Indonesian Ahl al-Bayt Congregation Union (IJABI)
Indonesian Ahl al-Bayt Congregation Union (Indonesian: Ikatan Jamaah Ahlul Bait Indonesia) or the Organization of Ahl al-Bayt of Indonesia, abbreviated as IJABI, is a legal and official Shi'a entity in Indonesia that operates with the aim of promoting the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), strengthening Islamic Unity, and providing educational, cultural, and social services. This grassroots organization was founded by Jalaluddin Rahmat (d. 2021) in 2000.
With over 30 active branches in Indonesia, IJABI is responsible for holding religious occasions, scientific meetings, and interfaith dialogues. Emphasizing ethics, rationality, and love for the Ahl al-Bayt (a), it has played a constructive role in establishing Shi'a identity and interacting with other Islamic institutions.
IJABI; In the Path of Promoting Ahl al-Bayt Teachings and Islamic Unity
The Indonesian Ahl al-Bayt Congregation Union (IJABI) is a grassroots and religious institution working to spread the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and strengthen Islamic unity in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.[1] As'ad Said Ali, an Indonesian political figure, refers to the IJABI group as the engine of the Shi'a social movement in Indonesia.[2]
The intellectual foundations and goals of IJABI are based on two fundamental principles of Islam: the Qur'an and the love for the Ahl al-Bayt (a). These include introducing the Ahl al-Bayt as the model for an ideal civil society, promoting their rational, mystical, and ethical sciences and thoughts, raising awareness about issues in the Islamic world, supporting the oppressed and the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt, providing for the spiritual and material needs of believers, and strengthening unity among Islamic schools of thought.[3]
This center is responsible for executing Shi'a religious occasions in Indonesia, including the celebration of Eid al-Ghadir, the Muharram mourning and Safar mourning, the Anniversary of the Demise of Imam Khomeini, the birthday of the Prophet (s), the birthdays of the Imams of the Shi'a, and the anniversary of the Marriage of Imam Ali (a) and Lady Fatima (a).[4]
Establishment and Legal Status
The Organization of Ahl al-Bayt of Indonesia was established on July 2, 2000, in the city of Bandung by Jalaluddin Rakhmat, a Shi'a thinker and politician from Indonesia.[5] With about 30 branches across the country, it is the only organized and legal Shi'a entity in Indonesia active in religious spheres.[6]
According to reports, following the fall of Suharto, the second president of Indonesia, in 1998 and the rise of Abdurrahman Wahid, an open political atmosphere was created in Indonesia, and Shi'as expanded their political activities. Shi'a leaders from various tendencies agreed to create a Shi'a organization, with the primary goal of officially proving Shi'a identity. The name of the organization was proposed by Jalal al-Din Rahmat as "IJABI", which stands for Ikatan Jamaah Ahlul Bait Indonesia (Indonesian Ahl al-Bayt Congregation Union).[7]
Organizational Structure
The organizational structure of IJABI includes the Supreme Advisory Council (consisting of 7 Shi'a intellectuals), the Secretary-General, and executive deputies for education, propagation (Tablīgh), economics, international affairs, women's affairs (Fatimiyyah), legal affairs, and media.[8]
Branches and Affiliated Centers
Important branches of IJABI in Indonesian cities include:
- Mutahhari School and al-Jawad Institute (Bandung)
- Al-Hujjah Institute and Ahlulbait School (Jember)
- Ahlulbait School (Lumajang)
- Wahdat Institute (Solo)
- Tazkiya and al-Zahra Institute (Jakarta)
- Fatimiyyah Institute (Central Java).[9]
Fields of Activity
Some of the key areas of activity of the IJABI Union are as follows:
Education and Awareness: Establishing free schools in various regions, familiarizing people, especially Shi'as, with the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), holding scientific meetings in universities, and teaching Qur'anic sciences, Hadith sciences, Islamic Philosophy, mysticism ('irfan), jurisprudence (fiqh), sociology, and religious psychology.[10]
Social and Humanitarian Services: Supporting the oppressed, providing health and medical assistance, and strengthening the economic foundations of believers and the needy.[11]
Inter-institutional Cooperation: Interacting with other governmental and Islamic organizations and institutions, and participating in interfaith and intercultural dialogues.[12]
Proximity Activities (Taqrib): Cooperating with the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), holding joint Shi'a-Sunni conferences, regional trips to promote the results of religious dialogues, and emphasizing love for the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the axis of Islamic unity.[13]
Scientific and Specialized Meetings: conducting scientific meetings aimed at proving Shi'a identity, examining disputed issues between Shi'a and Sunni at the elite level, and explaining Shi'a beliefs in universities and scientific centers.[14]
Notes
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Kūhsārī. Naqsh-i Shīʿa dar gustarish-i farhang va ʿulūm-i Islāmī dar Indūnzī va Tāyland. p. 225.
