Metang-mentang punya sayapMalaikat begitu nyinyir dan cerewetIa berlagak sebagai makhluk baikTapi juga galak dan usilIa meniup-niupkan wahyuDan mautKe saban penjuru(Malaikat, Saeful Badar)
Translation:Because they have the power of wingsAngels are difficult and exactingThey pretend to be good creaturesBut are also fierce and annoyingThey blow revelation and deathTo every corner(Malaikat, Saeful Badar)
Recently, a controversy arose over a poem by Saeful Badar entitled Malaikat (Angel), published on 4 August in Khazanah , a supplement of the West Javan newspaper, Pikiran Rakyat. A Muslim group, Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia (Indonesian Islamic Proselytizing Council, or DDII), who considered the poem an insult to the Islamic doctrine , sent a letter of protest to the newspaper. In response, the paper s management announced that the poem Malaikat never really existed. Meanwhile, Saeful Badar received threats and the editor of the culture page, Rahim Asyik Fajar Awanto, was fired from his position, although he still works for the company.
In a letter threatening the author, the DDII suggested that the poem ventured far from literature s accepted aesthetical values, and did not contain the ethics of religious worship, particularly Islam. Angels are one of God s many creatures but they have a unique characteristic: they are invisible spiritual creatures, created from light (nur). They are always obedient and loyal and spend days and nights devoted entirely to God. They have no will of their own, cannot sin and do only what God tells them to do.
These critics also said that humiliating or being disrespectful toward angels is the same as rejecting part of one s faith since belief in angels is one of the six articles of Islamic faith, next to belief in God, His prophets, His holy books, qodlo-qodar (predestination), and the Day of Judgment. For this group, angels are not to be taken lightly or mocked, not even in the name of freedom of expression.
Obviously, interpretation depends on the reader. In the poem there is not a single word that refers specifically to how an angel is understood in Islam. The poem only presents the word angel generically, and, like other terms, this word can have contradictory or paradoxical definitions.
In a discussion concerning this particular interpretation, author Saeful Badar said that the word angel is a symbol of unlimited power, which can have a negative connotation. And so one can consider the question, do angels have the capacity to abuse power?
In fact, Islamic tradition acknowledges the existence of Zabaniyah angels, which are defined by mufasir (commentators) and ulama (Islamic scholars) as angels whose duties are to torture and act as the guardians of hell. Zabaniyah angels are supposed to be cruel and mean. According to certain mufasir and ulama, their heads are in the sky and their legs on earth. They drag unbelievers and insurgents into hell cruelly.
The debate over the nature of angels will not be resolved here. However, a poem is universally considered a wide open savannah of meaning, and nobody, including the poet him or herself, may claim his or her interpretation to be more valid than any other. In which case, what right does anyone have to annihilate a poem, to erase it from its own place in history?
Even if we agree that Saeful Badar has done something which could either directly or indirectly be considered an abuse and/or offense against Islam and Muslims, those who disagree should abide by the Qur an in their response: Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance (Qur an 16:125).
Islam is rahmatan lil alamin (mercy for all). It aims to foster peace and justice. A Muslim should therefore put spiritual growth and transformation before destruction, and fairness before hate, for in the Qur an it is written, Let not the hatred of others towards you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety (Quran 5:8).
The muzzling of Saeful Badar as a reaction to Malaikat has demonstrated the need for Muslims today to rid themselves of fear, and instead foster the desire to question, investigate, and enthusiastically debate various views, perspectives and religious interpretations, graciously and with an analytical spirit.
Ahmad Syubbanuddin Alwy is a poet, essayist, co-founder of Koalisi Sastrawan Santri, and a researcher for Center for Social Studies and Culture (CSSC) in Indonesia. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
