Muhammad Quraish Shihab ( ar, محمّد قريش شهاب; '; February 16, 1944) is an
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
-
Bugis
The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawe ...
Muslim scholar in the sciences of the Qur'an, an author, an Academic Scholar, and former
Minister of Religious Affairs in the
Fourth Development Cabinet
The Fourth Development Cabinet ( id, Kabinet Pembangunan IV) was the Indonesian cabinet which served under President Suharto and Vice President Umar Wirahadikusumah from March 1983 until March 1988. The Cabinet was formed after Suharto was ele ...
(1998). He is the older brother of the former Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare,
Alwi Shihab
Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab ( ar, علوي عبد الرحمن شهاب ') (born 19 August 1946 in South Sulawesi) is a scholar of the interaction of Christian and Muslim communities. Currently he is the Indonesian President's special envoy to the ...
.
Biography
Quraish was born in Lotassalo,
Rappang, on February 16, 1944. His father was Abdurrahman Shihab, an Islamic scholar and professor at State Institute of Islamic Sciences and his mother was Asma Aburisyi. Quraish is the fourth son of twelve siblings. His three older siblings, Nur, Ali (d) and Umar, and two younger siblings, Wardah and
Alwi Shihab
Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab ( ar, علوي عبد الرحمن شهاب ') (born 19 August 1946 in South Sulawesi) is a scholar of the interaction of Christian and Muslim communities. Currently he is the Indonesian President's special envoy to the ...
, were also born in
Rappang. Seven other siblings namely Nina, Sida, Nizar, Abdul Muthalib, Salwa and twin sister Ulfa and Latifah, were born in the village of
Buton
Buton (also Butung, Boeton or Button) is an island in Indonesia located off the southeast peninsula of Sulawesi. It covers roughly 4,727 square kilometers in area, or about the size of Madura; it is the 129th largest island in the world and I ...
.
Quraish Shihab, called ''Bang Odes'' by his younger siblings,
is 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 ...
of
Ba 'Alawi sada
The Ba 'Alawi sadah or Sadah Ba 'Alawi ( ar-at, السادة آل باعلوي, al-sādatu al-bā'alawiy) are a group of Hadhrami Sayyid families and social group originating in Hadhramaut in the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Th ...
family, where his family lineage traces back to
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, the
prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. In addition to Arab, he is also of
Bugis
The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawe ...
descent.
Personal life
![Najelaa Shihab and Quraish Shihab](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Najelaa_Shihab_and_Quraish_Shihab.jpg)
Quraish married Fatmawaty Assegaf on February 2, 1975 in
Surakarta
Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoh ...
. From the marriage, they have four daughters (Najelaa, Najwa, Nasywa, Nahla) and one son, Ahmad.
Education
After completing his early education in
Ujung Pandang
Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, M ...
, Quraish continued his secondary education in
Malang
Malang (; ) is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari, Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most popul ...
, which he did while at the ''Dar al-Hadith Al-Faqihiyyah'' boarding school under guidance of
Habib
Habib ( ar, حبيب, ''ḥabīb''; ), sometimes written as Habeeb, is an Arabic masculine given name, occasional surname, and honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "my love", or "darling". It also forms the famous Arabic word ‘''Habibi’'' ...
Abdul Qadir Bilfaqih.
[
In 1958 he went to ]Cairo, Egypt
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, and Admitted to 2nd grade in Al-Thanawiya (middle school level) at Al-Azhar
Al-Azhar Mosque ( ar, الجامع الأزهر, al-Jāmiʿ al-ʾAzhar, lit=The Resplendent Congregational Mosque, arz, جامع الأزهر, Gāmiʿ el-ʾazhar), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the historic ...
. In 1967, he earned an LC (Bachelor's degree) from the Department of Tafsir
Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...
and Hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
, the faculty of Islamic Theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
in Al-Azhar University
, image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg
, image_size = 250
, caption = Al-Azhar University portal
, motto =
, established =
*970/972 first foundat ...
. He continued his education at the same faculty in 1969 and earned master's degree in Tafseer
Tafsir ( ar, تفسير, tafsīr ) refers to exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' ( ar, مُفسّر; plural: ar, مفسّرون, mufassirūn). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, in ...
of the Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
with the thesis entitled ''Al-I'jaz Tashri'i li Al-Qur-an Al-Karim''.
Upon returning to Makassar
Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Med ...
, Quraish served as the Vice Rector for Academic and Student Affairs at IAIN Alauddin, Ujung Pandang. In addition, he was also entrusted with other positions, both for academic positions such as the Coordinator of Private Higher Education Region VII in Eastern Indonesia, and non-academic positions such as the Assistant Police Chief of Eastern Indonesia in the field of mental development. While in Makassar, he also had time to do some researches. Some of his papers were "Implementation Harmony Religious Life in Eastern Indonesia" (1975) and "Problems Endowments South Sulawesi" (1978).[
In 1980, Quraish Shihab returned to Cairo and continued his education at his old alma mater. In 1982 he earned his doctorate in the sciences of the Qur'an with the dissertation studying the method of al-Biqa'i (al-Biqa'i is a scholar of exegesis from Damascus in the 15th century) entitled ''The Research and Study of The Pearls System of al-Biqa'i'' ( ar-at, نظم الدرر للبقاعي – تحقيق ودراسة, Naẓami Al-Durar li al-Biqā'iy - tahqīq wa Dirāsah), where he graduated ]summa cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
with first class honors ().
