Selected Poems and Paintings by Gus Mus: an Indonesian Islamic Intellectual

... I am sure / You have never met the Most Merciful / Whose love encompasses all / How dare you speak in His name ... (Allahu Akbar, 2005)

If you saw any news stories about Indonesia this week, then you’re bound to have read something about radical or intolerant Islam. Two days ago, Jakarta’s Chinese-Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (who goes by Ahok), was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison, appeasing politicized Islamic groups (most notably FPI, the Defenders of Islam Front) that have been demonstrating to demand his punishment since last fall. There has also been a lively debate over the last week about whether the government should outlaw and break up the Indonesian branch of Hizbut Tahrir—the transnational Islamist movement pursuing an end to the postcolonial order of nation-states and the establishment of a pan-Islamic caliphate. [1] If one were to only watch the news, it might seem like the majority of Indonesian Muslims spend their time attacking religious minorities and plotting to take down the state.

In the midst of this toxic environment—both in the international media and in Indonesia itself nowadays—I wanted to translate and share some poetry by a major figure in Indonesian Islam whose life and works embody both a rejection to and antithesis of the type of Islam that tends to make headlines. Kyai Haji Mustofa Bisri is an Islamic scholar, educator, artist, and former head of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the Islamic social organization (and quasi-denomination, with distinct doctrines and practices from other groups) with the largest social following in Indonesia. Similar to most popular Islamic figures in Indonesia, he goes by a nickname: Gus Mus (gus being the title for the child of an Islamic scholar, or kyai). [2] Gus Mus might best be described as a modern traditionalist: he hails from and leads the self-consciously traditional NU while simultaneously living in, selectively embracing, and engaging critically with the modern world and its peculiarities. 

After the death of former president and NU visionary Abdurrahman Wahid (popularly known as Gus Dur), Gus Mus is widely considered to be the most influential figure in NU. So as I see it, the best introductory reading on Islam in contemporary Indonesia would be through the works of the most popular thinker in its largest organization.

Of the four poems I translated, the first three come from a published compilation entitled Aku Manusia (I’m Human), and the last is from his website. I came across Aku Manusia at a conference last year and have regularly revisited the copy I bought. His poetry is simple, spiritual, and has a constant theme of social critique (with a slight air of high-horse superiority). Gus Mus writes in a wide variety of themes, including a playful style of short love poems (that he calls "traces"), somewhat of a contemporary Indonesian take on the classical sufi genre. But here I specifically chose poems critiquing what he sees as the hypocrisy of that loud minority of Muslims that frequently end up in the news for their arrogance and intolerance. Gus Mus is also a painter, and I've added some of his paintings here when relevant or interesting. 

Allahu Akbar

Allahu Akbar!

Your cries clap like thunder

Causing small creatures to tremble

Allahu Akbar!

God is Greatest

The veins in your neck bulge

Screaming Allahu Akbar

And with the zeal of jihad

Your carnal hatred incinerates

Anything you consider deviant

Allahu Akbar, God is Greatest

Imagine there were 5 billion human beings

Living on this dust speck of a planet

If all were lost or all devout

It would not sway in the least

His Greatness

Seeing your cruelty I am sure

You have never met the Merciful

Whose love encompasses all

How dare you speak in His name

When arrogantly you attack those

Who seek the road towards Him?

Why, if they

Indeed belong in hell

Don’t you leave it to their God

To punish them

When did you get the mandate

The authority from Him to punish and scourge?

Allahu Akbar!

Shirk (polytheism) is the greatest sin

And the greatest shirk

Is giving a partner to Him

By deifying yourself

And decreeing absolute truth on your own

There is no god but God!

(2005)

This poem reads especially powerfully today, as Gus Mus seems to be speaking directly to the abovementioned groups whose protest movements have seemed to bring pseudo-Islamic fury into the Indonesian mainstream over the last year.

Gus Mus created a painting by the same title, "Allahu Akbar." The flame imagery suggests that it was designed specifically to accompany the poem.

