Speaking of the figure of this one scholar, of course, we will remember a great scholar who earned the nickname Hujjatul Islam; He is Imam Al-Ghazali but what we will discuss on this occasion is Al Ghazali in the Nusantara version. We will talk about the figure of a cleric known as the Nusantara ‘s Al-Ghazalinya; He is KH. Ihsan Jampes, a cleric born in Kediri, East Java.
The name KH. Ihsan Jampes or Sheikh Ihsan Jampes is very well known to foreign countries. His popularity has made his homeland smell good. This extraordinary wisdom and breadth of knowledge earned him the nickname Al-Ghazali Ash Shaghir or young Ghazali from Middle Eastern scholars. This noble nickname, of course, did not come suddenly, but thanks to his wisdom and perseverance in writing a book entitled Shirajul Thalibin. This book contains a commentary or syarah from the book Minhajul Abidin by Imam Al-Ghazali. The book has become a reference in Pesantrens and has become a subject at Al-Azhar University. Isn’t it amazing?
KH. Ihsan Jampes was born in a small village, namely Jampes Hamlet, Gampengrejo, Kediri, East Java. He was born in 1901 to KH. Muhammad Dahlan, a great scholar in Kediri with Nyai Artimah, daughter of KH.Ahmad Shalih Banjar Melati. From his father’s ancestors, Sheikh Ihsan Jampes, he is still a descendant of Sunan Gunung Jati.
So there is no need to be surprised if in the future Sheikh Ihsan Jampes became a worldwide pious scholar because in terms of his lineage alone, he is a descendant of great scholars, and he lives in an environment full of knowledge. Sheikh Ihsan Jampes has a nickname, namely Bakri. It’s been told that little Bakri is a stubborn and naughty kid, but he has extraordinary intelligence compared to his peers.
He constantly shows his genius; besides receiving education from his father, Bakri also received guidance from his grandmother Nayi Istihanah. Little Bakri lives with his grandmother after his parents divorced. Since then, little Bakri has spent most of his time travelling from one pesantren to another.
There is an interesting story before Bakri arrived at the Pesantren. At first, Bakri had a hobby playing gambling; this hobby was considered unusual by his family members to create tension because Bakri came from a family of respected clerics but misbehaved as the son of a Kiai.
After all, Bakri as the son of the Kiai, should not gamble. So seeing the behaviour of her grandson, Nayi Istihanah was concerned. Then one day, little Bakri was invited by Nayi Istihanan to go to the graves of his ancestors, especially KH. Yahuda, in this grave, Nyai Istihanah poured out all kinds of complaints against her naughty grandson.
Then after returning from the particle, little Bakri slept and dreamed of meeting his great grandfather KH. Yahuda, in his dream, little Bakri was asked by KH. Yahuda immediately repented and stopped his gambling hobby; hearing his great grandfather’s request, little Bakri refused and was angry, in that dream then KH. Yahuda took a stone the size of his hand and threw it at little Bakri so that little Bakri screamed in pain until he woke up from his sleep, but the dream seemed very real.
After the dream, little Bakri pondered a lot and began to leave his gambling habit, and he is now starting to change and regret all his behaviour. From that moment on, little Bakri had a new hobby, namely being alone and doing remembrance. So, little Bakri started to turn a new leaf; now, he decided to study from one pesantren to another, a habit he had been doing for years.
At first, little Bakri studied at KH. Khozin, the caretaker of the Bendo Pare Pesantren, then moved to the Jamsaren Pesantren, Solo. Then little Bakri went to Semarang to study at KH. Dahlan, but he didn’t stop there. Little Bakri’s odyssey in studying continued to Bangkalan, Madura, where there was a very famous guardian, who we know by the name of KH. Khalil Bangkalan under the care of Mbah Khalil. This is where little Bakri sharpens his spirituality.
After studying in Bangkalan, Madura, Bakri has now decided to carry out the fifth pillar of Islam, namely Hajj and at the same time wants to learn in the Middle East and study with the great scholars there. So, arriving in Makkah, Bakri carried out the ritual of Hajj, and after that, he began to participate in the halaqah held by the scholars there actively.
There Bakri deepened his Islamic knowledge, especially in the fields of fiqh, hadith, and Sufism. After it was deemed sufficient to study in the camel country, Bakri finally decided to return to his homeland and changed his name to Ihsan. Later, this name was more popular than his original name.
After arriving home, not long after the death of KH. Ihsan Jampes’s father, the leadership of the Pesantren, was handed over to KH. Khalil, the younger brother of KH. Ihsan Jampes, but this leadership only lasted for four years. Ihsan Jampes is considered more appropriate because he is more pious and sane.
So since then, KH. Ihsan Jampes is known to the broader community as a pious, ascetic, and wara scholar. Under the leadership of KH. Ihsan Jampes, the Jampes Pesantren, experienced very rapid development, one of which was the increase in students, which previously only had around 150 students, now the number has become 1000 students. This increase in the number of students is due to the popularity of KH. Ihsan Jampes is known as a lover of Allah.
KH. Ihsan Jampes is famous as a guardian who has a variety of karomah, one of which is that he has laduni knowledge, laduni science is a knowledge that Allah SWT only gives because the eyes of one’s heart are opened. His wisdom and breadth of expertise have been proven by his monumental works, namely the book Siraj ath-Thalibin, a syarah from the book Minhajul Abidin, the last piece of Imam Al-Ghazali, thanks to the creation of this book. Thus, KH. Ihsan Jampes earned the nickname Ghazali of the land of Java.
KH. Ihsan Jampes’ writings other than those mentioned above are the books of Tashrih al-Ibarat, Natijat al-Miqat, Manhaji al-Amdad, and Ersyad al-Ikhwan fi Syurbati al-Qahwati wa ad-Dukhan. All the works of KH. Ihsan Jampes prove his extraordinary capacity. Another karomah is that he entered a discotheque and saved a girl from disobedience; besides, he knew things that had not happened.
Such is the karamah of KH. Ihsan Jampes, hopefully, we can emulate his wisdom, zuhudan and virtuousness. KH. Ihsan Jampes died at a relatively young age of 51 years, he died on Monday 25 September 1952, and his body was buried in the Jampes Pesantren complex.