Mahmud Yunus (
Old Spelling: Mahmoed Joenoes) (February 10, 1899 – January 16, 1982) was an Indonesian
Minangkabau Islamic preacher and teacher. He authored over seventy-five books, including ''Tafsir Qur'an Karim'' ("Interpretation of the Karim Koran") and an
Arab-Indonesian
Arab Indonesians ( ar, عربٌ إندونيسيون) or ''Hadharem'' (; sing., ''Hadhrami'', ), informally known as Jama'ah, and until the 20th century known as Codjas or Kodjas, note the work was also published in the Hague and Utrecht simulta ...
dictionary. His books are used in
madarsas and
pesantren
''Pesantren'', or ''pondok pesantren'', are Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. They consist of pondok, mosque, santri, teaching of classical Islamic texts and Kyai.Zamakhsyari Dhofie''The Pesantren Tradition: A Study of the Role of the Kyai ...
s. During his employment in the Indonesian
Department of Religion, he promoted the incorporation of religious lessons into the national education curriculum. Yunus received an Honorary Doctorate in "tarbiyah" (the teaching of
personal development
Personal development or self improvement consists of activities that develop a person's capabilities and potential, build human capital, facilitate employability, and enhance quality of life and the realization of dreams and aspirations. Persona ...
) from
IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta. A road to IAIN Imam Bonjol,
Padang is named after him.
Early in his career, Yunus taught at a
surau
A surau is an Islamic assembly building in some regions of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula used for worship and religious instruction. Generally smaller physical structures, its ritual functions are similar to a mosque, allow men and women, an ...
and at a Madrasa School of which he was an
alumnus
Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...
. He joined Persatuan Guru Agama Islam (P.G.A.I) the Association of Indonesian Teachers. In 1923, he studied in
Cairo,
Egypt. In 1931, Yunus returned to the village of his birth. In 1932, he taught in
Padang and founded the Normal Islam School.
Later, he was the principal of Sekolah Tinggi Islam (S.T.I.) Padang, the Padang Islamic High School.
During
Japanese occupation, Yunus worked for the government on Islamic education issues. Yunus' promotion of Islamic education began with its introduction in Minangkabau. On January 20, 1951, religious studies were adopted as a part of national curriculum. Then, on June 1, 1957, Yunus was appointed the first director of Akademi Dinas Ilmu Agama (A.D.I.A.), the Service Academy of Religious Sciences in Jakarta (
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta). From 1967 to 1970, Yunus was director of the
Institut Agama Islam Negeri Imam Bonjol.
Yunus died on January 16, 1982, aged 82.
References
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External links
Mahmud Yunusin Islamic Religion Education Directorate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yunus, Mahmud
1899 births
1982 deaths
Indonesian schoolteachers
Indonesian Islamic religious leaders
People from Tanah Datar Regency