Prayer

A West African woman beside

The miswaks she is selling

Suddenly rises and faces the qibla

As if to pray

Her bare feet like

Indian rosewood

Standing on cardboard

On the sidewalk on King Abdul Aziz Road that’s

Packed

Her hands wildly guarding

Her scarf

From the tease of the morning wind

“Look at that person!” exclaim onlookers

Then

“Ha! What’s she doing praying like that?”

And it’s as if I hear the voice of His wisdom

“Leave it to me to assess the worship

Of my Servants.”

(Mecca, 1426 H)

Religion

Religion

is the golden train

provided by God

as your transport

to journey towards His presence

Don’t be captivated by the beauty alone

Or what’s more

by your feuding brothers and sisters

fighting over the frontmost seat

The golden train

Is spacious enough for all servants

who long for God

Depart!

For quite a long while

He has awaited you.

(Rembang, 2005)

Lelah (Weary), an apparent self-portrait by Gus Mus

The Religious Folk of this Country

God,

look how good

the religious folk

of this country are

they don’t want to be shown up by

the other religious folk

in other countries.

In order to win your pleasure

they are willing to sacrifice

their brothers and sisters

to fight over the place

closest by Your side.

…

God,

look

how good the religious folk

of this country are

they continually make for you

fancy houses

between the city buildings

even in the midst of rice paddies

with magnificent domes

and towering minarets

to shout Your name

and so shyness

and fright fill Your little servants

who want to come to You

Your name they sing at their gatherings

for among friendly company or at state dinners.

They feel themselves so close to You

that each

assumes the right to represent You

Those with exceptional wealth

prove

only their closeness with the wealth

that You gave

Those with exceptional power

Prove only their closeness with

The power that You bestowed.

Those with exceptional knowledge

Prove

Only their closeness with the knowledge

that You provided

Those you bless

with strength often feel

like You Yourself

They do not simply join

in proscribing worship

but also in decreeing

who goes to heaven and who to hell.

They consecrate their opinions

and they inflate

all that they do

until their praises

and pledges are empty

like the belly of a drum.

God is Greatest and to Him belongs all praise.

(2017)

Independent of his poetry, some of Gus Mus’s paintings have also made powerful statements. In 2003, popular dangdut [3] singer Inul Daratista generated controversy with an overtly sexual dancing style that included grinding her hips like a drill (goyang ngebor). Religious figures and other popular singers alike denounced her, insisting that major TV and media companies boycott her. Gus Mus responded with the painting that is now his most famous, Berdzikr Bersama Inul (Meditating on God with Inul). The painting (below), shows the singer doing her signature hip drill in the middle of a circle of meditating religious men. He has repeatedly refused to offer a definitive explanation of the painting, but he at one point quipped, "threats towards Inul are so filled with lust, so maybe it's best you don't drink any stimulants." Berdzikir Bersama Inul is widely taken as a criticism of those condemning Inul, suggesting that it's actually their own minds that need purifying.

In the top-right corner, Gus Mus writes "Me," with an arrow pointing to the man in the black hat and green sarong.

Beyond creative expression, Gus Mus is a prolific writer as well. He writes books, op-eds, and blog posts on his website. Among his most recent writings, titles include “When Hurt, It’s Best to Stay Patient” (about not overreacting to insults to Islam), “The Modest Leader” (about the Prophet), and “Identity” (on the superficialities of religious identity). The following is an excerpt from “Identity,” describing varieties of “those who feel the need to constantly show their identity as religious people:”

A drawing accompanying "Identity"

Some—according to their level of understanding—simply display external religious symbols, such as building and beautifying places of worship; using loudspeakers to chant holy verses and “spread” worship. Some even just show their identity through how they carry themselves: clothing style, frequent use of jargon that sounds religious, like titles and greetings between friends, and the like. There are even some of them who feel like they’ve committed a sin if they say “God” instead of “Allah” or refer to salah as “prayer.”

This ungenerous portrayal of conspicuously religious poeople mirrors themes from his poetry. Indeed, Gus Mus continually emphasizes the primacy of spiritual experience in Islam, criticizing the pseudo-faith of arrogance and exhibitionism.