Career
In 1984 Quraish was assigned as a lecturer in the Ushuluddin faculty and postgraduate faculty at IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
. He was entrusted to positions at various departments: among others; the co-chairman of Indonesian Ulema Council
Indonesian Ulema Council ( id, Majelis Ulama Indonesia, ar, مجلس العلماء الإندونيسي, abbreviated MUI) is Indonesia's top Islamic scholars body. MUI was founded in Jakarta on July 26, 1975 during the New Order era. The council ...
(MUI) (since 1984); member of ''Lajnah Pentashih Qur'an'' at the Department of Religious Affairs (since 1989) and member of the Advisory Board of National Education (since 1989).
Quraish Shihab is also heavily involved in several professional organizations; he is a member of the Shari'ah Science Society; member of the Consortium of the Religions at the Ministry of Education and Culture, and is the Assistant Chief of the General Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals ( ICMI).
Quraish was appointed as Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs in 1998 for about two months, and later appointed as The Indonesian Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and accredited to Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
in Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
from 1999 to 2002.
Publications
Quraish has written since he was twenty two years old, with his first book was 60-pages book written in Arabic titled ''Al- Khawathir'' published in Egypt.[ He has written more than 30 books. Among them are:
* ''Tafsir Al-Manar'': privileges and disadvantages (Ujung Pandang: IAIN Alauddin, 1984)
* ''Filsafat Hukum Islam'' (The Philosophy of Islamic Laws) (Jakarta: Department of Religion, 1987);
* ''Mahkota Tuntunan Ilahi'' (The Crown of Divine Guidance; a book on The ]Exegesis
Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...
of Surah
A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah ('' Al-K ...
Al-Fatihah) (Jakarta: Untagma, 1988)
* ''Membumikan al-Qur'an'' (Earthing the Quran) (Bandung: Mizan, 1992). This book is one of the Best Seller that has sold for more than 75 thousand copies.
* ''Lentera Hati: Kisah dan Hikmah Kehidupan'' (Lantern of Heart: The Story and Lessons of Life) in 1994 (with multiple reprinted editions)
* '' Tafsir Al-Mishbah'', a 15-volumes complete (30 juz) exegesis of the Qur'an (Jakarta: Lentera Hati)
* ''Wawasan Al-Qur'an: Tafsir Tematik Atas Pelbagai Persoalan Ummat'' (The insights of Koran: The thematic interpretation of various questions)
* ''Kaidah Tafsir'' (The Principles of Exegesis) (Lentera Hati, 2013), a book about methodologies and principles of Qur'anic interpretation.
* ''M. Quraish Shihab Menjawab pertanyaan Anak tentang Islam'' (Quraish Shihab Answering Children's questions about Islam) (Lentera Hati, 2014)
In addition to writing, he gives lectures in Islam-related programs at some television stations. Some popular programs, among other ''Kultum'' and ''Hikmah Fajar'' on RCTI, and ''Tafsir Al Mishbah'' in MetroTV.
Recognitions and awards
Quraish has been mentioned as one of 500 the most influential Muslims in the world in 2012 to 2015 by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre is a research centre affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought.
Its publications include:
*'' A Common Word Between Us and You''
*'' The Amman Message''
*''Forty Hadith on Divin ...
, a research entity affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought headquartered in Amman
Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...
, Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
. In 2009, he received the Islamic Book Fair (IBF) Award for his works in writing best-seller books. He received ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' in the same year from the Department of Islamic Theology of the Islamic State University of Jakarta on November 12, 2009.
Controversies
Quraish Shihab issues some fatwa
A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...
s which are considered controversial or too liberal by many Muslims in Indonesia. In 1993 and again on December 6 of 2003, he issued a fatwa allowing Muslims to say '' Merry Christmas'' to the Christians and published on the '' Republika'' daily-newspaper.
Around the year 2006, he wrote a book titled ''"Jilbab Pakaian Wanita Muslimah"'' expressing his long held but controversial view that it is not obligatory for women to wear the hijab
In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...
(veil), which clashed with opinions of many Islamic scholars. In the book he concludes that the verses in the Quran related to women's clothing have various interpretations, and said the legal provisions on the tolerable limit of female's aurah is ''zhanniy'' or a conjecture.
In the program ''Tafsir Al-Misbah'' on Metro-TV broadcast on July 12, 2014, Quraish Shihab was accused of saying that Prophet Muhammad does not receive a guarantee from Allah to enter paradise. However, he made a clarification saying that he never said that, and he stated a sahih hadith stating that Prophet Muhammad was given a guarantee to go to heaven because of Allah's mercy.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shihab, Muhammad Quraish
1944 births
Hashemite people
Indonesian people of Egyptian descent
Indonesian people of Saudi Arabian descent
Indonesian people of Yemeni descent
Indonesian Muslims
Living people
People from Sidenreng Rappang Regency
Sunni Sufis
20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
Indonesian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam