Meeting Room, 4th Floor, Faculty of Ushuluddin, UIN Online News - Uzbekistan is the birthplace of scientists and scholars. One of the leading scholars born from this country is Abu Abdillah Muhammad bin Ismail al-Bukhari. He was born in the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, on July 21, 810.

This was conveyed by the Lecturer of the Faculty of Ushuluddin, Muhammad Rifqi Fatkhi, when he was a resource person in the Public Expose "1000 Lights of Indonesia for Amirul Mukminin Fil Hadith" in the Meeting Room, 4th floor, Faculty of Ushuluddin, UIN Jakarta, Monday (11/25/2024).

This event aims to explore more deeply the contribution of Imam Bukhari in shaping the civilization of the Islamic world, including for the Muslim community in Indonesia and discuss the support of the Indonesian community, especially the Faculty of Ushuluddin UIN Jakarta for the construction of the "Soekarno Garden" Park and Library in the Imam Bukhari tomb complex in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

For information, the Soekarno Garden park and library around the tomb of Imam Bukhari refers to the role of the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno, who asked the Uzbek government to search for and find the tomb of Imam Bukhari. The request was submitted by President Soekarno as a requirement for his presence in fulfilling a visit to the country.

The Faculty of Ushuluddin UIN Jakarta itself fully supports the development of the "Soekarno Garden" Park and Library. In fact, it is committed to curating the best collection of books on Islamic thought, history, and contemporary issues from Indonesia, which will enrich the collection of the Soekarno library.

The Public Expose activity "1000 Cahaya Indonesia untuk Amirul Mukminin Fil Hadith", was attended by the Indonesian Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Yudi Alamin via zoom meeting. In the same event, a number of speakers were present and shared insights on the important role of Imam Bukhari's knowledge. Among them are KH. Abdul Mun'im DZ (Head of the Panata Dipantara Foundation), and Dr. Rifqi Muhammad Fatkhi M.A. (Lecturer in Hadith Science, Faculty of Ushuluddin UIN Jakarta).

Imam Bukhari, said Dr. Fatkhi, was one of the leading hadith experts who ever lived. One of his most famous books is Shahih Bukhari which contains a collection of authentic hadith written over a period of 16 years. Through this book, he continued, Imam Bukhari is known as Amirul Mukminin fil Hadith or the leader of the believers in the science of hadith.

Imam Bukhari's intellectual fruit is enjoyed throughout the world, including Indonesia. In Indonesia itself, Imam Bukhari's works are still being read, studied, and disseminated. "In Yogyakarta there is the Bukhoren tradition, in Magelang there is the Bukhara Muqerenan tradition, in Betawi there is the completion of the Shahih Bukhari book," he said.

Among Imam Bukhari's admirers is the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno. Bung Karno was indeed known as a true nationalist. However, he continued, what is not widely known is that he was also someone who had a great interest in Islamic studies including hadith.

Bung Karno's initial encounter with Imam Bukhari was long before he became President. "In his book, Islam Sontoloyo, Bung Karno wrote a letter to a friend to send the book Sahih Bukhari," said the Lecturer of Hadith Science, Faculty of Ushuluddin.

Furthermore, the Former Head of the Hadith Science Study Program, UIN Jakarta explained that Imam Bukhari lived in a turbulent socio-political context. One of Imam Bukhari's quite popular quotes is the call to fight against injustice.

"Fight. If you succeed and win, you will lose many people you love. But, if you keep quiet and give up, death is worse than life," he said. According to Dr. Fatkhi, Imam Bukhari's fighting spirit may have been one of the inspirations that encouraged Bung Karno to ignite the flames of resistance against colonialism.

However, continued Dr. Fatkhi, Bung Karno was not a textual reader and swallowed Imam Bukhari's hadith raw. "Bung Karno was a critical reader. Bung Karno's way of understanding the hadith is of an ideal generalistic nature. Bung Karno believed that the hadith was something ideal and universally applicable but still considered the situation, conditions and so on," he explained.

The Head of the Panata Dipantar Foundation, KH. Abdul Mun'im DZ, affirmed Rifqi's statement and even went further. According to him, the points of Pancasila initiated by Bung Karno were more or less influenced by Islamic traditions.

This is not surprising, said Abdul, because Bung Karno socialized with many groups including the ulama. Abdul said that in Surabaya Bung Karno met with Tjokroaminoto and other Masyumi figures. In the 30s when he was exiled to Ende, Flores, NTT he corresponded with A. Hassan. He also studied with Kyai Ahmad Besari in Cianjur. As well as studying with Kartini's older brother, Sosrokartono. "From them Bung Karno learned a lot about Islam," he said.

Abdul explained that Bung Karno also studied the Qur'an from many sources, especially from the Arabic language.