Buya Safii, according to Prof. familiar greeting.
DR. Ahmad Safii Maarif. Pluralist character that is not a little contribute ideas and Islamic thoughts in the shade of large umbrellas Indonesian national diversity is born in the Holy Sumpur, West Sumatra, May 31, 1935. Childhood Buya Syafii very close to the Islamic tradition has become a magnet that always took her initial struggle with Islamic knowledge and try to understand it as deep as possible. Stretching such a lifestyle, it can also say thanks to guidance from the deceased mother, Makrifah. Sharpness interest Buya Safii Islamic explore more and more sharply honed by education who lived then, and eventually her life in a condensed form in Islamic culture.
People's finish Elementary School in the village of his birth, Buya Safii set foot on the floor Mu'allimin Lintau Madrasah schools, West Sumatra. Until then feet away across the sea to continue their education to the Madrasah Mu'allimin Muhammadiyah in Yogyakarta, and graduated in 1956. Armed with religious knowledge in Mu'allimin it, Buya Safii was received with a roomy chest devotion to duty upon him to East Lombok for one year as a teacher at the school Muhammadiyah.
After a period of devotion that, Buya Safii continue their studies back to college, despite her efforts to take higher education is not easy. But the determination and enthusiasm has enabled him to gain knowledge passing all odds. Imagine, in a state of Buya Safii orphan is still able to stretch their business efforts with only bolstered his brother to be able to sit as a student at the Faculty of Law University of Cokroaminoto Surakarta. I was stranded on the beach because of the mercy of the waves, he recalls illustrate the journey of his life in a magazine interview with Bud.
Just one year of college, PRRI / Permesta erupt and severely curtailing the Sumatra-Java relationship path. Thus, tuition assistance from his brother is lost, so Buya Safii decided to not go to college. The period was quite bitter, which Buya Safii must scrape a living as a teacher Baturetno villages in the subdistrict, Wonogiri, Central Java.
Nothing wrong with a lot of people praise the scientific spirit, motivation to learn Buya Safii not stop just by the sap bitter hardships that cross in front of him. While working, the husband siti hi hi ... and father of three sons and daughters. Buya Safii back to continue studying at the Department of History, because it no longer possible to return to the Faculty of Law. Bachelor's degree from the University of Cokroaminoto successfully achieved in 1964, while graduate degrees obtained from IKIP Yogyakarta four years later. Expertise in the field of history of getting tested after obtaining a Master's degree from Ohio State University, USA.
Options that accidentally turned out to have led me to discover the wisdom of humanity, a mild remark in an interview with KOMPAS.
Obtained his doctoral degree in 1993 from the University of Chicago in a study program of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations with a dissertation: Islam as the Basis of State: A Study of the Islamic Political Ideas as Reflected in the Constituent Assembly Debates in Indonesia. The youngest among four brothers, engaged in intensive study of the Quran with the guidance of a prominent reformer of Islamic thought, Fazrul Rahman. There is also, Buya Safii often involved intensive discussions with Nurcholish Madjid and Amien Rais, who are undergoing doctoral education.
Buya Safii recognize that science and knowledge of history has thus attracted interest because history speaks of the nodes in the totality of humanity. No wonder if in a painted impression that the phrase: It's the last 25 years, attention to history, philosophy and religion beyond my attention to another branch of science. But I am fully aware, that the more I was getting into the third region there are no edges. Not infrequently I feel as a stranger in the region, the region that seemed without limit.
Of that process too, a sense of humanisnya grow and deepen its attention on the problems of humanity. Life relegius strong entrenched in his soul and then sprinkled on the interpretation and beautiful invitation in the development of Islamic membumikan Hablumminnas true: love each other and love our fellow human beings on earth. And calling for Islam not be held in confidence to the extent of ritual, but also must be able to develop practices and behavior of Muslim religious life by embracing Islam as a whole its essential appeal: rahmatan lil'alamin.
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It felt smallness of this self-dealing with the breadth and depth of ocean cruising is about to be sailed." Earthy sentence was uttered in the Preamble of professorship speech of his in IKIP Yogyakarta. "Humility is a reflection of the faith," he continued.
So no excessive, if so many people are amazed and impressed in figure Buya Safii as a scientist who always puts the power of religion in every struggle with their knowledge. He was the historian and philosopher, but in society as the children of the nation presence better known as a religious teacher. Have you not given the knowledge, except for just a little, he said quoting a verse of the holy Al-Quran.
This is the advice to reduce the ambition and curiosity of human beings for not stepping out of bounds areas on their own abilities. In that sense, the stronger the belief that arise in any science there are signs of God's existence. We must believe in the reality that is beyond the reach of man, so he notes. The universe and all its cargo could not explain themselves, their silence regarding the origin of the incidence and persistence. Only the revelation that then helped the human brain and perception in order to understand all the phenomenon. Only through faith, man can answer questions about the purpose of human existence and about the meaning of death. Philosophy, especially history, are not able to do so.
Reading books is a daily activity by Buya Safii, in addition to its activities as chairman of Muhammadiyah, the Supreme Advisory Council members and staff at IKIP Yogyakarta. No wonder the Buya Safii also fluent citing a valuable expression of the scientific community, and is also rich with poetic expressions quite profound significance.
Even the involvement of Buya Safii as General Chairman of Muhammadiyah is a necessity of history itself. When the pressure is rolling reform in Indonesia, and Amien Rais as one who was a locomotive drove to leaded Muhammadiyah should involve themselves in political activities to oversee reforms in a practical movement of the wheels, then as a replacement skipper Buya Safii aware that at the same time is like the Ark of Muhammadiyah parent who must still be directed to the main course so as not to drag by the pull of the current political tussle practical and short-term interests.
"Let us not linger in the uncertainty of future climate, because it means we allow this nation wallowing in the decay process of history. It was embarrassing and exhausting! "
After re-elected as General Chairman of Muhammadiyah in the 44th Congress (2000) held in Jakarta, Buya Safii then driving for his role in mendinamisasi Muhammadiyah can optimally drive tajdid efforts and ideals of enlightenment that would afford him. Do not let the reform movement as a basic philosophical Muhammadiyah eroded and only become an empty slogan in the actualization movement. One effort is to push the rate of intellectual awakening among the Muhammadiyah Youth, as it was realized that science and Islam is the core spirit of all the Muhammadiyah movement. Where the ownership of knowledge and intellectual power is the gateway the ability to understand and practice Islam in kaffah, and AMM as perpetrators of the history of the Muhammadiyah movement future be bright and light caretaker Muhammadiyah faces in the world struggle.
In a short note, Buya Safii reinforce the sound of his life as the father of the nation: I sincerely love this nation and in all. For me, defending the nation is in order to defend Islam.
Business and Buya Safii struggle did not end when put leadership at the Muhyammadiyah generation underneath. Maarif Institute later founded as a vehicle to continue efforts in order to guard and reach the intellectual awakening among the next generation of Islamic. Now, under the screen Maarif Institute, Buya Safii stick his feet also becoming pluralist in his footsteps as a leader who consistently fight for the values progress in islamism frame, Indonesian and humanity.
Some people might think of this as a bad news, but considering where Indonesia had been on corruption scale worldwide this is certainly a good news for Indonesia as well as the Government.
