Concerning Ulama

For an ulama, knowledge constitutes one of inevitable characters that should be possessed. That is why the ulama is regarded as a scholar (educated) though it is not a “fixed price” (the only one) meaning. He needs to prove his profound spirituality in daily life as a realization of his moral integrity. In fact, dealing with the scarcely ulama coming into existence, the raising question is not on how to produce ulama, but there is such effort to redefine the term of ulama itself. This is in turn categorized as such a competence.

Thus, what so called as ulama is those whose a competence in any disciplines such as economy, math, biology, and so forth. Ulama  etymologically means those whose knowledge, but terminologically it does not. For that reason ulama is not the same as scholar. Ulamas some of the time reserve the right to fulfill the academic degree as scholars, and the other way the scholars also have the degree as ulama. What is important to note is that both of them are absolutely not the same. They have their own “chapter” and “paragraph” as well.

While, a scholar evolves the knowledge based on the spirit of criticism, there is always such hesitant on everything, before purifying its truth logically. So the knowledge is a logical system rather than a divine “system”. The logic evolved in accordance with empirical experiences has an inclination to reject metaphysical reality. Thus, the knowledge of the scholar tends to be juz’iyyat (particular/disciplinary), while the knowledge of ulama is apparently kulliyat (supra-disciplinary) for the first is an analytical speculation and the second is a reflective one. 

While colonial ethical politics has introduced such schools to indigenous people, then all of the Nusantara’s educational institutions that used to produce ulama, poet, and spiritualist, have been regarded by the Dutch government as savage institutions. One by one of the great kinds of the institutions has been then vanished by the very tightly school system. In this case, keulamaan and kepujanggaan with its knowledge (ilmu) and wisdom (kaweruh) were in turn replaced by the kesarjanaan manner whose only the mastery of knowledge.  

An ulama searches and evolves the knowledge as a devotion. He all of the time devotes his lifetime to God, profitable or not. While a scholar educated by the colonial (Dutch) is a professional. he tends to think functionally and commercially. Why? Because the only colonial systems that were capable of giving salary. Then the scholar served as a collonial official that called as an ambtenar. The example above has not only come into existence in the past time but also in this modern era. It is now so strange to find such scholars serving to community.

At the same time, the ulamas were removed from political environment for their resistance to adapt to the Ducth tradition. So, the dichotomy between ulama and scholar is now increasingly extensive, and even raises a tension between them, because the colonial elements remain exist. Ironically, Islamic high institutes have not bridged the tension yet, and even they remain become followers of the school traditions that basing themselves on logic by neglecting reflection and religious experience.

Even though it sounds so strange. Now there are Islamic "Pesantren" boarding schools that remain become primary sources of keulamaan. But if we compare to the tightly formal standard, the "degree" of keulamaan is most of the time neglected, even though they (ulamas) have more capacity than the scholars (academics). That is why the forum so called as the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS) was conducted as at least an appreciation to the ulamas.

 Until now, just NU preserving the pesantrens as keulamaan institusions. If the NU puts aside the ulamas in the conference, then who cares and appreciates them. The tendency to put aside the ulamas likely comes true, That is why, start from now it should be immediately avoided. Without any contribution of ulamas, the thinking of culture, social, and politics tends to be pragmatic.

Nowadays, the religious criteria have emerged within extensive understanding and even it is very permissive. If the ulamas think and act inappropriate to the tradition and principles of Islam and keulamaan, they are regarded as conservative followers and even fundamentalists. Nonethele