Episode 8
Sheikh Ahmad Khatib al-Minangkabawi — an Imam from the Minang Land
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Ahmad Khatib al-Minangkabawi (1860–1916) was a great scholar from Minangkabau, West Sumatra, who reached a special station in the holy land: he became an imam and teacher in the Sacred Mosque of Makkah, a rare honour for a scholar from the archipelago. As a teacher at the centre of the Muslim world, he became a teacher to many students from the archipelago studying in Makkah. Remarkably, from his tutelage came figures of differing strands of thought who would later shape the two great currents of Indonesian Islam — including the founders of Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. This shows the breadth and sincerity of his teaching: he taught, then let his students develop according to their own reasoning. Ahmad Khatib also wrote various works and was known for a critical stance toward practices he judged deviant, urging a purification of religious understanding. Reflection: a great teacher is one who produces students able to think independently. Difference of view among students is not a failure but proof of the breadth of the knowledge instilled. Sources & Notes: Ahmad Khatib's position as an imam of the Sacred Mosque and as teacher of the founders of NU (KH Hasyim Asy'ari) and Muhammadiyah (KH Ahmad Dahlan) is a historical fact recorded in the biographies of both figures and in the history of Indonesian Islamic scholarship. Some of his works can still be found.
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KH Hasyim Asy'ari — Founder of Nahdlatul Ulama