TEOSENTRIC HUMANISM : STUDY OF HUMAN POSITION AS KHOLIFAH FIL ARD

TEOSENTRIC HUMANISM : STUDY OF HUMAN POSITION AS KHOLIFAH FIL ARD

Islam is a humanistic religious theaching of humanity (Islam is humanity itself). Human in Islam, have position as the main purpose. The position in Islam like this is known as “Teosentric Humanism”. This concept pivots tu the theaching of tauhidullah to reach the benefit of life an human civilization. Teosentric humanism principe is transformated in human religious life as lived values and implemented in socio-cultural context (Kuntowijoyo: 1996: 230).

Viewing Islam from sociological prespective is a must in the corelation with humanity in Islam. Sociology in Islam is a prespective that saw the human as the centrality of moral person. Moral is inner condition which is reflected in human behavior in social life.

Teosentric humanism in Islam culminates in liberation and emansipation concept. Without the support of human morality, both of teosentric humanism main orientation will not be achieved. According to Fazlur Rahman human life is an endless morality stugle (Rahman: 1980: 18)

In the human role as the liberator and emancipator, human Islamic behavior should have two main dimansions of trancendental dimension and temporal dimension. Trancendental dimension is dimension that is based on humanity values in Islam, while temporal dimension is a dynamic compromic accomodative effort which have the shape of creating a peaceful atmosphere, full of tolerance, willing to life side by side with the followers of other religions and traditions without sacrificing each respective religions and traditions.

Islam is must always be in touch with humans as the central charachter in Islam itself, which is human have variousity in traditions and cultures. If Islam is not like that then Islam will not be relevance becauce Islam is revaged by the times, where social problems are increasingly diverse.

Tasks and Functions of Humans as Kholifah fil Ard

The main human obligation in term of relationship with the God is accepting with full confidence in the revelation of god, but not just there, the search of the actual meaning from the revelation and actualizing in the worship and obedience expresions. This is should be done because Islam is right for every human every where, and every human, without exception have the same right to do understanding effort and ekspres their understanding to Islam.

In human task as kholifah fil ard, the relation between human and God is not only in the form of relation between creator and creature or between God and servant, but also human have etics relation where human have to maintain their ethics to the God al to all of God’s creature, because ethically maintaining the behavior to all of God’s creature is equal with maintaining the behavior to God the creator. Knowing the God is also a part of God-human relation (Izutsu: 1997: 78-80). Comunication is the way that human can do to know their God, through prayer and supplication to the God. Knowing the creature of God is also an effort in knowing the God.

The trust from God to human as kholifah fil ard is maintaining good relationship among human being. In running this relationship, human should not be separated from the relationship with their God, thereforethe position of human as the translator of God’s teachings for themself and other is the position that a must for human. The role as the catalyst betrween God ang other human is a role that has been exemplified by Prophet Muhammad SAW as the messanger of the truth from the God to mankind.

Human should not have a discriminating view to the other. Doing goodness should not be tendentious just to a certain human type, to a certain race, or to a certain religion follower, because essentially the diversity is from the power of God. And the divine values, goodness. Humanity is virtues that must be perceived by the universe all the way. This kind of good relationship is universal goodness that based on humanity values, which is the humanity values are always have special place and upheld among the religions.

The problem that always appears is when the human as the representation og the God facing with the variousity of  culture which is human creation, human sense, and human intention. Theological fear is oftenly appears when Islam as religion that is universal meats with the culture inherent in human being that is particular. Actually religion is a permanent and universal God’s creation, while culture is a temporal and spatial human creation, so the concerns appear from the meeting between sacred religion and profane culture.

When in fact, local tradition of human is rich of philosophy messages even spiritual aspect, morality, mentality, and social criticism. Human in viewing the world and running the life is also using the values from the culture. the values contained in the culture has equal position with universal values contained in the religion. Both of cultural values and religious values are refrence of human life that have same orientation to the greatness of human life.

In this position the human task is to put the religion in the mutual dialogic with the culture, so the fear of culture that erodes the religion, even replace the religion or culture phobia can be eliminated. Expextation that arise is the formation of the configuration of religious spirit in the form of human culture. the sacred religion becomes the core and the substantion of the culture. Therefore, the strong synergy arises from human product (culture) and God product (religion) in building the greatness of human life.

keywords: teosentric humanism, kholifah fil ard, Islam, culture, morality.

