East Java's Nashabandiyah sect searches for shortcut to heaven

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jombang, October 19, 2007

An Islamic sect in Jombang city, East Java, determined their own start and end dates for Ramadhan this year and celebrated the Idul Fitri holiday on Sunday, later than most Muslims.

Leader of the Tarekat Nashabandiyah Khalidiyah Mujadadiyah al Aliyah sect, KH Nasuha Anwar, said the decision was made based on an ancient calculation method.

"This is the religious ritual that we believe to be true, and we are prepared to die for it," Nasuha told The Jakarta Post.

The sect focuses its activities at Baitul Mutaqin mosque in Kapas hamlet, Jombang regency.

The mosque was built in 1898 and is located on the outskirts of Jombang city.

The mosque acts as an education center for members of the sect and focuses on prayer and Koran recitals, with its adherents believing they can take a shortcut to heaven through performing rituals.

Members of the sect believe they practice Islam the way Prophet Muhammad did, which they claim has been abandoned by most Muslims and replaced with modern technology.

The most distinctive method used by the sect's adherents is the use of an ancient calculation method, called aboge, to determine the dates for Ramadhan and Idul Fitri.

The majority of Muslims use the rukyatul hilal, or direct observation of the moon's position to determine the dates -- as is used by the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama -- and hisab, or mathematical calculation to determine the months -- which Muhammadiyah uses.

"The aboge method is more precise, as is taught by our mursyid (revered leader) Syech Abdullah Fakir," Nasuha said.

The sect's followers also carry out the kholwat ritual, in which they retreat inside cloth enclosures erected outside the Baitul Mutaqin mosque, fast for three days and meditate.

"The ritual, which includes Koran recitals, is only performed by Nashabandiyah Khalidiyah members."

The religious sect was established by Syech Abdullah Fakir, the son-in-law of Syech Usman Ja'fani, a religious leader who helped spread Islam across the island of Java.

Syech Abdullah Fakir, a religious scholar from Mecca, learned the teachings of Jabal Kubais Mekkah, which were later passed on to Kyai Ja'far, then handed down to Kyai Anwar and Kyai Nasuha Anwar's father.

"Kyai Anwar's main teaching is the kholwat, which lasts for 40 days during the Javanese month of Selo. The essence of the ritual is to gain faith in acknowledging God's unity, formality in religious rituals and respect for elders," Nasuha said.

The sect claims to have as many as 3,000 members, scattered across Java and Sumatra.

However, its religious activities are concentrated in the Baitul Mutaqin mosque, which stands on a 800-square meter plot of donated land, and on which the remains of Syech Abdullah Fakir and his descendants are buried.

Salikun, the leader of Nahdlatul Ulama in Kebontemu, Jombang, said despite the difference in affiliation, his organization had never denounced the group.

"The NU community in Jombang has never felt distracted by their presence. We live peacefully, side by side," Salikun said.

He said the residents who disapproved of Nashabandiyah Khalidiyah teachings usually prayed at other mosques.

"We are all Muslims, despite the difference in rituals."