by his student, Muhammad Sudja, who told it to AR Fachruddin, who told his son, Sukriyanto AR, who then wrote the story down in Suara Muhammadiyah, Number 13/98/1-15 June, 2013. Sukriyanto AR deserves to be proud of AR Fachruddin, who inspired Dahlan's example to serve Muhammadiyah sincerely. Truly, Dahlan's sincere devotion to Muhammadiyah is firmly recorded in the collective memory of the organization's leadership and members. He has become a moral example to live life as a call of genuine service to advance Muhammadiyah and Indonesia.
Muhammadiyah and Indonesia are like two sides of a coin that cannot be separated. About 33 years older than the age of this republic, Muhammadiyah has actively participated with all components of the nation to establish, maintain and advance Indonesia. Soekarno, Sukiman Wiryosanjoyo, H Agus Salim, Abdul Kahar Muzakir, KH Mas Mansoer, Ki Bagus Hadikusumo, AR Baswedan, Maria Ulfah Santoso and Raden Nganten Siti Sukaptinah Sunaryo Mangunpuspito represented the big Muhammadiyah figures who participated in formulating the basis of an independent Indonesian state and a draft constitution at the meeting of the Investigating Agency for Preparatory Efforts for Independence (BPUPK). Indonesia was founded not only by the founding fathers of the nation, as in the United States, but also by the founding mothers, for the involvement of two women: Siti Sukaptinah Mangunpuspito, a Siswapraya activist and Muhammadiyah woman, and Maria Ulfah Santoso, a school teacher at Muhammadiyah Middle School in Jakarta (1934-1942).
The great figure of Muhammadiyah, who was most credited with laying Pancasila as the basis for an independent Indonesian state, was Soekarno.
"And an eternal and everlasting Independent Indonesia must be Pancasila," Soekarno said in a speech on 1 June, 1945, at the BPUPK session. Dahlan's footprints and influence on Soekarno were clearly expressed in his speech at the 1962 Muhammadiyah Congress in Jakarta: "Brethren, I increasingly love Muhammadiyah. When I was 15 years old, I sympathized with Kiai Ahmad Dahlan, so I followed him. In 1938, I officially became a member of Muhammadiyah.”
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After his political exile in Bengkulu from 1938 to 1942, Soekarno served Muhammadiyah as a member, teacher, and chairman of the education and teaching council. Soekarno's involvement in Muhammadiyah was made more perfect through his marriage on 1 June, 1943, to the daughter of Hasan Din, a Muhammadiyah consul, and Siti Chadijah, an Aisyiyah activist, named Fatmawati, an authentic cadre of Nasyiatul Aisyiyah and Aisyiyah, who contributed to sewing the Heritage Flag of Sang Saka Merah Putih which was hoisted on 17 August 1945.
The establishment and upholding of Indonesia cannot be separated from Muhammadiyah. By being actively involved in establishing Indonesia, Muhammadiyah is called to love, care for and advance Indonesia through the establishment of 119 hospitals and 235 clinics to improve public health; through the development of educational institutions, starting from 22,000 early education centers (PAUD) and kindergartens, thousands of schools, madrasas and Islamic boarding schools, up to nine Aisyiyah universities and 173 Muhammadiyah universities, including Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia and Muhammadiyah Australia College in Melbourne, to educate the nation and world; as well as through the development of hundreds of orphanages, social charity and the economy to improve the quality of life and promote human equality.
This is the best path taken by Muhammadiyah through the calling to compete in virtue and real charity for the advancement of Indonesia. In the midst of the threat of a global recession and the difficult lives of ordinary people, Muhammadiyah provides a good example to act in relation to what we can devote to the advancement of Indonesia.
S U K I DI, Diversity Thinker
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
