Each pesantren generally has its own way of instilling moral values for its santri. However, moral planting is a concrete step that is continuously carried out by the pesantren people. With it, an ideal human being is born to be proud of.
Pesantren is an alternative educational institution that prioritizes character building and moral strengthening (tarbiyah) rather than promoting intellectual intelligence (ta’lim), which is often not emancipatory and humanizes humans, excluding noble character (Ach. Dhafir Zuhri, 2018). This is what distinguishes pesantren education from outside. Therefore, it is morality to be the essential inspiration of pesantren.
The author himself is a student of the Annuqayah pesantren, Sumenep, Madura. At the pesantren, I learned many things about the significance of morality. Starting from waking up in the morning until going back to sleep. Moral education is not only studied theoretically in class and seems monotonous, without contextualization in daily life. Even though he feels compelled, the author continues to be taught how these morals can be consistently anchored to borrow the term Prof. KH Abd A’la.
Indirectly, the Annuqayah pesantren has revolutionized the writer’s life on a large scale. Initially, the author did not fully know and understand comprehensively about morality, even though morality has become a matter of habituation in the author’s family environment.
My family educates writers continually with morals. Thus, morality has become an essential part of the writer’s life. However, in terms of the area where the author was born, morality is then better known as tengka science.
In family education, including cultivating education, the science of tengka has become a culture. Therefore, as a logical consequence, the science of tengka must always be treated and should not be abandoned. And, when the knowledge is removed, then for the local community, it is as if the world is doomed.
In practice, most tengka science that applies in society is to teach something considered good. However, theoretically, the scholars have not comprehensively explained the method in the turats book or explained it directly. Like, the procedure for putting a cup of coffee or tea to guests. It’s all ethical. How to adjust the position of the cup of coffee or tea is customarily correct; it must really be considered, including the ethics of sitting in front of the teacher.
Each region has a different tradition of interpreting an explanation regarding proper, ethical sitting in front of the teacher. Some understand that excellent and correct etiquette when sitting in front of a teacher or Kiai or caregiver is relatively silent. At the same time, the position of the feet is not a particular concern. For example, when attending a book recitation with the teacher, the santri participate solemnly, regardless of whether the santri’s feet are sometimes stretched out or sitting relaxed with their feet raised. All that many authors found in various regions. This is different from the tradition in the writer’s area, which in my opinion is quite strict, namely having to sit cross-legged. Sitting casually, let alone stretched out, is an unethical practice because it must be avoided.
From that explanation, the morals that the author understands are an excellent way that applies in society that must be followed
by the local community. Because, basically, the tradition is a follow-up development of morality itself. This author’s narrow understanding is the result of the interpretation, who has been directly involved in the practice of Tengka science which has been going on quite well in the author’s resident area. While the author himself does not understand much about the essence of morality itself because it has never been in contact with classical books generally studied in Islamic boarding schools. That’s why the author then felt the need to leave, move from his hometown to a place full of blessings like this pesantren.
Only then did the writer realize how the tengka science is not just a mere ceremonial with no theoretical or empirical evidence, but the tengka science that applies in the regions, including in the author’s homeland, is a manifestation of the practice of moral science, which good nature. This is because Indonesian society consists of various ethnic groups and diverse cultures; of course, they have different characters. The moral approach carried out by the Wali Songo at that time was adapted to the traditions of the population or society by carrying out Islamic grounding without having to muzzle local wisdom that previously existed. That’s why each region has a different tradition but has the same mission: to lead the local population to goodness.
In Annuqayah itself, which currently has several santri in the range of 7-8 thousand, the tradition of teaching moral education is developed by continuing the da’wah tradition of the Wali Songo. Given that the santri who come to Annuqayah are from diverse regional backgrounds as well. The ego’s potential can not be dammed when they are not accommodated with the noble character of the pesantren style, which prioritizes the quality of the commendable character.
The author remembers the most when he is going to do moral grounding for the santri through love. Because morality is a series of love missions, the education taught in Annuqayyah, Guluk-guluk, Sumenep, Madura is to build religious spirituality to the santri without questioning the different traditions in each region. Suppose the author has not become a student like at the Annuqayyah pesantren. In that case, the author may be still in the tradition of ignorance because he has never lived side by side with people who have different cultures or cultures. In fact, said Sayyid Qutub, when there were still people who questioned skin colour, racial system, and belief, they were part of the ignorant people of this contemporary era.
In Sayyid Qutb’s notes, there are six steps that the Prophet Muhammad had taken in reforming the people of Medina. First, the revolution against the idols of the hypocrisy of race and colour. Second, against religious bigotry. Third, against social differences and racial systems. Fourth, against belief, abuse, and arbitrariness. Fifth, against the idols of slavery. And finally, a revolution against male idols (Ahmadin, 2020:30).
As for the characteristics of people, according to Toshihiko Izutsu, they also describe approaching contemporary jahiliyyah, namely people who like to find trouble. While looking for problems contrary to the ideal teachings of Islam. Meanwhile, Islam has noble teachings, such as al-Hilm (compassion, courtesy, and generosity). That is why many Islamic teachings call for virtue, justice, control of lust, prohibition of doing arbitrarily, arrogant, rude, and arrogant.
Thus, differences in racial or cultural systems do not matter at this Annuqayah Islamic Boarding School. From there, the writer realized how noble Islam is; it has taught us about love and love through its outstanding education in morals.