Monday, December 01, 2008
Nature of Dakwah
at 2:03 AM
Talking about nature or “hakikat” is talking about something fundamentally. A “dangdut” singer with erotic body movement was singing a song on a stage inviting people to dedicate to God. Was she a “da’i” (Islamic missionary)? The reply is clear, that the singer was singing the lyrics of dakwah, but basically she wasn’t submitting a dakwah. Dakwah is not only words spoken but also a psychological invitation coming from soul of the da’i. We often seen dakwah activities but basically those activities are not necessarily dakwah, in the contrary those may be contra-productive to dakwah itself. Then what is dakwah? The nature of dakwah can be seen from the da’i or from the meanings perceived by the people receiving the dakwah. 1. Dakwah as a “tabligh”. Tabligh means submitting, the person is called “muballigh”. Dakwah as tabligh has a form of a muballigh submitting a dakwah material (preach) to people. Dakwah material may consist of statements, informations, teachings, invitations, or ideas. Tabligh is usually done on a podium in a mosque, a “majelis taklim” (a kind of gathering to gain knowledge), or other place. Dakwah material may consist of statements, informations, teachings, invitations, or ideas.
Focus of attention in tabligh is on submitting, “illa al balagh”. After it, people’s response will not be responsibility of the muballigh. To people, unclear tablighs will merely be sounds, tabligh in form of information will cause understanding, tabligh in form of contemplation will become comprehension, and dakwah in form of ideas will encourage people to think continuously. A muballigh submitting an Islamic material he himself doesn’t really understand is like a soulless cassette. Tabligh’s power exists if the muballigh really becomes the “fail” (subject), becoming the actor feeling responsible to do the tabligh. A lot of muballigh don’t become “fail” but become the “maul” (object). He doesn’t have a program but he’s been programmed by other person. He only works to meet market’s demands, waiting for invitation to do tabligh. A “fail” has clear achievements, but a “maul” has achievements difficult to measure.
2. Dakwah as an invitation. People will be interested to an invitation, if the aims are interesting them. Therefore, da’i should formulate aims to which people can be invited. There are two aims, macro and micro ones. Macro aims is already clear, inviting people to happiness here in the world and in the day after. Da’is and mubalighs in general are not able to formulate micro aims, short-time aims that are easily achieved and interesting.
3. Dakwah as a planting activity. Dakwah also means educating people so they will act in accordance with Islamic values. Educating is planting values to the souls of the people. Values planted in dakwah are faith, honesty, justice, discipline, affection, modesty, and other values of noble akhlaqs. Like in other planting activities, the seeds should be excellent, the land should be fertile, watered, and prevented from pests and it will take a long time for the seeds to grow into beautiful green grass or into fruity and shady high trees. Teachers at schools (and the educational institutions) are da’is giving dakwah in form of planting activities. Certainly not all teachers are da'is. Teachers who are also da'i are teachers who had became educators not merely teachers or teaching people. Teachers only transfer knowledge; meanwhile educator transfers behaviour patterns or culture.
4. Dakwah is an acculturation. Dakwah by Wali Songo (Nine Holy Peoples) in Java is a concrete example of acculturation. Those wali didn’t change various form of Javanese traditions but they changed the contents. Traditions of thanksgivings (“selamatan”) for three days, seven days, and 100 days previously were traditions carried out by Javanese people when members of their families had passed way. Such an event was filled by staying awake the whole night, eating, gambling, and eating drugs. The form was maintained by the walis, the eating was maintained but the wrongdoings were replaced with Islamic things, such as reading sentences of tahlil. The foods were replaced with rice of “tumpeng” indicating tauhid, and everyone coming back from the tahlilan would bring “brekat” (blessing or “berkah”). Thanks to acculturation, Javanese people became Muslims. The weakness was that syncretism couldn’t be avoided.
5. Dakwah is a developing activity. In a macro way, dakwah also means to develop. Developing what? As has been exemplified in history, dakwah also means to develop an Islamic world order (“daulah Islamiyah”), an Islamic nation, or Islamic society or society of Islam, or merely Islamic community. While developing, demolishing the old building sometime is unavoidable, and this often means conflict. Like in an activity of erecting a building, dakwah in form of developing something should pass its stages. First, there should be a design or mock-up for the building to be erected. Second, examination on land use should be done; in this case, local culture should be referred to for erecting a building. The first and second activities are interchangeable, meaning that the concept is may be made first and then the location is seek, or the concept is made based on condition of the “soil”.
Third, experts should be involved from architects to assistant stone workers, and four, availability of building materials. Developing an Islamic country without any proven concept will only cause “mudlarrat” (uselessness), like building a thing without experts and fund. For Indonesian Muslims, the most appropriate method is building Islamic community, Islamic society, or society of Islam, since Indonesia has a culture conducive to such a method, we need only improve the concept, and it can be said that we have the human resources, and the cost will not be too high. Wallahu ‘alam.
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