Tempo Co., Ltd., jakarta – The deification of Habib is a characteristic of inferior spirituality and religious feudalism. It has been cultivated since colonial times.
Moktar Rubis’s self-criticism about the character of our society in Manusia Indonesia (The Indonesian Man, 1977) is still relevant today. Although often denied, these traits live on in our subconscious. Two of them have a feudal nature and a weak character. These can be seen in the praise of those believed to be Habib, the “descendants” of the Prophet Muhammad.
Some people simply accept this doctrine and believe that people with the title Habib have a higher social status or are more noble. This explains why such people have many followers, even if their actions are not admirable and even violate the law. And this also leads to people becoming victims of the evil deeds of people known as Habib. Naive people believe everything they say, as has happened in several cases of false repeat offenders, including one in South Kalimantan over the past few years.
The case of Janes Meliawan Wibowo, who goes by the name Habib Ahmad Yansu Assegaf, which is currently being investigated by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Department, also reflects the two characteristics mentioned by Mokhtar Rubis. Janes started an Islamic study group on his WhatsApp and was ordained a teacher. He also created a blog containing information about his lineage as a “descendant” of the Prophet Muhammad, claiming he could document similar lineages for anyone who wished. Several people, obsessed with a shortcut to the title of Habib, handed over money.
Habib’s desire to obtain the title, even if he has to buy it, is a concrete example of the perpetuation of religious feudalism. The title Habib confers on a person religious authority similar to that of an ulema. Although this title does not confer any special rights on its bearer, it is important because Indonesians believe that the descendants of the prophet must be respected.
Tracing its origins, this sense of mental inferiority has been cultivated since the colonial era. The Dutch East Indies government divided the people into three groups. Europeans were at the top of the social hierarchy. Foreign Orientals, including Chinese and Arabs, as a middle class. And at the lowest level there are native Indonesians. Gradually, this inequality came to be perceived as destiny, and eventually penetrated the hearts of the people, leading to a sense of inferiority that remains to this day.
According to psychologist Alfred Adler, this feeling of inferiority causes us to try to compensate by striving for perfection that we don’t have. And they forget this mental inferiority complex by overreacting to something. For example, we heap praise on a person named Habib without employing any critical thinking.
Our social vulnerability has often been exploited by those in power since colonial times. According to Imaduddin Utman al-Bantani, a Nahdlatul Ulama figure who has studied the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad in Indonesia, the Netherlands once “recruited” large numbers of people from Yemen to reduce the possibility of Muslim opposition. ” These people praised the government’s policies and prayed for Queen Wilhelmina. They also condemned rebellions, including one by peasants in Banten province. Because they were considered descendants of the Prophet, many Muslims in the Dutch East Indies heeded their words.
Imaduddin’s research concluded that the lineage of many of the prophet’s “descendants” in Indonesia is discontinuous and therefore questionable. If subsequent researchers reject Imaduddin’s findings, then in the debate over the “authenticity” of the Prophet’s descendants, the genealogy was recorded by other humans and therefore contains flaws. People need to be made aware that they may be exposed. The revelations about Habib’s title buying and selling further prove that his status can also be gained through deception.
Therefore, any kind of fanaticism regarding “descendants” from the prophets should be criticized. Not only does it perpetuate low self-esteem, it denies the fact that all people are created equal. In the words of Buya Ahmad Shafi Maarif, “The deification of the descendants of the Prophet is a form of spiritual slavery.”
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