This combination also extends to the way Daarut Tauhid is managed. Three managerial styles are applied here; military, entrepreneurial, and divine. The combination of these three is readily recognisable through the terms and forms of Daarut Tauhid’s activities.
The military style is seen primarily in the terms employed in organisational practices. Every time Aa Gym leaves his home, especially to deliver religious talks, there are always one or two disciples who accompany him. Santri take turns in accompanying Aa Gym. These santri are called ajudan, which is an Indonesian military term for guardian or servant.[5] In the military tradition, an ajudan serves the Jenderal (general). There is thus an impression that, if those accompanying santri are ajudan, then Aa Gym is a general. Indeed, along with the santri’s awe of Aa Gym’s charisma, they appear to respect him as their general. However, this imagery tends to be misleading because Aa Gym himself tends to minimise the hierarchical relationship by treating the ajudan as his partners. For instance, he drives his car with the ajudan as passengers, something a military general would not do.
Although the term ajudan might also reflect the influence of kingly or governmental tradition (see footnote), I believe it is adopted from military tradition both because Aa Gym was a Menwa (Student Regiment) commander and because of other military terms used at Daarut Tauhid. The term komandan (commander) is also used at Daarut Tauhid in much the same way as it is applied in the Indonesian Armed Forces. The head of the daily picket at the pesantren complex is called komandan piket, the head of operational activities is called komandan lapangan (field commander), and so forth. The ‘operations room’ itself reflects the influence of military style, since it is “the model of a military command” which forms part of the “push for integration and unity” in Indonesia (Guinness 1994:272).
The military style also appears in the form of activities frequently performed at Daarut Tauhid. The simulation of perang Badar is obviously a case in point. Here Aa Gym and his ex-Menwa-member brother, Abdurrahman Yuri, apply their military experiences. The participants practise the military skills of applying strategy and tactics. (Of course, the main aim here is not that of training an army but instead, according to Ikin Sodikin, the chairman of the committee, to teach participants the hardness of the Prophet’s struggles in the maintenance of Islam.)
Another activity that gives an impression of military style is highland camping. As a form of recreation, this has its origin, and continues to be practised, in the military tradition. Again, this activity also reflects Aa Gym’s former experience in a student regiment.
In addition, the military form of management is also reflected by the dress of the officials of Daarut Tauhid. However, what is adopted at Daarut Tauhid is not the type of the dress but simply the military terms for clothing. They wear three kinds of uniform: PDH (Pakaian Dinas Harian, daily uniform), PDU (Pakaian Dinas Upacara, ceremonial uniform), and PDL (Pakaian Dinas Lapangan, field uniform). These are obviously military terms for dress.
The adoption of a military form of management is said to inculcate the positive value of discipline, which has been successful in the organisation of military life. At Daarut Tauhid it has shown its effectiveness in organising followers as a team and in accelerating the implementation of activities.
The entrepreneurial style is another form of management employed at Daarut Tauhid. It is applied particularly in the economic activities of the pesantren. The pesantren’s thirteen business ventures are organised using entrepreneurial techniques. The leader of each unit is called a director.
Although further, detailed investigation of this aspect of Daarut Tauhid’s business ventures is needed, I find the economic management of the businesses as applied at Daarut Tauhid to be most modern. The organisation of the mini-market involves up-to-date equipment: the cashier section, for instance, is equipped with modern equipment for storing money and calculating purchases.
In regard to the marketing system, Daarut Tauhid applies modern techniques. It employs some skilful personalities to do this. It also uses cars with which to sell handicrafts and other items produced by its the santri. In addition, advertising is employed to promote its economic and religious activities. Daarut Tauhid uses printed advertisements in addition to the word-of-mouth advertising commonly employed by its followers.
The third managerial style used at Daarut Tauhid is referred to as the managemen Allah (divine management). According to Yuri, the military and entrepreneurial styles of management involve divine inspiration and control that guide every action of Daarut Tauhid’s organisation. What is meant by “divine management” is that Allah The Almighty is the single “Director,” who by His absolute Will develops Daarut Tauhid. Many things have happened at Daarut Tauhid which are not rationally explainable, and which are therefore believed to be proof of the Will of God.
