Section 4: The Recognition Of The Great Indonesian Islamic Scholars Toward The Ba'alwi Status As Descendants Of The Prophet
Book title: Indonesia Ulema Challenge Spurious Lineage: KH. Imaduddin Utsman al-Bantani's Refutation of the Book by Hanif Alatas et al
Title of Original / Indonesian version: Ulama Nusantara Menggugat Nasab Palsu: Jawaban KH. Imaduddin Utsman al-Bantani terhadap Buku Hanif Alatas dkk
Penulis: KH. Imaduddin Utsman Al-Bantani, pengasuh pesantren Nahdlatul Ulum, Banten
Cetakan pertama: November 2024
Publisher: Lakeisha 2024
15,6 cm X 23 cm, 691 Pages
ISBN : 978-623-119-469-5
Bidang studi: Sejarah Baalawi, sejarah Nabi, ilmu nasab, sejarah Islam, genealogi, garis keturunan, filologi/manuskrip, Tes DNA
Publisher of English version: Al-Khoirot Research and Publication
Fields of study: Ba'alawi history, history of the Prophet, science of lineage, Islamic history, genealogy, bloodline / lineage, philology/manuscripts, DNA testing
Contents
- Section 4: The Recognition Of The Great Scholars Of The Archipelago Toward The Ba'alwi Status As Descendants Of The Prophet
- Abdullah and Ubaidillah
- Back to Book Indonesia Ulema Challenge Spurious Lineage: KH. Imaduddin Utsman al-Bantani's Refutation of the Book by Hanif Alatas et al
SECTION 4: THE RECOGNITION OF THE GREAT SCHOLARS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO TOWARD THE BA'ALWI STATUS AS DESCENDANTS OF THE PROPHET
In order to defend the Ba'alwi lineage, Hanif et al., in the book The Validity of the Ba'alwi Lineage, claim that the Ba'alwi lineage has already been verified (ithbat) by the great scholars of the Nusantara, Indonesia (Archipelago). Is this claim true? The first name he mentions is the great scholar from Banten, the Sayyid Ulama al-Hijaz, Syaikh Nawawi al-Bantani, and then he mentions several other scholars.
Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani (d. 1316 AH)
According to Hanif et al., Syaikh Nawawi verified the Ba'alwi lineage in his book Uqud al-Lujain. The text of the book Uqud al-Lujain in question is as follows:
(قَالَ سَيِّدُنَا ) أي أكرمنا (الحبيب) أي المحبوب السيد ( عَبْدُ الله (الحداد صَاحِبُ الطريقة المشهورة، والأسرار الكثيرة فاصطلاح بعض أهل البلاد أن ذرية رسول الله إذا كان ذكرا يقال له : حبيب"، وإن كانت أنثى يقال لها : "حبابة، واصطلاح الأكثر يقال له: "سيد" وسيدة."
"(Our Master said), meaning the most noble among us, (al-Habib), meaning the beloved, the Master (Abdullah al-Haddad), the owner of the famous path (tarekat) and numerous spiritual secrets. The terminology used in some lands to refer to the descendants of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) if it is a male is 'Habib', and if it is a female it is called 'Hubabah'. Meanwhile, the majority refer to the descendants of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as 'Sayyid' and 'Sayyidah'."According to Hanif and his colleagues, the text above serves as an affirmation (ithbat) by Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani regarding the Ba'alwi lineage. Yet, according to the rules of genealogy experts, something written without the explicit intention of establishing a lineage cannot be used as a proof (hujjah) for the validation of a lineage—such as the lineage chains of a tarekat (spiritual path) which are claimed to be a lineage from father to son, then to grandson, and so forth.
The genealogy expert Sheikh Khalil bin Ibrahim states:
{فالنسب يثبت اذا وجد في رقعة او كتاب بشرط ان يكون هذا المكتوب قطعي الدلالة على
المقصود وليس من المؤتلف اي متشابه الاسماء}
"Thus, a lineage can be considered verified (ithbatized) if it is found in a document or a book, provided that what is written holds definitive proof (qath'i al-dalalah) toward that specific objective, and does not consist of homonymous or confusingly similar names (al-mu'talif)."Likewise, genealogy experts have established a rule that not everything written about a lineage can be used as a binding proof (hujjah), including the text by Sheikh Nawawi.
Syaikh Khalil bin Ibrahim, in the book Muqaddimat fi 'Ilm al-Ansab, states:
{ليس كل من كتب في الانساب حجة وليس كل ما كتب يصح الاحتجاج به}
"Not everyone who writes about genealogy is a proof (hujjah). And not everything that is written is valid to be used as a proof."Furthermore, the book Uqud al-Lujjain is not a book of genealogy (nasab). According to the standard rules of genealogists, a lineage can only be verified by dedicated books of genealogy.
Sheikh Khalil bin Ibrahim states:
{لا يؤخذ هذ العلم الا من مصادره ومراجعه المعتمدة}
"This science (the validation of lineage) cannot be taken except from its authoritative sources and references."Based on this, what has been written by Hanif et al. concerning Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani and other Nusantara scholars who are claimed to recognize the Ba'alwi lineage means nothing in preventing the invalidation of the Ba'alwi lineage according to the standard rules held by genealogy experts.
