Jakarta, NU Online
Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama law making body KH Ma’ruf Amin said here on Wednesday (27/8) that as the country’s largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has since its establishment developed such dynamic line of thought by basing itself on manhaj (frame of thinking) as evolved by four schools in fiqih (Islamic jurisprudence).

Speaking at a Training of Cadres of Preachers II held by Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic Preaching Institution (LDNU) and Muslimat, kiai Ma’ruf suggested that in 1990s NU had ever been in conservatism. NU ulemas just received what called as manhaj textually. As a result, it could no longer address religious problems that had never come into existence during the four ulemas’ period of time.

<>Finally, at a Lampung’s NU National Meeting in 1992, it was decided that NU would always follow schools of thought textually and methodologically (qouli wa manhaji). “The fresh problems can be then answered by using such method used by ulemas.” 

He then gave what had ever happened before in Banten as experienced by Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani for instance that according to Imam Syafi’ie, zakat must be distributed to evenly seven circles. But, at that time (in Banten), there were no fully the seven. Dealing with this case, with reference to other ulema (imam madzhab), the zakat can be distributed.

“That’s why, if Imam Syafi’ie found the same thing, he would certainly take the point of view (zakat can be distributed with no fully seven circles). (mkf)