Sahal Mahfudh (December 17, 1937January 24, 2014) was 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 cleric. He was the spiritual leader (''rais aam') '' – the most senior cleric – of the

Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islam in Indonesia, Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitab ...

, Indonesia's largest Muslim majority organization, from 1999 to the time of his death in 2014. He was also chairman of the

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). He took over the Maslakul Huda boarding school from his father, Kiai Mahfudz Salam, in 1963. Sahal was born in Pati,

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

, and died at his residence in the Maslakul Huda Islamic boarding school in Kajen, Margoyoso in

Pati Regency Pati Regency ( jv, Pathi, ꦥꦛꦶ) is a regency ( id, kabupaten) in the northeastern region of Central Java Province, on the island of Java in Indonesia. The regency covers an area of 1,503.68 km2, on the coast of the Java Sea. It had a p ...

. He had previously been treated at the Dr. Kariadi General Hospital in Semarang for lung and heart problems. Sahal never entered politics.https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/01/25/senior-nu-cleric-sahal-mahfudz-dies-77.html "Known as a Muslim leader who refused to enter politics"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahfudz, Sahal 1937 births 2014 deaths Indonesian Islamic religious leaders Javanese people Nahdlatul Ulama