Sheikh Hasyim Asy'ari (d. 1366 AH)
Another scholar claimed by Hanif Alatas et al. to recognize the Ba'alwi
lineage is Syaikh Hasyim Asy'ari. According to Hanif et al., Syaikh Hasyim
Asy'ari once recorded the name of a Ba'alwi individual using the honorific
title Sayyid. Since the title Sayyid is a characteristic marker for the
descendants of the Prophet, they argue this means Syaikh Hasyim Asy'ari
verified the Ba'alwi family as descendants of the Prophet.
Is such
a syllogism validated by genealogy experts? Is it true that when a person uses
the title Sayyid, they have verified that individual as a descendant of the
Prophet? As it turns out, genealogists and scholars of jurisprudence (fiqh) do
not consider the verification of lineage valid based solely on the usage of
the honorific titles Sayyid or Syarif.
Imam Al-Subki, in the book
Fatawa al-Subki, states:
{وَكَأَنَّا إِذَا قُلْنَا: يَا شَرِيفُ أَوْ جَاءَ الشَّرِيفُ، وَمَا أَشْبَهَ
ذَلِكَ مُوَافِقًا الشَّرِيفَ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَا، فَإِذَا رَأَيْنَا مَكْتُوبًا
لَيْسَ مَقْصُودُهُ إِثْبَات النَّسَبِ} {لَمْ تَحْمِلْهُ عَلَى إِثْبَاتِ
النَّسَبِ وَلَا يَجُوزُ التَّعَلَّقُ بِهِ فِي إِثْبَاتِهِ إِذَا كَانَ
الْمَقْصُودُ مِنْهُ غَيْرَهُ}
"And similarly, if we say: 'O Syarif,' or 'The Syarif has arrived,' and the like, in agreement with the Syarif regarding what we have mentioned—if we see a text whose intended purpose is not the validation of lineage, we must not interpret it as a validation of lineage. It is impermissible to depend upon it for verifying a lineage when the intended purpose of the text was something else entirely."Imam Al-Subki also states:
{فَكَثِيرٌ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مَشْهُورٌ بَيْنَ النَّاس بالشَّرَفِ لَوْ سُئِلْنَا
أَنْ نَشْهَدَ لَهُ بِالشَّرَفِ لَمْ يُخَلَّصْنَا ذَلِكَ مَعَ أَنَا نُطْلِقُ
عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ فِي مُخَاطَبَتِنَا لَهُ}
{وَلِغَيْرِهِ
بِالشَّرَفِ وَكَذَلِكَ جَمِيعُ الْأَنْسَابِ وَمَا ذَاكَ إِلَّا لِلْعِلم
بِأَنَّ الْإِطْلَاقَ فِي الْعُرْفِ تَحْمُولٌ عَلَى الِاعْتِمَادِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ
مِنْ غَيْرِ انْتِهَاءٍ إِلَى الرُّتْبَةِ الْمُسَوّعَةِ} {لِلشَّهَادَةِ
وَلَا شَكٍّ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ يَحْصُلُ ظَنَّا ضَعِيفًا وَذَلِكَ الظَّنُّ الظَّعِيفُ
يَكْفِي فِي إِطْلَاقِ التَّحَاطُبِ وَلَا يَكْفِي فِي الشَّهَادَةِ}
"For many who are popular among the people as holding nobility (syaraf), if we were asked to formally testify to their nobility, we would not fulfill it, even though we use the title 'Syarif' for them night and day in our direct speech and when addressing others. The same applies to all lineages. This is because it is understood that such absolute usage in customary practice ('urf) is merely carried out as a matter of conversational reliance, without ever reaching the threshold that permits formal legal testimony. There is no doubt that such a practice only yields a weak assumption (zhann dha'if), and this weak assumption is sufficient for standard forms of address (ithlaq al-takhathub), but it is entirely insufficient for legal testimony."Therefore, what is presented by Hanif Alatas et al.—claiming that Syaikh Hasyim Asy'ari and other Nusantara scholars verified the Ba'alwi lineage—is incorrect under Islamic jurisprudence and the standard rules of genealogy. What those scholars practiced was merely "ithlaq al-takhathub" (solely a manner of address).
Abdullah and Ubaidillah
Within this chapter, Hanif et al. slip in a discussion concerning the names
Abdullah and Ubaidillah. According to Hanif, the name Abdullah written by
Al-Janadi in the book Al-Suluk is identical to the name Ubaidillah found in
their family tree. What Hanif et al. assert does not align with the standard
rules of genealogy. Experts in the field state that a book can only serve as a
reference if the written name matches the intended individual exactly, rather
than relying on a mere similarity between names.
The genealogy
expert Syaikh Khalil bin Ibrahim states:
فالنسب يثبت اذا وجد في رقعة او كتاب بشرط ان يكون هذا المكتوب قطعي الدلالة على المقصود وليس من المؤتلف اي متشابه الاسماء
"Thus, a lineage can be considered verified (diitsbat) if it is found in a document or a book, provided that what is written holds definitive proof (qath'i al-dalalah) toward that specific objective, and does not consist of homonymous or confusingly similar names (al-mu'talif)."So, quite apart from the lack of authenticity regarding the lineage of Syarif Abul Jadid—who was recorded by Al-Janadi as a great-grandson of Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Isa—when the Ba'alwi family uses the book Al-Suluk as proof, it remains invalid because the name recognized within the Ba'alwi family is Ubaidillah, not Abdullah. The two names are indeed similar, but they represent entirely different individuals. Such is the rule in the science of genealogy.