Gus Mus is thoroughly and self-consciously moderate. He seems to both lead and mirror the movement for “moderate” Islam in Indonesia. He speaks out against all types of hatred, intolerance, and arrogance carrying the mask of Islam, urges his many followers out of anger and into love. Voices such as his have undoubtedly contributed to the ethos of pluralism that’s prevalent among Indonesian Muslims.

Over the last year, Gus Mus has spoken out against the manipulation of Islam for political purposes, especially in the case of Ahok’s gubernatorial campaign and blasphemy trial. He did not express explicit support for Ahok, but has joined the Muhammadiyah leader Buya Syafi’i Maarif in counseling Muslims not to reject his candidacy for religious reasons.

A Note on "Moderate" Islam

But this “moderate” movement occasionally seems to represent an Islam devoid of all political content, or worse, one simply subservient to a globalized neoliberal capitalism. Gus Mus himself—like most religious scholars—has quite little to say on some of the matters that affect poorer Indonesians the most, like poverty and globalization (whereas some other kyais and scholars oppose economic injustices more assertively). He does speak critically on corruption and environmental issues, but in post-1998 democratic Indonesia, nether of these topics takes bravery to address or would upset people. His opposition to ultraconservative Muslim groups also tends to employ anti-Arab rhetoric that is common among Indonesian Muslim “moderates.” This somewhat narrow focus on tolerance and disinterest in economic justice is evident in many Muslim "moderates" support for Ahok, who's policies as governor (most notably forced eviction of illegal residents) are criticized by others as prioritizing the middle class and sidelining Jakarta's poor. 

So while I personally admire Gus Mus, it's important not to idolize him or others just for being moderate.

The emphasis on "moderate" Islam throughout this post made me somewhat hesitant to even write it, as it would seem to contribute to the important yet somewhat sycophantic body of online content trying to make Islam palatable to a Western majority. This popular apologism for Islam tends to be limited to simplistic jingles that convince no one who's not already sympathetic. The point of this post is not to say "Islam is a religion of peace; look, Gus Mus is peaceful!" because then anyone could point to a single violent Muslim and prove me wrong. I believe the best way to fight Islamophobia is through honest illumination of the full discursive landscape of Muslim societies. Rather than mindlessly repeating "Islam is a religion of peace," we can much more effectively counter the "Islam is violent" stereotype by changing our motto to "Islam is a diverse and contested discursive tradition!" In Indonesia, the peaceful and self-consciously "moderate" Gus Mus is indeed a major voice, but he still exists among many other voices offering their own visions of Islam.

Aside from my obvious rhetorical intent, I do believe that Gus Mus's art is, in and of itself, worth sharing. (And I do hope that you agree.)

___________

[1] HTI has a very small following in Indonesia (although it may be growing), and it is widely unpopular given its reputation for rejecting the Indonesian national ideology, Pancasila. While the term 'radical' is thrown around a lot in reference to Islamic groups that are really nothing more than ultraconservative, HTI truly deserves the label; it aspires to abolish the Indonesian nation state and incorporate its population under an international caliphate. It's a fascinating example of resistance to a post-colonial system and its particular trappings that—in Indonesia like almost everywhere else—is taken for granted and at times even as sacred. 

[2] Most Indonesian Islamic intellectuals are known by an "intimate" nickname (panggilan akrab), usually consisting of an affectionate title followed by a syllable from their given name. Use of these nickname give the air of speaking to a wise older relative, rather than an elitist scholar. Other examples include Cak Nur for Nurcholish Madjid, Gus Dur for Abdurrahman Wahid, and Cak Nun for Emha Ainun Najib. A more unconventional model is that used by Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, who abbreviates his name into the acronym "Hamka" and adds the title buya (grandfather). Pretty much every Muslim in Indonesia knows Buya Hamka, but hardly anyone would be able to tell you what his full name is.

[3] Dangdut is the popular genre of Indonesian music that I find most comparable to American country music. It has simple lyrics and themes, catchy tunes, and is exceedingly popular in rural areas. Over time, many artists have also, like in Ameican country music industry, popularized their music to fit more mainstream tastes. Note the developments from Rhomo Irama's Musik to Cita Citata's Goyang Dumang.