International Journal of Information Technology and Business Management 15th
December 2017. Vol.58 No.1
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PERSONAL CHARACTER INDEX IN THE WORKS OF RAJA ALI HAJI
Abdul Malik
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Raja Ali Haji Maritime University
Isnaini Leo Shanty
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Raja Ali Haji Maritime University
ABSTRAK
This paper is a result of the research of personal character index in the works of Raja Ali
Haji. An analysis was performed on five works of Raja Ali Haji. The research results
found that (1) Raja Ali Haji’s works contain nineteen personal character indexes, (2) the
values of personal character index is interrelated to Islamic teachings, and (3) semiotics
class of personal character index in the works of Raja Ali Haji is comprised of rheumatic
iconic qualisign, rheumatic indexical sinsign, dicent indexical legisign, and argument. As
a result, Raja Ali Haji’s works can be referred to as a way of life and is worthy of use as
learning materials for character education sourced from the literary works.
Keywords: Character, Personal Character, Character Education, Index, Raja Ali Haji
Introduction
Raja Ali Haji rahimahullah (1809—1873) is the
most preeminent author among intellectuals in
the Kingdom of Riau-Lingga during the period
of 19th
century. He has written two books in the
field of Malay language with which the field of
education merged in it. Those books are Bustan
al-Katibin (Grammar of Malay) (1850) and
Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa (Dictionary of
Malay) (1858). In the field of law and
government, he produced Muqaddima Fi
Intizam (The Introductory of Ordinance’s
Duties) (1887) and Thamarat Al-Muhimmah
(The Desired Fruits) (1888). Whilst in the field
of history, he produced Tuhfat Al-Nafis (The
Precious Gift) (1865), Silsilah Melayu dan
Bugis (Malay and Bugis Genealogy) (1866),
Tawarikh al-Sughra (The Smaller Chronicle),
Tawarikh al-Wusta (The Middle Chronicle),
Tawarikh al-Kubra (The Larger Chronicle), the
Peringatan Sejarah Negeri Johor (Historic
Memorial of Johor State), as well as the history
of Riau-Lingga and its conquered regions.
He also produced Malay philosophical
works which are derived from Islamic
teachings. Those works are composed in the
form of poetry viz. Gurindam Dua Belas (The
Twelve Couplets) (1846) and it has become
popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and other Malay
Countries ever since. His literary works (poetry)
with which religious values contained in it are
Syair Abdul Muluk (The Poem of Abdul Muluk)
(1846), Syair Suluh Pegawai (The Poem
Employees Guidelines) (1866), Syair Siti
Shianah (The Poem Siti Shianah) (1866), Syair
Awai (The Poem Wave), Syair Sinar Gemala
Mestika Alam (The Poem Shining Natural Gem)
(1895), Syair Taman Permata (The Poem Gem
Garden), and Syair Warnasarie (Poem of
Multicolour). He also wrote a unique type of
poetry that is Ikat-Ikatan Dua Belas Puji (The
Series of Twelve Praise) (1858) in which
pantun (traditional Malay poetry) and poems are
mixed.
In his work of Gurindam Dua Belas, in
article five, verse 1, Raja Ali Haji said, “If you
want to know a nation, look through its people’s
budi (morals) and language.” This fact indicates
that Raja Ali Haji, as a scholar, a culturalist, a
writer, a historian, and an Islamic expert, views
refined attitude is of great importance to human
beings (Malik 2012b, 559-560). However, the
view of refined attitude in his work has not
attracted the attention of researchers and
scholars so far. Instead, a number of studies on
his work has focused on the fields of religion,
linguistics, history, political governance, and
literature.
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This study is imperative as it is in
accordance with the education policy in
Indonesia. Since 2010, the Government of the
Republic of Indonesia, under the Ministry of
National Education, has re-implemented
character education starting from primary
education level to higher education level. With
that character education, the education program
is expected to be implemented comprehensively
by integrating social skills, one’s nature,
character and love towards one’s culture and
Indonesian language which in the end allow
education institutions to boost the output of
students who are capable of meeting the needs
of qualified human resources. With regards to
that, education development materials need to
be drafted in accordance with the vision of
Indonesian National Education (Center of
Curriculum 2010, 1).
This study examines three main issues:
(1) the values contained in personal character
index in the works of Raja Ali Haji, (2) the
relationship between personal character values
and the teachings of Islam in the works of Raja
Ali Haji, and (3) the semiotic class of personal
character values in the works of Raja Ali Haji.
