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View all search resultsAzyumardi was the whole package. He carried out a beautiful balance between intellectuality and bureaucracy.
At midday Sept. 18, I received a WhatsApp message from a friend of mine saying that Azyumardi Azra, a famous historian and great Muslim scholar, passed away at 12:30 local time in Kuala Lumpur. His death is a big loss to our country, moderate Muslims and intellectual society.
I called him Pak Edi. I contributed an article to his 66th anniversary entitled Menulislah Hingga ke Liang Lahat, literally “writing to the grave”; figuratively, “writing till death”. He passed away prior to his scheduled presentation in a seminar on cosmopolitan Islam in Kuala Lumpur.
I have no qualms about saying that Azyumardi was a man for all seasons -- a man who was successful and talented in many areas. He was the whole package. He carried out a beautiful balance between intellectuality and bureaucracy.
In terms of his intellectual tradition, Azyumardi had the ability to write fast and deep. His capability to quickly write various weekly and monthly articles, columns or essays, which were very informative and rich in perspective, was rooted in his extensive historical comprehension. In addition, it was supported by his aptitude for finding a red thread leading to shrewd analysis.
His arguments dazzled everyone, even when being interviewed. Amid noise and uncertain timing, as journalists could have contacted him anytime, his insights and associative abilities were stunning. Anyone who read Islam Substantif (Substantive Islam) was amazed by his wide-ranging perspectives, despite the fact that this is merely a collection of his interviews on diverse issues.
Unsurprisingly, Azyumardi was elected the chairman of the Press Council in May, making him another community figure to have won the trust to lead the Indonesian press-governing body.
Moreover, Azyumardi was recognized as Indonesia's most prestigious Muslim scholar thanks to his high-caliber work and research. He was very well-known in the international academic community because he was very productive in writing (books, book chapters, journal articles, research reports, etc.) in English.
Until now, no one has been able to match his productivity on Islamic studies. His book Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia is a classic, a most-referenced book and an indispensable source book. One of his scholarly legacies is Studia Islamika journal, an international journal published by the Center for Islamic and Community Studies (PPIM) of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta, Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten. Azyumardi established it in 1994 and became its editor-in-chief since its inception until his death.
His hectic schedule as the rector of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah never diminished his enthusiasm for writing for newspapers, magazines, academic journals and seminars at home and abroad. It is no secret that being an official in a bureaucracy usually means someone will lose time and the habit of writing and research.
The choice to become a pure scholar often results in scientists or lecturers who are lacking in the creativity and experience needed for leadership. Moreover, power traps, such as money, deter many lecturers or researchers from participating in the bureaucratic realm.
Being both a writing bureaucrat and a bureaucratic writer, Azyumardi emphasized that “when you get one thing, you do not have to lose something else” or “you must not choose because you cannot have everything”.
While his books continued to be produced, at the same time he brilliantly transformed IAIN (State Islamic Institute) into UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, one of the most prestigious Islamic universities in Southeast Asia. As a rector, he has made a foray into transformative leadership.
His experience as a bureaucrat-intellectual gave Azyumardi independence, whether in thinking or writing. He never hesitated to criticize the government, the parliament and even other intellectual figures whom he considered mistaken and problematic.
He once criticized Marwah Daud Ibrahim as chair of the Padepokan Dimas Kanjeng Foundation (PDK) concerning the money-multiplier spiritual-guru Dimas Kanjeng. He openly crucified Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD for being inconsistent with government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Azyumardi never feared attaining a crescendo nor chickened out of his fixation on integrity. His critical attitude was not only related to his mature intellectuality, but also boosted by his capacity as an accomplished administrator.
On Sept. 28, 2010, for his services in the formation of the United Kingdom-Indonesia Islamic Advisory Group, he obtained the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), making him the first person outside the Commonwealth countries to do so. This gave him certain benefits: He could use the title “Sir”, like the British nobility. He was also free to go in and out of the UK without a visa.
In 2017, the Japanese government bestowed him with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. This gift was given for his services in building an understanding of Islam for Japanese society. At home, in the same year, he won the Sarwono Prawirohardjo Memorial Lecture Award from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), which has been liquidated into the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
Goodbye Pak Azyumardi. You will be missed. A noble place is waiting for you by His side. Amen.
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The writer is a lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities, Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatra.
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