Ahmad Wahib
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Ahmad Wahib | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 November 1942 Sampang, Indonesia |
| Died | 31 March 1973 (aged 30) |
| Alma mater | Gadjah Mada University |
| Occupation | journalist |
| Known for | Islamic reformism |
| Notable work | Pergolakan Pemikiran Islam (Upheaval in Islamic Thinking) |
Ahmad Wahib (November 9, 1942 - March 31, 1973) was an Indonesian progressive Islamic intellectual.[1] He is known for his reformist thinking especially from his diary in the publication Pergolakan Pemikiran Islam (Upheaval in Islamic Thinking) edited by his fellow progressive Islamic thinkers Djohan Effendi and Ismet Natsir.[2] In his diary, he criticized heavily the perceived rigidity and the absolutism of Islamic traditions and advocated for the radical reapproach on religious norms.[3] He was a part of the Yogyakarta based progressive Islamic intellectual circle Limited Group led by Mukti Ali.[4] In one interview with Douglas E. Ramage, an Indonesian intellectual graduated from the University of South Carolina, he referred to Wahib as one of the revolutionary Islamic thinkers. He died in a traffic accident on March 31, 1973, at the age of 30.
Wahib grew up in a religiously devout environment in Madura, one of the strongholds of the Islamic mass organization Nahdlatul Ulama. His father was a leader of pesantren and was widely known in his community. During his youth, he was inspired by Muhammad Abduh's renewal and modernist thinking, and thus inclined to rejecting the idol which was revered by his tradition and ancestors. Idolatry was popular among the Madurese folk traditions, which glorified objects such as spear, kris, and primbon book. Provoking on this issue had generated interest in more general issues such as the nature of Islamic ideology.[5]