Literature Review
1. The Concept of Budi and Budi Pekerti
Budi is a term derived from Sanskrit, which is
rooted from the feminine word Budh. Therefore,
the concept of budi is in line with Hindu
philosophy in which budi has deep and high
mental elements in it.
The concept of budi in Hinduism is
described as follows (Osborne, Appignanesi, &
Van Loon 1996, 63-64).
“It is argued that the world is formed as
purusha (spirit or Atman) infuses prakriti
(matter or original nature), and that is stimulates
the three states of prakriti. These three states,
satya (transparency), rajas (activity), tamas
(inactivity). These forces interact and play the
different parts in the development of prakriti.
As prakriti is activated it becomes Buddhi
(intellect), out of which individual egos evolve.”
Although the concept of budi is
derived from Sanskrit word that contains Hindu
philosophical values, in Malay culture, the
concept has been modified. This is because
Malay culture is attached to the teachings of
Islam in which the values of Islam are the main
reference in the concept of personal character
within Malay-Muslim culture.
Bukhari al-Jauhari elaborates on the
concept of budi in his work of Taj al-Salatin
(Braginsky & Vladimir 1994, 206-208). His
elaboration can be summarized into fourteen
characteristics, among others, character is an
entity that is closest to God, is the origin of all
truth shown by Allah, it emits lights of truth to
the entire human body, its presence
differentiates between good and bad, it brings
self-perfection, human actions and compulsory
elements within human beings so as to prevent
them from getting bad lucks.
According to Raja Ali Haji (1986,
216), budi glorifies humans, preventing humans
from erring, and it allows humans to gain
difficult knowledge in that character is like the
bright light. Budi (character) is located in
human’s heart where light continues to radiate
to and controls the brain (mind) so that people
may know how to differentiate between right
and wrong doings. Character is also transformed
into behavior. Therefore, someone with good
behavior receives God’s glory.
The heart, where budi originally stems
from, is derived from an Arabic word.
According to Rahman (2010, 228), there are
some words in Arabic that refer to the definition
of ‘heart’ in Indonesian with deep layers of
meanings. The first layer is the word “qalb”
which means the outest dimension of heart, the
second layer is the word “fuad” which is
defined as the dimension of heart which refers
to minds with intellectual intelligence
potentials, the third layer is the word “thaqafah”
which is defined as the dimension of heart that
with spiritual intelligence, the fourth layer is the
word “lubb” that contains all intellectual
intelligence and spiritual intelligence, and the
last layer or the deepest dimension of heart is
“sirr” which entails the deepest spiritual secrets.
In his will, Syaiyidina Ali bin Abi
Thalib radhiallahu ‘anhu suggests the
importance of the role or function of the heart.
His testament reads as follows (Yazdi 2012, 23-
67).
“And O my son, I hereby made my will
for you to fear Allah and to obey His commands,
to enlighten your heart by always remembering
Him and to keep up with His rules (obedience
and servitude). And what bond is more reliable
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and dependable than the bond between you and
your Lord (Allah) Jalla Jalaluhu, as long as you
are determined in doing it.”
The heart has two sides: the one which
leads to goodness must be addressed by pieces
of advice, the one related to the worldly affairs
must be stopped by asceticism (self-
introspection). The side of the heart (desire) that
is God-oriented in nature should be constantly
enlivened whilst the side of the heart that is both
animal and evil in nature should be subdued.
Human desire is also divided to two parts: the
desire that leads to God and heaven and the
desire that leads to devils and hell. The heart
that is vibrant, strong, and is God and heaven
oriented is the one that must be preserved
(Yazdi 2012, 37-67).
The relationship between heart and its
layers that produces personal character can be
illustrated by the following figure.
Figure 1. The relationship between
the heart and budi
As illustrated in Figure 1 above, good
character which brings glory stems from God-
oriented desire. In the meantime, bad character
which produces contempt stems from evil-
oriented desire.
Budi pekerti (character) is an
Indonesian phrase which is derived from
Sanskrit. The word pekerti itself means
‘appearance, implementation, actualization,
nature, and or behavior’. Etymologically
speaking, the phrase budi pekerti is defined as
‘self-righteous behavior or appearance’ (Malik
2012a, 2).