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Kuntowijoyo, 1996, Paradigma Islam, Interpretasi untuk Aksi, Bandung: Mizan.

Rahman, Fazlur, 1980, Major Themes of the qur’an, Minneapolis & Chicago Bibliotheca.

Toshihiko Izutsu, Toshihiko, 1997, Relasi Tuhan dan manusia : Pendekatan Semantik terhadap al-Qur’an, terj., Agus Fahri Husain, Dkk., Yogyakarta: Tiara Wacana Yogyakarta.

Islam In The Context Of Spatial And Time - Islamic Journal

Islam In The Context Of Spatial And Time - Islam as religion and guidance for human life is not only in idealist condition and absolut as wtitten in the al-Qur’an and Hadits, but also Islam is religious realities that actually occur in human life, both as an individu or as a part of society, so Islamic religious reality in the society caused enormous diversity in Islam itself. This is happen because the implementation of Islam is always concerned with the spatial and time at the place where Islam was implemented. Thus, Islam is not just a religion, but also Islam is a cultural order, and culture is not a static thingking product, but it is a dynamic creativity in historical range (Hanafi: 2004: 4).

Islam that became a cultural order and fused with human life is visually and can be observed. At least, there are theree reasons, which are causing the diversities in Islam, they are :

1. Constellation between Islamic Source with the Human Mind

The constellation between Islamic source (al-Qur’an and Hadits) with human mind is closely related and it is an inseparable unity. The truth theaching of Islam can’t be perfectly actualized in human life without the support of human mind, and human mind without Islam didn’t have strong foundation in it’s function as the tool to find out the truth. Islam and human mind is an ideal composition in determaining the truth, because both Islam and human maid have the same orientation, that is the truth.

Islam entered to the human mind is not just an effort to understand and implement Islam from Islamic source that is very general, but thingking and using mind is also an Islamic theaching from Prophet Muhammad which is contained in substantive message of first revelation about “reading”. Furthermore, using mind is also a theaching that contained in al-Qur’an through the explanation of ulul albab, and in other place al-Qur’an using words that have the same meaning with using mind such as, yadzkurun (contemplating), yatafakkarun (thingking), ya'qilun (using mind and ratio).

No matter how small, when Islam with it’s absolut source had entered into the realm of the human mind, the understanding result and thingking product are very much diverse kinds, depending on will and subjectivity of the thingker and depending on scientific discipline from the thingker. And in this case Islam had entered into the actualization context area, because this phenomena that Islam tray to be interpreted by using human mind is an effort to actualize Islam into the reality of human life.

The constellation between Islam and human reason certainly penetrated to the three basics of Islam, they are ; Aqidah (faith), Syari’ah (technical guidlines for human in performing the relationship with the God, among human being, and relationship with the environment or Islamic jurisprudence), and Sufism field (akhlaq), and this constellation produced the diversity in Islamic thought.

Is aqidah field apeared aqidah thingkers (theologians) such asAbu Manshur al-Maturidy, Abu Hasan al-Asy’ary, washil bin Atho (Muktazilah theology school), Jahm bin Safwam (Jabariyyah theology school), Ma’bad bin Khalid al-Juny (Qodariyyah theology school) etc. In Islamic jurisprudence appeared Islamic jurisprudents, and the most phenomenal among them is the four clerical jurisprudents, they are Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Idris as-Syafi’i, Ahmad bin Muhammad Bin Hanbal, Malik bin Anas bin Malik  bin ‘Amr al-Ashbahy, and Nu’man bin Tsabit (Abu Hanifah). In sufism field there are apeared many thingker like Ibnu Athaillah as-sakandary, al-Ghazaly, Abdul qadir al-Jailany, and Junaidy al-Baghdady.

2. Spatial and Time Context that Related with the Appearence of Islam

Religion appeared in order to solve human problems. Religion became a part of the reality of human history and society that always has specific characteristic  in every where and when a religion was born and grow, and this reality is truly happen in Islam.

Islam down to earth in a state of society which experienced a vacuum of values. Before Islam came and entered into any region in various parts of the world, people have had a civilization and culture. Diversity in also contribute in determaining the religious diversity in Islam. The diversity in the universe, including the civilization and culture is the unity of natural law that bind it, and relate one another, conected and dialectic in the inter-connective relation (Abduh: 1976: 39). 

