History Of Today, December 1, 1911: First Muhammadiyah School Founded By KH Ahmad Dahlan

The portrait of the founder of Muhammadiyah, KH Ahmad Dahlan. (WIkimedia Commons)

JAKARTA History today, 111 years ago, December 1, 1911, KH Ahmad Dahlan built the first Muhammadiyah School. Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Diniyah Islamiyah (MIDI), his name. The development was not without reason. He wanted to use education as a means to fight ignorance and colonialism.

The character nicknamed The Brighter wants religious education to be side by side with other general sciences. Previously, the man who has a small name Muhammad Darwis had a broad interest in religious knowledge. He also looked for knowledge to the holy land, Makkah.

Ahmad Dahlan's interest (later remembered as the founder of Muhammadiyah) in religious knowledge has been embedded since childhood. His family, especially his father, is a great scholar in Yogyakarta. Every day his father often taught Ahmad Dahlan religious knowledge.

Lately, his interest in religious knowledge has grown. He is always hungry for knowledge. The only option at that time was to perpetuate the pilgrimage to Mecca. For him, Makkah is the warehouse of religious knowledge. Moreover, Ahmad Dahlan plans not to go home quickly. He wanted to stay for a while.

He also went on pilgrimage twice (1890-1902). His experience in Mecca was not wasted. In fact, Ahmad Dahlan did not only study religion. He also adds to the realm of the mind by exploring other sciences. His mind was open.

Education is the answer of the bumiputras to get out of ignorance and colonialism. He returned home in a state of knowledge. His desire to teach is quite high. Even he immediately devoted himself to being an educator while spreading religious lessons.

In 1906, KH. Ahmad Dahlan returned to Yogyakarta and became a religious teacher in Kauman. In addition, he also taught at the Kweekschool in Yogyakarta and the Opleiding School Voor Inlandsche Ambtenaren (OSVIA) a school for prospective Bumiputra civil servants in Magelang.

The Yogyakarta palace also appointed KH. Ahmad Dahlan as a permanent preacher at the Grand Mosque. KH Ahmad Dahlan is one of the Islamic figures who is very active in fighting for the progress of Muslims through the field of education," said Fahrul Rahman and his friends in the book Islamic Education for Akhlak KH Ahmad Dahlan (2022).

His experience in teaching made Ahmad Dahlan want to see Muslims progress. He witnessed for himself how religious knowledge was so dominantly taught in mosques. While other knowledge was not discussed at all.

He also tried to break down the habit. He wanted to build a forum so that Muslims had a place to study religious science and other sciences. However, Ahmad Dahlan did not choose a mosque as a center for teaching.

He also formed a Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Diniyah Islamiyah (MIDI) complete with a whiteboard and a table on December 1, 1911. Or a year before the Muhamamdiyah organization was founded.

The school is then widely remembered as the first Muhammadiyah School. However, the building was no longer used since Muhammadiyah began to establish many modern schools throughout the archipelago.

KH Ahmad Dahlan's students did not only teach religious lessons. At that time, the recitation of Islam only studied religious knowledge. However, at Muhammadiyah School, in addition to religious education, Latin letters and general sciences were also taught, such as calculations, earth science, human body science, and so on.

Pendek kata, sekolah KH Ahmad Dahlan itu menampilkan sekolah-sekolah umum yang didirikan oleh pemerintah. Wakil-mula pemudit baru semikit. Hanya beberapa kelas dan terdiri dari anak-anak dan pemuda-pemuda di kampung. tetapi, KH Ahmad Dahlan membimbing mereka dengan ulang-serti, ungkap Sutrisno Kutoyo dalam buku Kiai Haji Ahmad Dahlan dan Persarikatan Muhammadiyah(2011).