Based on ethics or moral philosophy
approaches, character is someone’s disposition
or someone’s particular nature in showing polite
acts and respects to others as reflected in his/her
behavior and life. Disposition is an overall
support of character, attitudes, decision, habits
and good moral values in a person which is
terminologically called as virtue (Zuhriah 2007,
18).
Character is associated with akhlak
(morals). The term akhlak is a plural form of an
Arabic word ‘khuluq’ which means ‘customs,
behavior, character, manners, religion, the
nature of origin, dignity, inner visions, and or
morality’ (Alfan 2011, 17; Gazalba 1981, 511).
According to Alfan (2011, 21), akhlak, in
Arabic, means sajiyyah ‘behavior’, mur’uah
‘character’, thab’in ‘nature’, and adab
‘manners’.
Although morals are part of ethics,
both are fundamentally different. Morals, based
on the teachings of Islam, are formed by the
pillars of faith and the pillars of Islam through
charity, sincerity, and piety (Gazalba 1981,
511). On the contrary, ethics is merely based on
minds. Character has the same meaning as
morals and good minds that would bring about
noble manners or characters.
2. Theoretical Review
To analyze the personal character index, this
research applies a semiotic theory. Semiotics is
the study of a sign system. This field of study
has been a tradition since Greek Stoics era
(Cobley & Jansz 1999, 5). Semiotics is the
theory of a sign being communicated. This
theory is commonly used in various disciplines.
Two pioneering figures of semiotics are
Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist, and
Charles Sanders Peirce, an American
philosopher.
Peirce argues that people think in a
sign. A sign is an element in communication.
An essential function of a sign is to make an
inefficient relationship to become efficient.
Communication, thoughts, and our
understanding with respect to every matter in
this world has become efficient since a sign
exists. In a nutshell, the essential function of a
sign is to make things efficient.
Based on the characteristics of a sign,
van Zoest (1993, 18) makes a conclusion that
everything can be considered as a sign as long
as it can build a triangular relationship with a
ground, a denotatum, and an interpretant.
According to Peirce (in Pateda 2001,
44; Sobur 2006, 41) a sign “is something which
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stands to somebody for something in some
respect or capacity.” Pierce names something
that is used to make a sign functions as
‘ground’. Consequently, a sign or
representamen is always contained in the triadic
relationship: ground, object, and interpretant.
A sign is related to denotatum.
Denotatum is a set or a class of designata.
Peirce divides a sign into three types based on
the relationship nature between the sign and its
denotatum. Those three signs are the icon,
index, and symbol (Van Zoest 1993, 24-27).
An index is a sign that depends on the
existence of a denotatum. In index, the
correlation between its sign and denotatum is
adjacent. Everything focusing on something else
is classified as an index including pointing one
finger, cardinal directions, hmmm exclamation
full of meaning, and deictic terms (here, today,
present, and others) (Van Zoest 1993, 25-27).
Based on sign distinctions, a sign
typology can be drawn. Peirce classifies a sign
into ten classes (Van Zoest 1993, 31-33). First,
qualisign or rheumatic iconic qualisign as its
full term where the nature of ‘yellow, blue, red,
white’ for example is described. Second, iconic
sinsign which is always a rheme is a sign
indicating similarities such as images, diagrams,
maps, and punctuation. Third, rheumatic
indexical sinsign is a sign based on direct
experience, which immediately attracts attention
since its existence is the result of something.
Fourthly, dicent sinsign which is always
indexical is a sign that gives information about
something. Fifth, iconic legisign which is
always a rheme is a sign that informs the norms
or laws. Sixthly, rheumatic indexical legisign
which is a sign that refers to a particular object,
such as dixies‘here, now’ regardless of the
context or situation. Seventh, dicent indexical
legisign is a sign of information and pointing at
the subject of information.Eighth, rheumatic
symbol which is always a legisign is a sign
associated with its object through the
association of general ideas. Ninth, dicent
symbol which is always a legisign is a sign that
directly connects the object through the
association in the brain. Tenth, argument which
is always a symbol and a legisign is a sign of
someone’s inference towards something based
on certain grounds.
Indexical signs are the most important
existential sign. According to van Zoest (1993,
79-80), indexical signs in a text can be divided
into three categories. First, an index leading to
the truth beyond the text such as all the words
used outside of literature to refer to an object, a
thought, and so on. Second, an index leading to
another text that is text elements or structures
that put the text in a common literary tradition.
Third, an index that leads to other elements in a
text (intratextuality). Both intertextuality and
intratextuality provide coherence to a text and
build its global fictional world.