Human, religion, civilization, and culture, all of that is an unitu and can’t be separated each other. Human is the place for religion, culture and civilization. Religion, civilization, and culture have the same set of values that became the human prespective in life. Values of life in religion, culture, and civilization have the equal standard, that is humanity which is an alignment and complementary relationship. Cultur is also the main support for the implementation of religious practices. Islam can’t be well implemented without the infrastructure which is the product of human culture and civilization.

When Islam came into a certain society who have had culture and civilization,  comunication process and knowing each other happen among them. In the next step, there is a process of compromize and accomodation among Islam, culture and civilization. From here comes the fusion between Islam and the condition of society that then contribute in determaining the diversity of Islam. The values that were contained in Islamic tenet and civilization of society is becoming the foundation, while religious implementation and cultural behavior is becoming the building.

3. Reactualization Effort of Islamic Law

Human life as the main actor in Islam had constant and dynamic life along with the development of era. Changes is always be happen in human life. New things, that can’t be foud in the past even unimaginable before, along with the changing times now they became the part of human life. The most viewable change is the development of science and technology, that inevitably changing patterns human life individually or in the socio-cultural life. This thing is an inevitability and a must that uncontested, because this is sunatullah.

Islam should behave towards these changes, why ?, because in order to keep Islam always be the answer for the challanges of every era and approptiate with it’s fithrah (natural tendency) that shalih li kulli zaman wa makaan (always be relevant with every era and place). As long as human exist with his life, Islam must always appear as the guidence in every human life condition.

The effort of reactialization of Islamic law is known in Islam as tajdid. Ettimologically, tajdid has three meanings : First, something that is renewed whish is in the begining ever existed and experienced by people. Secound,that thing is stricken by era so become obsolate. Third, that thing is reactualized in new creation form. Therefore, tajdid (renewal) is some thing that ever be actual in the begining, becouse of the changing times it becomes not new anymore, and in order to reactualize again should refer to its original context (Syihab: 1996: 36).  According to Munawwis Sadzali tajdid (renewal) can be termed as “Reactualization of Islamic Law”. Reactualization of Islamic Law can be done by make modifications and adjustments to the Islamic law depends on the social needs and cultural context and social structure that is always changing (Sadzali: 1998: 5-6). 

Reactualization of Islamic law in its effort in establishing rule of law that can answer the social problems and changes is containing two element : First, establishing new laws that were undetermained. Secound, establishing or seeking the legal provisions to the problems that its rule of the law has been determained, but it is not appropriate with the social conditions and needs anymore.

The spirit behid reactializing of Islamic law is “reopening the opportunity to do ijtihad”. It is an effort to break the stagnation is Islam itself in facing the social changes. This effort which then became the Islamic movement raised the thought-leader of Islamic world such as jamaluddin al-Afghany, K.H. Hasyim Asy’ary, K.H. Ahmad Dahlan, Muhammad Abduh, Sayyid Akhmad Khan, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Arkoun, etc.

The result of reactualization of Islamic law is diversity in provisions of islamic law in various fields of human life, such as the variety in Islamic education concept, Islamic economy prespective, socio-cultural concept in Islam, and the other human life fields. So, reactualization of Islamic law also contributed in making the diversity in Islam.

Simply, it can be concluded that spatial and time context that participate in craving the diversity in Islam face is actualization context, where Islam enter into human mind which is an effort to understand and manifestate Islamic dogma inti Islamic religious expresion. Acculturation context is also the reason of Islamic diversity, where Islam thouching with the society, social problems, and socio-cultural in the place where Islam located and grow. the continuity of effort to maintain Islamic relevance towards the chellenges of the era and place or reactualization context that occur in Islam is also determaining the diversity in Islamic appearance.

keywords : Islam, context, actualization, culture, civilization, acculturation, reactualization.

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Hanafi, Hasan, 2004, Agama, Kekerasan, dan Islam Kontemporer, Yogyakarta: Jendela.

Abduh, Muhammad, 1976, Risalah Tauhid, Terj., Firdaus, Jakarta: Bulan Bintang.

Syihab, Umar, 1996, Hukum Islam dan Transformasi Pemikiran, Semarang: Dina Utama.

Sadzali, Munawir, 1998, “Reaktualisasi Ajaran Islam”, dalam Polemik Reaktualisasi Ajaran Islam, Iqbal A. Saimina, (ed), Jakarta: Pustaka Panjimas.