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Reform Movements
Muhammad Hisyam
Introduction Scientific and technological advances place in understanding religion. The the sciences that developed through
also allowed the European nations invention of printing technology also proof and experiments (burhani) and
In the West, the rise of rationalism gave to explore the world, i.e. the regions which had advanced in the past such as
birth to the Renaissance, the movement played a major role in accelerating the physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy,
that aspired to liberate humanity from the across the sea. Initially, the purpose spread of Protestant reform under the
shackles of mythology that had confined of their explorations of the other parts leadership of Martin Luther and John and medicine, all were in decline.
the people in Europe during the Middle of the world was to obtain commercial Calvin. Therefore, Protestantism was Experts refer to this period as a time of
commodities and raw materials to
setback. The dark ages of Islam lasted
born as a form of Christianity that was
Ages. Their theocentric mindset had develop their industries. In various ways, more critical to understanding dogmatic approximately 400 years. Ration-based
confined them for so long that it was slowly but surely, colonization started and mythical notions than old Roman sciences (burhani) stagnated, whereas
as if humans were incapable of doing as they changed their objective to the Catholicism. The birth of Protestantism explanatory (bayani) based knowledge
anything. The revival of rationalism did political subjugation of the regions also led to inevitable religious conflicts as also halted, because the gate of ijtihad
away with this theocentric view and put across the sea. So, initially, they came to for about 30 years (1618-1648) Europe had been closed.
man at the center of everything. Life trade, then to monopolize, and finally to was plunged into “wars of religion”.
was no longer centered on God, but on colonialize the world. In the midst of this stagnated era,
people. This anthropocentrism destroyed away from its center in Arabia, Islam
th
the ocentric mythology and replaced it by Entering the 17 century, European Since Baghdad had been conquered penetrated new territories in the Far
humanist rationalism, in which man could colonization spread everywhere, to in 1280 after Mongol attacks, Islamic East, namely the Indonesian archipelago.
do anything without God’s intervention Africa, America, South and Southeast civilization began to decline. What It can be assumed that the kind of
(Kuntowijoyo, 1994: 160). Asia, up to the Pacific. European nations developed later was Sufism, an Islam that entered the archipelago from
discovered that the population of the illuminative (irfani) paradigm of around the 14 until the 16 century
th
th
The Renaissance was the beginning of countries in North Africa, and South knowledge based on the essential wasa Sufi-oriented one. According
the rise of Europe towards modernism. and Southeast Asia were Muslims. wisdom of mystical gnosis to achieve to some theories, in the early period,
It was characterized by the “deification” Their colonial reign lasted hundreds a close relationship with God. Sufism after the conversion of Hindus to Islam,
of human reason, in which man could of years exploiting natural resources, is a spiritual science that uses the until the mid-19 century, their religious
th
progress only by way of appreciating enslaving the people and making them heart as its mechanism to achieve the orientation was likely to be Sufi. The Sufi
reason, and by liberating himself from his stupid, and humiliating their dignity. highest dignity in human life. Sufism is orientation of the early period can be
dependence on God.. In about a century, They built modernism by placing the most logical way to cure the people seen in the legacy of Islamic books on
the Renaissance successfully enabled mankind at the center to appreciate who were depressed because of their the mystic path (suluk) that portray an
the Western World to attain progress in reason and to discard mythological “defeat”. Within the development of Islamic way of life colored by a heterodox
science and culture. Later, new findings ways of thinking and thus, leaving Sufism, which is based in the heart, Sufi orientation. Islam was based on the
in science and technology also brought behind the era of darkness, to enter other Islamic sciences that are based book of Allah, the Qur’an, mingled with
about the industrial revolution, where one of enlightenment. At the same time, on the sacred texts (turath) like Qur’anic magic that resembled the subjugation
factories were built to produce goods in religions were being reformed, in which interpretation, Islamic jurisprudence, of the supernatural forces of the local
large quantities to meet human needs. reason was positioned into its proper and theology began to prosper while culture. Among the books on mysticism
258 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 259