The semiotic study, according to
Preminger et al. (1974), looks at objects or
behaviors as a parole (speech behavior) of a
langue (language: the linguistic system), which
provides the foundation of its grammar analysis.
Research Methodology
From the twenty works of Raja Ali Haji, only
five works selected to be analyzed in this study.
These five works are (1) Syair Abdul Muluk
(Haji, 1988/1989), abbreviated as SAM, (2)
Gurindam Dua Belas (Haji, 1846), abbreviated
as GDB, (3) Thamarat al-Muhimmah (Haji,
2012; Mahdini, 1999), abbreviated TAM, (4)
Tuhfat al-Nafis (Ahmad & Haji, 1982),
abbreviated as TAN, and (5) Syair Sinar
Gemala Mestika Alam (Malik & Junus, 2000),
abbreviated as SGMA.
From the nature of the data, the study
is classified as descriptive qualitative research.
This kind of research is a complex methodology
and its scope is vast, which may include several
volumes (Trochim 2000, 3-8).
The data of the research were collected
and analyzed using content analysis technique.
This technique was used as the object being
analyzed is the content of the works of Raja Ali
Haji. The concept under study is personal
character index which is to be found after the
content of his works being analyzed. According
to Stephenson (2000, 21), content analysis is a
study conducted to determine the presence of
words or certain concepts in a text or set of
texts. In this study, the presence of meaning and
the relationship of words with the concepts of
morality are analyzed, then conclusions related
to the message contained in the works of Raja
Ali Haji are drawn.
Findings and Discussion
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1. Personal Character Index
Based on the results of data analysis, personal
character index is found in the works of Raja
Ali Haji. The findings were obtained after the
data were analyzed in accordance with the
theory, methods, and techniques of data analysis
used in this study. Described below are the
findings and discussion.
Raja Ali Haji’s work of Gurindam Dua
Belas starts off with the first article with the
following first stanza (Haji 1846, 1).
Barang siapa tiada mengenal agama
Sekali-kali tiada boleh dibilangkan
nama
(Whosoever to his faith holds not
Is a man whose name will be forgot)
The expression of ‘barang siapa’
(whoever) in the above stanza refers to anyone,
any individual, or every single person. That
means he calls for or his message is addressed
to all mankind. In this case, every human being
should hold religious beliefs.
The expression of ‘mengenal agama’
(know religion) is also not limited to the
knowing only, but also to believing in, learning,
understanding and practicing the religious
teachings. In other words, knowing a religion is
broadly defined, in which one has to implement
the teachings of a religion or to be obedient.
This becomes more evident in the following
articles and stanzas since the articles and
stanzas of Gurindam Dua Belas are interrelated
to faith, worships, muamalah, and morals.
Barang siapa mengenal yang empat
Ia itulah orang yang makrifat
(Whosoever understand these four
Truly stands among the knowers)
Barang siapa mengenal Allah
Suruh dan tegahnya tiada ia menyalah
(Whosoever has knowledge of The
One
Command, forbid: he will not turn)
Barang siapa mengenal diri
Maka telah mengenal Tuhan Yang
Bahari
(Whosoever has knowledge of self
Has knowledge of Allah, The
Almighty)
Barang siapa mengenal dunia
Tahulah ia barang yang terpedaya
(Whosoever has knowledge of the life
of this earth
Knows it is deception of no true worth)
Barang siapa mengenal akhirat
Tahulah ia dunia mudarat
(Whosoever has knowledge of the
Afterlife
Knows this world is profitless strife)
In the first article, stanza 2 to 5 in the
above gurindam (Haji 1846, 1) describe the
category of people who know religion. That
category includes knowing God, one selves, the
world, and the hereafter. These four elements
should be recognized as they are the teachings
of Islam. It is clear that those stanzas raised the
question of akidah (faith) or religious beliefs.
