Kyai A kyai ( ) is an expert in Islam. This denomination is usually used among the ethnic Javanese people. Origins The word kyai is originally from Javanese. Sometimes, it is spelled kiai. Traditionally, students of Islam in Indonesia would study ...

Haji Hajji (; sometimes spelled Hajjeh, Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. Etymology ''Hajji'' is derived from the Arabic ' (), which ...

Hasyim Asy'ari (also spelled Hashim Ashari; 14 February 1871 or 10 April 1875 – 25 July 1947) was an Indonesian ''

ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

'', National Hero and founder of

Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership numbered over 40 million in 2023, making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU is also a charitable body funding schools and hospitals as well as or ...

Biography

Hasyim Asy'ari was born Muhammad Hasyim in Gedang,

Jombang Regency Jombang Regency (; ) is a regency of East Java, Indonesia, situated to the southwest of Surabaya. The capital of the regency is the town of Jombang. The regency has an area of 1,159.50 km2 and a population of 1,202,407 at the 2010 censusBiro ...

on 10 April 1875. His parents were Asy'ari and Halimah. His family was deeply involved in the administrations of '' pesantrens'' (local Islamic boarding schools). His grandfather, Kiai Usman was the founder of Pesantren Gedang and his great-grandfather was the founder of Pesantren Tambakberas. He was the third son of ten siblings. Hasyim Asy'ari's ancestry can be traced to Sultan Hadiwijaya of

Pajang The Kingdom of Pajang or Sultanate of Pajang (; 1568–1586) was a short-lived Muslim state in Java. It was established by Adiwijaya or Jaka Tingkir, Lord of Boyolali, after a civil war and was a successor to Sultanate of Demak. Adiwijaya cla ...

, and further, to Brawijaya VI ( Girindrawardhana), the last king of

Majapahit Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island o ...

. He was educated by Ahmad Khatib al-Minangkabawi, an Imam at

Masjid al-Haram Masjid al-Haram (), also known as the Sacred Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca, is considered to be the most significant mosque in Islam. It encloses the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca, in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia. It is among the ...

and ''

'', who was also the teacher of

Ahmad Dahlan Kyai Hajji, Haji Ahmad Dahlan (born as Muhammad Darwis;‎ ;‎ 1 August 1868 – 23 February 1923), often abbreviated to K.H. Ahmad Dahlan, was an Indonesian Islam in Indonesia, Muslim Kyai, religious leader and Islamic revivalism, revival ...

, the founder of

Muhammadiyah Muhammadiyah (), officially Muhammadiyah Society () is a major Islamic non-governmental organization in Indonesia.A. Jalil HamidTackle the rising cost of living longer New Straits Times, 30 October 2016. Accessed 1 November 2016. The organization ...

, and Zakaria bin Muhammad Amin, the founder of Al-Khairiyah Islamic boarding school and MDTA Mahbatul Ulum. At the age of twenty, he married Khadijah, the daughter of Pesantren Siwalan Panji's leader. One year later, they went to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. After seven months, his wife died, and also his son, Abdullah two months later. In 1899, he founded Pesantren Tebuireng, which later became the largest

pesantren ''Pesantren'' is a traditional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia. It is taught either in private houses, a ''wiktionary:pondok, pondok'' or a mosque, the teaching includes classical Islamic texts and ''santri'' thought, taught by Kyai, ''kya ...

in Java in the early 20th century having four thousand students in 1947. The pesantren also became the center for the reform of traditional Islamic teaching. On 31 January 1926, he and several traditional Islamic leaders founded

(Awakening of ''Ulama''s). During the Japanese occupation era, he was arrested, and several months later he was released and became Head of Religious Affairs. He died suddenly on 25 July 1947 due to hypertension, after hearing news that Dutch troops were winning a battle in

Malang Malang (; , ), historically known as Tumapel, is an inland 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 the Singhasari, Singhasari K ...

Personal life

He married seven times and all of his wives were daughters of ''ulama''s. Four of his wives were Khadijah, Nafisah, Nafiqah and Masrurah. One of his sons, Wahid Hasyim was one of the formulators of the Jakarta Charter and later became Minister of Religious Affairs, while his grandson

Abdurrahman Wahid Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; né ad-Dakhil, 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islam in Indonesia, Islamic Kyai, religious leader who served as the fourth president of Indone ...

became

President of Indonesia The president of the Republic of Indonesia () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president is the leader of the executive branch of the Indonesian government and the commander-in-chief of the ...

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Asyari, Hasyim 1875 births 1947 deaths Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan Indonesian Sunni Muslims Nahdlatul Ulama people National Heroes of Indonesia People from Jombang Regency Wahid family