Nahdlatul Ulama 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 organizing communities to help alleviate poverty.
Pesantren is a traditional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia. It is taught either in private houses, a pondok or a mosque, the teaching includes classical Islamic texts and santri thought, taught by kyais. According to one popular tradition, the pesantren education system originated from traditional Javanese pondokan, dormitories, ashrams for Hindus or viharas for Buddhists to learn religious philosophies, martial arts, and meditation. Institutions much like them are found across the Islamic world and are called pondok in Malaysia, Southern Thailand and madrasas in India and Pakistan and much of the Arabic-speaking world. The pesantren aims to deepen knowledge of the Quran, particularly through the study of Arabic, traditions of exegesis, the Sayings of the Prophet, law and logic. The term pesantren derives from the root word santri or student -- pe-santri-an or the place of the santri.
A kyai is an expert in Islam. This denomination is usually used among the ethnic Javanese people.
Kyai Haji Hasyim Asy'ari was an Indonesian ulama, National Hero and founder of Nahdlatul Ulama.
Achmad Hasyim Muzadi was an Indonesian Islamic scholar and cleric who served as chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama, from 1999 to 2010. The founder and director of the Al-Hikam Islamic boarding school, he was a proponent of moderate Islam, which he defined as being neither radical nor liberal, and criticized both Islamic fundamentalism and Islamic liberalism. Hasyim was the vice presidential running mate of President Megawati Sukarnoputri in the 2004 Indonesian presidential election, though the ticket was defeated in a runoff. He subsequently served in the Presidential Advisory Council from 2015 until his death.
Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, also colloquially known as Cak Imin or Gus Imin, is an Indonesian politician, serving as a legislator, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives since 2019, and the chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) since 2005. Previously, he served as Deputy Speaker of the People's Representative Council from 1999 until 2009, the Minister of Manpower from 2009 until 2014, and the Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly from 2018 until 2019. He was a vice presidential candidate in the 2024 Indonesian presidential election, as the running mate of Anies Baswedan.
Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor Ponorogo, also known as Pondok Modern Gontor, abbreviated as PMDG, or simply Pesantren Gontor, is a pesantren in Ponorogo Regency, East Java, Indonesia. Since its founding in 1926, the pesantren has become famous for the application of discipline, heavy emphasis on foreign languages, and strong network and cadre of alumni. It also has been an educational institution known for not being specifically tied to any political and social organization. The pesantren is considered the backbone of Muslim society in Indonesia, producing numerous leading figures in the history of Islam in Indonesia.
Maulana Al-Habib Muhammad Luthfi bin Ali bin Yahya, colloquially known as Habib Luthfi, is an Arab Indonesian Islamic sheikh, kyai and preacher from Pekalongan, Central Java, who has served as a member of the Indonesian Presidential Advisory Council since December 2019.
Islam is the most common religion in the Indonesian province of East Java, embraced by 96.7% of the whole population. Throughout its history, East Java has been considered one of the heartlands of Islam in Indonesia; the province experienced one of the earliest proliferations of Islam, as well as the establishment of the largest Islamic mass organization in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama.
Burhanuddin Ulakan Pariaman, also known as Sheikh Burhanuddin Ulakan, was an Islamic cleric (ulama) from the Minangkabau region. He is regarded as the pioneer of Islamic propagators in West Sumatra. He is also known as a commanding figure of the Islamic movements against the Dutch colonization. Regarding his Islamic belief, he was a Sufi murshid belonging to the Shattari tariqa based in Minangkabau region.
Brigadier General Kyai Hajji Syam'un better known as Ki Syam'un was an Islamic scholar and fighter for Indonesian Independence. In 1916, Syam'un founded the Pesantren Al-Khairiyah, which in subsequent development became Al-Khairiyah Islamic College as an educational institution and organization. Syam'un received military education during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies and was later appointed Battalion Commander (Daidancho) in the Pembela Tanah Air volunteer army. In 1945, he was appointed regent of Serang until his death in 1949.He was awarded the title National Hero of Indonesia in 2018.
Drs. Kyai Hajji Habib Ali Alwi bin Thohir Al Husainy is an Indonesian politician, da'i, Islamic scholar and founder of the Pondok Pesantren Modern Al-Husainy, Serpong, South Tangerang, Banten. At the election of regional head and deputy regional head of Tangerang Regency in 2008, Alwi was nominated by the Democrat Party and the National Awakening Party as a candidate for vice regent along with Usamah Hisyam as a candidate for regent, but this pair was defeated by incumbent candidate Ismet Iskandar with Rano Karno as his deputy. Currently, Alwi serves as a senator representing the province of Banten in the Regional Representative Council.
Wahidin Halim is an Indonesian politician who is the formerly Governor of Banten, having held that position since 2017 to 2022. Before being elected to the office, Halim had spent two years as a legislator and ten years as the mayor of Tangerang.
Abuya Kyai Hajji Ahmad Muhtadi bin Dimyathi al-Bantani or better known as Abuya Muhtadi is an Indonesian Muslim cleric from Banten. He is known as one of the Muslim scholars close to President Joko Widodo. At the Zikir Kebangsaan which was first held by the Indonesian government in the Merdeka Palace in 2017, Muhtadi was one of the religious leaders invited by the president. In the 2019 Indonesian presidential election, he supported a friend who was also a Muslim cleric from Banten, Ma'ruf Amin, who became the running mate of incumbent presidential candidate, Joko Widodo. Even so, in the 2014 Indonesian presidential election, he supported Prabowo Subianto as a candidate for Indonesian President and instructed his students to vote for Subianto.
Kyai Hajji Zubair Dahlan was an Indonesian ulama of tafsir, fiqh, uṣūl al-fiqh, and tasawwuf from Rembang Regency, Central Java. Every year, in the month of Ramadan, Zubair always routinely teaches the Tafsir al-Jalalayn to his students. In addition, he also active in teaching branches of Arabic grammar and tawhid at the Pesantren Sarang. Zubair is the father of an influential cleric in Indonesia, Maimun Zubair, and a teacher of several Nahdlatul Ulama cleric such as Sahal Mahfudz, Bisri Syansuri, and others. Some of his students later became caregivers and leaders of famous pesantren in Indonesia, such as Pondok Pesantren Lirboyo, Pondok Pesantren Sidogiri, Pondok Pesantren Al-Falah Ploso, Pondok Pesantren Mranggen, and other pesantren.
KHR. As’ad Syamsul Arifin was an Indonesian ulama and co-founder of Nahdatul Ulama. In 2016, he was declared a National Hero of Indonesia.
Jam'iyyah Ahlith Thariqah al-Mu'tabarah an-Nahdliyyah is an Indonesian religious organization whose members focus on practicing the teachings of the tariqa.
Kota santri is an epithet used in Indonesia, predominantly in Java, given to a region historically important in the context of Islamic education. The term santri generally means a Muslim student who studies at pesantren, an Islamic boarding school indigenous to the Indonesian archipelago.
Abuya Kyai Hajji Muhammad Murtadho bin Dimyathi al-Bantani or better known as Abuya Murtadho is an Indonesian Muslim cleric from Banten. He is an influential Bantenese cleric whose character is often used as a reference for politicians to visit his residence, including figures from political parties, the police, high-ranking institutions, even presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Tohawi Romli more commonly known as Abuya Entoh, is an Indonesian ulama and leader of Pondok Pesantren Al-Istiqlaliyah. The Pesantren was founded in 1957 by Abuya Ahmad Dimyathi, an influential cleric in the Tangerang Regency. Tohawi Romli is younger brother Abuya Uci Turtusi.