From this belief, muslims are then commanded
to do worships as listed in the second article of
Gurindam Dua Belas (Haji 1846, 2)
Barang siapa mengenal yang tersebut
Tahulah ia makna takut
(Whosoever grasps what follows here
Must know the true meaning of fear)
Barang siapa meninggalkan
sembahyang
Seperti rumah tiada bertiang
(Whosoever neglects the prayer
Is like a home without a pillar)
Barang siapa meninggalkan puasa
Tidaklah mendapat dua termasa
(Whosoever neglects the fast
Has lost in both this life and last)
Barang siapa meninggalkan zakat
Tiadalah hartanya beroleh berkat
(Whosoever neglects zakat
Earns from their wealth no barakat)
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Barang siapa meninggalkan haji
Tiadalah menyempurnakan janji
(Whosoever turns from pilgrimage
Has not fulfilled what he has pledged)
The second article of Gurindam Dua
Belas turns out to be related to the suggestion of
implementing compulsory worships in Islam. It
all leads to actions that are characterized by
obedience to implementing the teachings of
Islam. It is clear that according to the works of
Raja Ali Haji, being obedient to a religion poses
a personal character index. In other words, a
person can be classified as a person with refined
character if he is committed to implementing
the teachings of his religion. This is resulted
from Islam rules which encourage its believers
to maintain subtle character and noble morals. It
is concluded therefore that whoever is a devout
believer, he must then have good personal
character.
Haji also expressed religious
observance as a personal character index in his
work of Thamarat al-Muhimmah. Below is the
excerpt.
“These are requirements to be a king.
Among those requirements, that all kings must
be a firm Islam holder is the most prominent
one, “ (Haji in Malik 2012, 29).
Despite it is addressed to a king, his
message is comprehensively addressed to any
human beings. This is because according to the
perspective of the teachings of Islam, every
religious person, a leader or not, must obey the
teachings of his religion. Accordingly,
Thamarat al-Muhimmah also emphasized that
religious obedience is a quality personal
character index, which is reaffirmed in stanza 7
below (Haji in Mahdini 1999, 104).
Hendaklah anakanda mengaji selalu
Dari yang lain lebihkan dulu
Had syara’ jangan dilalu
Tidaklah anakanda beroleh malu
(Should the child recite Holy Quran
Of others it’s prominent
God’s restrictions wouldn’t be
infringed
Wouldn’t the child be ashamed)
In his work of Syair Sinar Gemala
Mestika Alam (in Malik & Junus, 2000, 122-
133), Raja Ali Haji also insists on the truth of
Islam. It is, among other things, stated in the
following stanza 87.
Ugama Islam kekal berdiri
Ilal akhir yaumid dahari
Mansuh sekalian ugama yang bahari
Yahudi Nasrani demikian peri
(Islamic religion stands
Until the world ends
Once religion is no longer valid
Jews and Christians as they lived)
Stanza 87 in Syair Sinar Gemala
Mestika Alam above emphasized that Islam is
the most perfect religion revealed by Allah The
Almighty. Therefore, obeying the teachings of
Islam is a mandatory requirement for every
human being, particularly Muslims. In order for
the perfect religion to stand strong, its followers
must obey all the teachings advocated, either
mandatory or non-mandatory.
Having gone through comprehensive
analysis, personal character indexes are found in
the works of Raja Ali Haji. Those indexes are
shown in table 1 below
.
Table 1
Personal Character Index in the works of Raja Ali Haji
No.
Index
The Works of Raja Ali Haji
SAM GDB TAN TAM SGMA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1. Religiously-
Obedient
- Article I;
Article II
- P. 29; stanza
7
Stanza 87
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2. Gentle Stanza 23 Article VII,
stanza 9
- Stanza 20-
21
-
3. Hard-studying 25, 228 Article V,
stanza 4;
Article IX,
stanza 7
P. 291 Stanza 6 -
4. Courteous Stanza 33,
165
Article IV,
stanza 9;
Article V,
stanza 1, 6
- Stanza 2 -
5. Honest Stanza 43,
50
Article IV,
stanza 5
Article VII,
stanza 1
Pp. 56-57 - Stanza 53-
55
6. Disciplined Stanza 165 Article VII,
stanza 6
- Stanza 36 -
7. Independent Stanza 201 - - - -
8. Self-Care Stanza 471 Article VIII
stanza 1, 2, 3,
4
- Stanza 63 -
9. Sincere Stanza 506-
509, 519
Article VIII,
stanza 5-6
- P. 118 -
10. Wise Stanza 518 Article IX,
stanza 6
- Stanza 22 -
11. Humble Stanza 520 Article VIII,
stanza 7
- P. 118 Stanza 2
12. Critical Stanza 541 Article IV,
stanza 6;
Article VII,
stanza 2;
Article VII,
stanza 11;
Article VIII,
stanza 5;
Article VIII,
stanza 6;
Article VIII,
stanza 7;
Article IX,
stanza 1
- Stanza 61 -
13. Steadfast Stanza 837-
861
- - - -
14. Perfect Minded Stanza 995 - - Stanza 42-
46
-
15. Defending the
truth
Stanza 967-
968
Article IX,
stanza 1
P. 141 Stanza 16 -
16. Using parts of
body positively
- Article III - - -
17. Staying Positive - Article IV Stanza 20-
32
18. Hard-working - Article III, P. 299 Stanza 4-5 -
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stanza 4.