- ↑ Naẓarī et al. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī". p. 224.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Kūhsārī. Naqsh-i Shīʿa dar gustarish-i farhang va ʿulūm-i Islāmī dar Indūnzī va Tāyland. pp. 226-227; "Āshnāyī bā sāzmānhā va tashakkulhā-yi Islāmī-Shīʿī-yi Indūnzī", ABNA News Agency; "Āshnāyī bā Shīʿayān-i Indūnzī", Akhbār-i Shīʿayān Magazine.
- ↑ Naẓarī et al. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī". p. 241.
- ↑ "Āshnāyī bā Shīʿayān-i Indūnzī", Akhbār-i Shīʿayān Magazine.
- ↑ "Āshnāyī bā sāzmānhā va tashakkulhā-yi Islāmī-Shīʿī-yi Indūnzī", ABNA News Agency; "Āshnāyī bā Shīʿayān-i Indūnzī", Akhbār-i Shīʿayān Magazine.
- ↑ Naẓarī et al. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī". pp. 230-231.
- ↑ "Āshnāyī bā sāzmānhā va tashakkulhā-yi Islāmī-Shīʿī-yi Indūnzī", ABNA News Agency.
- ↑ "Āshnāyī bā sāzmānhā va tashakkulhā-yi Islāmī-Shīʿī-yi Indūnzī", ABNA News Agency.
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Kūhsārī. Naqsh-i Shīʿa dar gustarish-i farhang va ʿulūm-i Islāmī dar Indūnzī va Tāyland. p. 227; Naẓarī et al. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī". p. 233.
- ↑ Naẓarī et al. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī". pp. 233-234.
- ↑ Naẓarī et al. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī". pp. 233-234.
- ↑ Naẓarī et al. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī". p. 241; Ḥusaynī Kūhsārī. Naqsh-i Shīʿa dar gustarish-i farhang va ʿulūm-i Islāmī dar Indūnzī va Tāyland. p. 227.
- ↑ Naẓarī et al. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī". p. 240.
References
- "Āshnāyī bā sāzmānhā va tashakkulhā-yi Islāmī-Shīʿī-yi Indūnzī" [Introduction to Islamic-Shi'a Organizations and Entities in Indonesia]. ABNA News Agency. Posted: March 25, 2023. Accessed: January 1, 2026.
- "Āshnāyī bā Shīʿayān-i Indūnzī" [Introduction to Indonesian Shi'as]. Akhbār-i Shīʿayān Magazine. March and April 2011, No. 65-66.
- Ḥusaynī Kūhsārī, Mufīd. Naqsh-i Shīʿa dar gustarish-i farhang va ʿulūm-i Islāmī dar Indūnzī va Tāyland [The Role of Shi'a in the Spread of Islamic Culture and Sciences in Indonesia and Thailand]. Qom, Intishārāt-i Imām ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, 1397 SH.
- Naẓarī, Muḥammad ʿAlī (Corresponding Author), Yaḥyā Fawzī, ʿAbbās Kishāvarz, and Ṣadr al-Dīn Mūsawī. "Sāzmān-i Ahl-i Bayt-i Indūnzī (IJABI) talāsh barāy-i huvīyyat-yābī va inṭibāq-sāzī-yi Shīʿa dar Indūnzī" [The Organization of Ahl al-Bayt of Indonesia (IJABI): An Effort for Identity Formation and Adaptation of Shi'a in Indonesia]. Muṭālaʿāt-i Tārīkhī-yi Jahān-i Islām. Vol. 8, no. 16. Autumn and Winter 1399 SH.