Sufism in Java : the role of the pesantren in the maintenance of Sufism in Java

Abstract

This th sis considers Sufism in Java , concentrating on the role of the pesantren (a traditional Islamic institution) in the maintenance of Sufism in Java. The study examines the historical background of Sufism understood and practised within the pesantren tradition, general features of Sufism within the pesantren tradition, and the ways the pesantren maintain Sufism in Java. The study has shown that Sufism in Java was greatly influenced by the development of Sufism in Mecca an d Medina, the two centres of Islamic orthodoxy, during the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, that Sufism was maintained by famous Indonesian 'ulama' living in Mecca during the period and spread to Java, and that the hajj (pilgrimage) played a significant role in the spread of Sufism in Java during the period. In Java Sufism is practised and maintained by the pesantren. The study also shows that within the pesantren tradition concepts used within the realm of Sufism have been redefined, and that the pesantren understand Sufism as a dimension of Islam which is deeply rooted in the Qur'an and Hadith, the two principle sources of Islamic doctrine. The study also establishes that the pesantren maintain the inseparability of Sufism and shari'ah (Islamic jurisprudence) in which shari'ah becomes a precondition for Sufi practices as well as the standard of Sufi texts used to teach the students of pesantren. The role of pesantren in the maintenance of Sufism in Java is seen to be two-folds. Firstly, the role of the pesantren as a traditional Islamic institution is, in general, to maintain Sufi teachings without being nesessarily affiliated with a particular Sufi order. The pesantren in this function provides indirect support to the spread and development of Sufi orders in Java while exercising control of Sufi practices to prevent deviation from Islamic orthodoxy. Secondly, the role of the pesantren as a centre for the teaching of a particular Sufi order is to directly maintain and develop the teachings and practices of a Sufi order. There is no doubt about the extreme importance of the pesantren in the maintenance of Sufism in Java.