At first glance, the so-called divine management makes Daarut Tauhidians sound fatalistic, as though they totally rely upon Allah’s Will and initiate little or even nothing themselves (Karim 1993:63). Yet I think this impression is wrong. Daarut Tauhid’s rapid development in every aspect of its activities is enough evidence to counter this impression. One should note that belief in the close involvement of Allah’s Will in the development of Daarut Tauhid produces, instead of a fatalistic attitude, a high degree of conviction on the part of the followers that Allah helps and gives his overall blessing to their ikhtiar (endeavour). This, in turn, generates in them a profound degree of self-confidence, both in working for Daarut Tauhid in particular and in living in the world in general. Here Allah is mainly viewed as the source of inspiration upon which their works are based. In the meantime, Allah is also viewed as the Supervisor, in that He examines every single action of his followers. Thus, while still working hard, people at Daarut Tauhid are convinced of Allah’s guiding inspiration and supervision.
There are two intended aims of divine management. First, Daarut Tauhid aims at developing personally inward discipline to balance military discipline. The latter has the weakness of being highly dependent on other humans, so that an individual might be personally undisciplined in the absence of others’ supervision. Dependence on Allah’s supervision is effective in countering this possible weakness, and involves the exercise of kejujuran (honesty). In every activity, everyone is expected to be honest to himself, to other humans, and to Allah, in the conviction that Allah will always see whatever one hides. An honest Muslim would not cheat although an economic arrangement, for example, may provide a chance for cheating or corruption. Thus, the weakness of human management systems—military and entrepreneurial—can be covered by the divine management.
Second, through divine management Daarut Tauhid also aims at promoting the characteristic of ikhlash (sincerity). The main idea of being ikhlash is to do everything for the sake of Allah (Lillahi Ta’ala). Put another way, whatever a Muslim does has to be sincerely dedicated to Allah. Daarut Tauhidians thus view what they do as their dedication to Allah. This minimises expectations of worldly rewards for what they do.[6] According to Aa Gym, this value of ikhlash is “the very key to the rapid growth of Daarut Tauhid.”
A conflict arises at Daarut Tauhid concerning the implementation of this value of ikhlash. A santri karyawan said that Aa Gym tends to rely too much on the quality of ikhlash in his employees. Because Aa Gym believes that his employees are truly ikhlash (sincere), in that they intend their works as a form of ibadah (dedication) to Allah thus expecting less worldly return or wage, he seems to neglect the role of wage and incentives in maintaining the loyalty of the employees. An employee said:
Too much relying on the ikhlash, Aa Gym seems not to consider the competition of employment. He pays his employees below the common standard of wage. He does not worry about the possibility that his employees might resign to look for another employer who pays more. He has to pay at least the same as other employers do. Otherwise, he could lose his employees. I myself may leave my job at Daarut Tauhid to look for a better wage. Besides, I tend to be independent in that I wish to work independently on my own direction.
Apart from such conflict, ikhlash has been an integrative part of the divine management that is applied at Daarut Tauhid.
This combination of military, entrepreneurial, and divine styles of management has confirmed the tendency of Daarut Tauhid to combine various orientations in ordering human life. This provides the bases for Daarut Tauhid in actualising its mission as the agent of the reinforcement of Islamic morality in the contemporary world, which will be discussed in the following chapter.
[5] As a matter of fact, the term ajudan, with the same meaning, was also common in the tradition of Indonesian kingdoms and is now perpetuated among high level governmental authorities.
[6] This may confuse one who has read Geertzian concept of ikhlash (iklas) found among Javanese (Geertz 1960:73). Geertz’s definition of ikhlash as the “state of willed affectlessness” is obviously misleading. This is because Geertz drew his conception of ikhlash from the context of death. Geertz writes that his informant, whose wife had just died, was truly iklas in that “he didn’t feel anything at all.” This, to me, sounds like sabar (patience). (For the concept of sabar, as understood at Daarut Tauhid, see Chapter Five on the Qolbun Salim.)