Yusril Ihza Mahendra Recalls Buya Syafii Maarif: I Was The First To Call Him Buya

Former Minister of Law and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra. (Instagram @yusrilihzamhd)

JAKARTA - Former Minister of Law and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra recalled the passing of the former chairman of PP Muhammadiyah Buya Syafii Maarif who died today, Friday 27 May. Yusril claimed to be the first to greet the scholar with the nickname "Buya".

Yusril said that he first met Buya Syafii when they were both on the management of PP Muhammadiyah in 1985. At that time, PP Muhammadiyah was led by the late AR Fachruddin.

"As I recall, I was probably the first person to call him Buya because at that time he was relatively young (50 years old). I called him that while joking," said Yusril on his Twitter account, @Yusrilihza_Mhd, Friday 27 May.

The expert on constitutional law said that Syafii Maarif was the youngest person, who at that time was called Buya. During that period, only certain characters of mature age were called Buya.

"As far as I remember, the old figure called Buya at PP Muhammadiyah at that time was the late Buya Malik Ahmad," said Yusril.

Furthermore, Yusril also reminisced about Buya Syafii's daily life during his life. He said Buya Syafii spent his life serving religion, society and the nation, either through education, da'wah or social and religious movements.

Buya Syafii, he continued, has also written dozens of books and hundreds of articles that serve as references and intellectual heritage of the Indonesian nation.

"His life is simple and unpretentious, often joking but his thinking is sharp and critical. Not everyone shares the views of Buya, especially in analyzing the diversity of our nation. But Buya remains warm, respects anyone, even though different opinions even criticize his views," he said.

According to Yusril, one thing that became an important legacy of Buya Syafii regarding the ustaz's thoughts was about "Islam is universal and rahmatan lil 'alamin"

"One thing we must adhere to is the legacy of Buya Syafii's thought. Islam is universal and rahmatan lil 'alamin. Aqeedah and ethics taught by Islam are the main guidelines, valid forever. However, towards social and political teachings, Islam opens itself to interpretation," he said.

To the people of Indonesia, Yusril asked to pray for Buya Syafii who died at the PKU Muhammadiyah Gamping Hospital, Sleman, DI Yogyakarta this morning. He hoped that all the mistakes that Buya Syafii had made in his life would be forgiven.

"Now Buya Syafii has left us. He is a good person and likes to joke. Let's forgive him if he commits a caliphate to us," he concluded.