Gus Baha is a famous Indonesian cleric. His full name is KH Bahauddin Nursalim; Gus Baha was born in Rembang on September 29, 1970. Gus Baha is also one of the promoters and experts in interpretation in Indonesia. It can be said that Gus Baha is a louse of the Qur’an in the archipelago because of his urgent existence in Indonesian interpretation and the study of the Qur’an. Gus Baha is also the son of the caretaker of the Al-Qur’an boarding school in Narukan, KH Nursalim.
In his struggle as a thalibul ‘ilm (seeker of knowledge), Gus Baha is known to be tenacious and has intelligence. How not, at a very young age, Gus Baha has at least completed thirty juz of the Qur’an with the consistency of makharijul letters and tajwid. Because, in reading and completing the Qur’an, Gus Baha took it with very strict makharij and tajwid. Remember again, Gus Baha went through it at a very young age.
As a teenager, Gus Baha chose Al-Anwar Islamic Boarding School, Sarang, Rembang, Central Java, as the next choice in his odyssey as a seeker of knowledge. Here, his tenacity and intelligence—which I have mentioned before—seem so contrasting. This is evident from Gus Baha’s ability to memorize Sahih Muslim entirety, including its matan and sanad. Unmitigated and not only there, but nahu grammar is also studied, such as Alfiyah Ibn Malik and ‘Imrithi.
Gus Baha is also close to Allahumma ighfir lahu Syaikhina Maimoen Zubair, one of Indonesia’s most charismatic and well-known clerics. In a narration, Gus Baha has always been a friend to talk to Syaikhona Maimoen. On several occasions, Syaikhona Maimoen, commonly known as Mbah Moen, trusted Gus Baha as a seeker of ta’bir regarding a legal problem.
Of course, this is not done by Shaykhona carelessly. Shaykhona did not arbitrarily bully Gus Baha for no reason. Not because Gus Baha was born into a well-known family, but because Gus Baha is capable in this matter. Gus Baha’s intelligence and thirst for knowledge are indeed extraordinary and inspiring.
A narration states that, at one time, Shaykhona ordered Gus Baha to seek a ta’bir (ibarah or hujjah) on a legal matter. Unexpectedly, Gus Baha quickly found ta’bir without first opening any references. Upon that incident, Syaikhona was then moved by Gus Baha’s ability, and Shaykhona also said, “Yeah Ha’, you are very smart” (in Javanese: “Iya Ha’, koe pancen cerdas tenan”).
Since his scientific journey, it turns out that Gus Baha only received two pesantren educations. The two Islamic boarding schools are the Narukan Pesantren which his father raised, and the Al-Anwar Sarang Pesantren. KH Nursalim, his father, had planned to send his son to Yemen. However, Gus Baha still chose to serve in the two Pesantrens.
Since 2003, after marrying Neng Winda, who comes from the Sidogiri pesantren family, Gus Baha has chosen to live in Yogyakarta. There, Gus Baha continued to maintain his knowledge and hone it by continuing to fill in the Koran. The study was attended by residents and alumni of al-Anwar’s students who deliberately followed Gus Baha to Yogyakarta to recite the Koran.
In 2005, two years after settling in Yogyakarta, his father, KH Nursalim, fell ill and forced him to settle temporarily in Narukan. However, Gus Baha later abandoned the initial intention to stay for a while because KH Nursalim died. This incident required Gus Baha to live in Narukan and replace his father’s position as the caretaker of the pesantren.
The Author’s View on Gus Baha
Like other Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) ulemas, Gus Baha has an astonishing simplicity. Simplicity wraps the quality of science, intelligence, and tenacity, especially in science.
Even as long as the writer follows his studies either directly or indirectly, Gus Baha has never shown an arrogant and arrogant attitude. However, his studies are rich, contained, and of good quality; they are always packed with jokes and a relaxed climate, as NU studies are expected.
Gus Baha’s wisdom no longer requires a question mark. On the contrary, the indication is that even though Gus Baha belongs to or comes from students without rank, his position is very urgent, namely as part of the ranks of the national interpretation council.
Besides that, Prof. Quraisy Syihab also said that, apart from his position as a commentator, Gus Baha also had a position as a faqih commentator. With that greatness, Gus Baha could decipher the interpretation of the Qur’an verses containing the law. Therefore, the doctors and experts of the Qur’an acknowledge his greatness. This also makes me think of Gus Baha as “the lice of the Al-Qur’an Archipelago”.
To date, Gus Baha has managed to write several books. Among his works are Hafadzana li Hadzal Mushaf li Bahauddin Nur Salim and the UII version of the book of interpretation of the Qur’an (UII stands for Universitas Islam Indonesia). In this work, Gus Baha wants to put the characteristics of Indonesian taste into the interpretation without changing the authentic meaning of the Qur’an itself.
Finally, the thing that impressed me with Gus Baha was how he filled out the study. Gus Baha always carries a yellow book (according to the theme to be discussed) when filling out studies. Possibly, this was done for two reasons; first, as a definite reference and as a measuring tool for arguments and discussions being studied. Second, connecting the sanad to the teachers as well as the author of the book.
Last but not least, I like his dressing and crouching style. Wassalam…
Note:
1. Yellow book‘ or ‘Kitab Kuning‘ refers to the traditional set of the Islamic texts used by the educational curriculum of the Islamic Boarding Schools in Indonesia, especially within the Pesantrens.
2. Translated by editor from https://www.duniasantri.co/gus-baha-sang-kutu-ilmu-indonesia/