Gus Dur's Joke About The Ugal-Ugalan Drivers Entering Heaven

The 4th President of Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur). (nu.or.id)

JAKARTA - The mindset of the 4th President of Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) has unique and unique characteristics. He was able to think far through the times. In fact, he can translate all kinds of problems and criticisms in various media. Humor, one of them.

Every problem he throws often invites laughter. However, behind that laugh there are often valuable lessons. Take for example Gus Dur's joke regarding the reckless driver. Gus Dur tried to compare the position of a kiai and a metromini driver - who is higher in rank in heaven.

Religious leaders often take advantage of their free time to study and deepen religion. However, not for Gus Dur. Instead of just spending time studying religion, Gus Dur actually likes to learn various other knowledge.

The knowledge he learns is not only limited to formal education. Gus Dur is able to find knowledge among the piles of library books. He is also good at exploring the meaning of life in a row of feature films.

Gus Dur has perpetuated these two activities since studying in Cairo (Egypt), then Baghdad (Irak). His understanding of various problems has increased. Likewise with his views on many things. From religion to life.

This series of knowledge made Gus Dur grow as a flexible scholar, not stiff. He was able to adapt to the demands of the times. Gus Dur was even capable of formulating every problem and criticism through various media.

The tool that Gus Dur uses the most is a humorous approach. For him, knowledge that can be conveyed formally does not have more attractiveness. It is different if the delivery of knowledge is perpetuated with humor. All kinds of problems from social, economic, to political can be conveyed properly. Alias, his message can be conveyed more deeply and easily understood.

By paying attention to these things, it can be understood that Gus Dur is very confident in what he is doing, as well as confident in the effects to be achieved. As of ideas that have the potential to roll out changes through the work of his leadership, Gus Dur is very rich in fresh ideas.

Not a few ideas are conveyed in a strange way, for example with humor. By such a way of conveying it, the messages to be conveyed are familiar and not infrequently symbolic but have a real impact, and kalua does collide with the existing discourse, it will organize and stimulate thinking dynamically, explained Ahmad Suaedy, in the book Gus Dur: Islam Nusantara & Citizenship of Bineka(2018).

Gus Dur's jokes are known to be special. All because Gus Dur never chose certain topics to issue his joke. Every time there is a certain phenomenon, his instincts also comment and be able to invite laughter. Regarding the grave, let alone.

Gus Dur once issued a joke comparing a religious scholar (kiai) and a reckless metropolitan driver. Alkali, a kiai and a metromini driver are being asked by an angel at the door of heaven.

The owner of power tells the cleric what professions he has done throughout his life. The da'wah interpreter also appears as an answer. However, the kiai was asked to wait first. While the angel began to ask other people about the profession.

There was a metromini driver. He answered angel questions loudly. The metromini driver, he said. The angel immediately asked him to go to heaven and prepared a special room. The actions made the kiai who had been waiting for a long time and only got a small room in heaven to protest.

He asked the angel why the metromini driver could enter first rather than himself. The angel immediately answered. According to the angel, the profession of the da'wah interpreter is indeed noble. Problems arose when the kiai delivered without paying attention to the listener.

Caramahnya dianggap boron. Diri-alih jemaahnya jadi semangat ibadah, yang terjadi jemaahnya justru tidur. Berbeda hal dengan pengendir metromini. Angin menganggap boleh jadi pengendir metromini dianggap ugal-ugalan di jalan.

However, there is a wisdom behind it all. The reckless driver made the whole bus immediately remember God. They pray and remember so they don't get into an accident. This effort makes the metromini driver more special and get luxury facilities in heaven. It's different from the kiai.

Gus Dur's joke often manages to provoke laughter. The joke was then repeated by Gus Dur's congregation. In fact, to this day. In that story, Gus Dur wanted to emphasize that the calculation of entering heaven and hell was never mathematical.

In our minds, that should be what happened. But, we are only human beings. Be wise, we can be wrong, especially in understanding the phenomenon of heaven and hell. Be human beings have a limit. And the phenomenon of heaven and hell is far above the limits of our ability to reason. A hadith says, heaven cannot be reached by the eyes, can't be heard, and never comes to the heart of human beings or minds. Likewise, hell. Heaven and hell cannot be rationalized. Heaven and hell are not mathematical."

Regarding the phenomenon of heaven and hell, including the conditions of the people who will live in it, our calculation of common sense is very likely to miss. Gus Dur's story above explains that it was a kiai, who looked pious while living in the world, turned out that in heaven he only got a small room, with simple furniture. Instead, a reckless mini metro driver was even given a super luxury room with gold furniture, "said Widodo in Gus Dur's book Guyon How Dur (2017).