Pantheism & Siti Jenar

August 1st, 2007, in News, by Patung

Pantheism survives on Java in confused form, although it sometimes needs police protection.

Sheikh Siti Jenar (or Lemah Abang) was a 16th century Sufi religious leader, sometimes called the 10th Wali, or the 10th Holy Man, who preached a pantheistic, other-worldly understanding of Islam, which among other things, taught that the five pillars of Islam did not need to be abided by in this life, but only in the next, because this life is immaterial. He is once supposed to have said: [1]

Know you that Siti Jenar does not exist, now it is Allah who appears; report this. There is no Friday, there is no mosque, only Allah exists. There is nothing other which now has existence.

Some people interpreted this to mean that Siti Jenar was claiming to be God, and in general his mystical thought offended the more orthodox minds of the actual (nine) Wali Songo, the men who spread Islam in Java, and they conspired to have him tried for heresy and then put to death. [2] His executioners then substituted a dog for his corpse, so as to humiliate him after death. [3] Despite his failure his teachings continued to be quite influential among the Javanese, even to this Arabising day, and former president Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) proudly goes about acknowledging himself to be a direct descendant of Siti Jenar. [4]

The tomb of Siti Jenar, in Demak.

Another, lesser known, admirer of Siti Jenar, one Mathal (32) of Rajekwesi Kendit village in Situbondo, East Java, is an avid student of Siti Jenar’s teachings and something in these works caused him to go about the village recommending that it was only necessary to pray once a week, rather than five times daily, that marriage could be undertaken purely on the basis of mutual liking, without any ceremony, and that mosque loudspeakers should have their volume sharply turned down, or be switched off altogether.

Another man in the village, Taufik Luthfi, was said to be concerned that villagers would become angry with Mathal, and even kill him, and so he reported Mathal to the police, who then arrested him.

Policeman Triyono however says that Mathal will not be charged with any offence, like blasphemy, and that he is being kept in custody only for his own safety.

Once things have settled down we’ll let him go.

Mathal himself, who is only a graduate of primary school, says:

I’m really sorry.

He admits that his studies of the teachings of Siti Jenar may need some more time and work. [5]

Tags: Java, Religion

11 Comments on “Pantheism & Siti Jenar”

John Orford Says:
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:07 am
Why do these rebels always focus on the number of times one has to pray?

Lots of people I know only pray when they want to — the arguments are rather academic.
Sylvester Says:
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:35 am
Yes! Turn off the speaker! That’s the most annoying thing when living in Indo. I guess it because Islam’s god is so far away and lazy.
Djoko Says:
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Actually its not calling to God, but calling to Muslims to pray. Actual prayer itself doesn’t even need to be voiced, but can be said silently. I live two doors away from a mosque with a loudspeaker and barely even hear the call to prayer, or if I do hear it I don’t really notice it all that much. Some people must have hyper sensitive hearing.

It’s fine if this guy only wants to pray once a week, why does he need to do the whole radical thing and go around trying to get everyone else to do the same as him. Let everyone do their own thing.
Bas Says:
August 5th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
And shut off those dictatorial loud speakers! It just make more and more people hating Islam.
Petunjuk Says:
August 10th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Strange, I found adzan from those loudspeakers as the most beautiful sound in the world. Besides those loud speakers have been here far longer than you’re.
Shiva Says:
August 11th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Indo/islam democracy,

You can turn your speakers up full blast, But I can turn on mine louder

or

Keep the peace, dont beep your horn outside my mosque
Rosliabdghani Says:
October 9th, 2007 at 11:32 am
What interest me is the teaching of Siti Jenar. Not the ones that his so called followers are trying to propagate.
The loud speakers things are the priviledges of the majority in a country. One will get used to it.
We should try to get more text of his teachings. It would be fascinating to ponder upon. It’s unorthodox, I suppose.
remy Says:
November 28th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Yes, I agree, the one he quote,

“Know you that Siti Jenar does not exist, now it is Allah who appears; report this. There is no Friday, there is no mosque, only Allah exists. There is nothing other which now has existence.” ,

for me, has much deeper meaning, it’s not the exact meaning of the words(sorry, not to be blamed as some people are born to be a bit slow),
but the inner meaning as to which the word points to.
a resemblance of the heart’s truth i might say.

“Only Allah would know”
firdaus Says:
February 14th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Yes, I agree, the one he quote,

“Know you that Siti Jenar does not exist, now it is Allah who appears; report this. There is no Friday, there is no mosque, only Allah exists. There is nothing other which now has existence.” ,

I will requote back what it really means:

Syekh Siti Jenar was in a state where he and Allah meets. Its not he who declare he’s the god. A lot of the people have mistaken that. We could all reach to that state(fana’). Allah and Muhammad is not far from us. If not Allah would not be able to noe what good and bad deeds we have done correct?

Dari cahaya ku datangnye kamu ya Muhammad. Dan dari kamulah wujudnye semesta alam
muhammad nugraha Says:
April 27th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
People pretend to know it all. people judge on the basis they believe rather than on the basis the really know. People pretend they know things like allah, what he wants, what he doesn’t want and then use the pretense to judge other people who believe in different things. Poor you…
Jenar Follower Says:
August 29th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Don’t ever talk if you still didnt know, you see to deep, if you knew what is the real jenar you will never turn in back.