19. Responsible - Article V,
stanza 5
Pp. 284-285 Stanza 37 -
Remarks:
P. = page
Pp. = pages
- = not indexed
Table 1 exhibits nineteen personal
character indexes in the works of Raja Ali Haji.
These indexes include (1) obedient, (2) gentle,
(3) hard-studying, (4) courteous, (5) honest, (6)
disciplined, (7) independent, (8) self-care, (9)
sincere, (10) wise, (11) humble, (12)
critical (13) steadfast, (14) perfect-minded, (15)
defending the truth, (16) using parts of body
positively, (17) staying positive, (18) hard-
working, and (19) responsible. It is therefore
concluded that those nine values of personal
character index ought to exist in every person
with good personal characters.
Table 1 shows that not all works of
Raja Ali Haji contain a certain index. In this
study, an index of being religiously obedient for
example, is contained in Gurindam Dua Belas,
Thamarat al-Muhimmah, and Syair Sinar
Gemala Mestika Alam, however the index is not
contained in Syair Abdul Muluk and Tuhfat al-
Nafis. Every text (work) which specifies a
particular index such as an index of being
religiously obedient is elaborated in each of the
stanza. Therefore, the importance of the
specified index becomes more noticeable or
understood by the reader. As a result, the
message is more touching and memorable to the
readers.
2. The Relationship between Personal
Character Index and Teachings of Islam
The values within personal character index in
the works of Raja Ali Haji were found to be
related to the teachings of Islam. An index of
religiously obedient as mentioned above, among
others, is listed in the following words of God .
“And they were not commanded except
to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in
religion, inclining to truth, and to establish
prayer and to give zakah. And that is the correct
religion,” (Q.S. Al-Bayyinah:5).
In addition to the word of God, the
importance of understanding and religious
observance in Islam is also argued by the
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him (pbuh).
That argument, among other things, is contained
in the following hadith.
From Anas r.a., the Prophet Muhammad
pbuh stated: “If Allah wants a good thing for a
human being, He then makes him understand the
religion and make him ascetic to the world, and
He show his disgraces,” (H.N. Baihaqi).
From the word of God and the word of
Prophet Muhammad pbuh above, it is inferred
that religious obedience indeed is an absolute
necessity for every human being. Religious
obedience is an index of personal character of
every human being which shows the good side
of them. Therefore, the works of Raja Ali Haji
reveal that religious obedience can be a lesson
for anyone who claims to have faith in Islam.
Religious obedience is the main index
of personal character which is in accordance
with the word of God and the word of the
Prophet Muhammad pbuh. As a result, personal
character index in the works of Raja Ali Haji is
in line with the teachings of Islam. Therefore,
its truth and its benefits are undeniable in the
perspective of Islam.
The details of the findings of present
study on the relationship between personal
character index and teachings of Islam
contained in the works of Raja Ali Haji are
presented in Table 2 below.
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30
Table 2
Relationship between Character Index and Islamic Teachings
No.
Index
Teachings of Islam
Holy Quran Al-Hadith
1 2 3 4
1. Religiously
Obedient
Surah Al-Bayyinah:5 H.N. Baihaqi from Anas r.a.
2. Gentle Surah Ali ‘Imran:159 H.N. Ibnu Abid Dunya
3. Hard Studying Surah Al-Mujaadilah:11 H.N. Ibnu Majah from Anas bin
Malik
4. Courteous Surah Al-Qashash:55 H.N. Syaikhan
5. Honest Surah Al-Hajj:30 H.N. Muslim and Turmudzi
6. Disciplined Surah Al-Hijr:3 H.N. Tirmidzi from Abu Hurairah
r.a.
7. Independent Surah Al-Isra’:7 H.N. Bukhari from Abu Hurairah
r.a.
8. Self-Care Surah Al-Furqaan:72 H.N. Muslim
9. Sincere Surah Al-Baqarah:139 H.N. Nasa’i from Abu Umamah
al-Bahily r.a.
10. Wise Surah Al-Baqarah:269 H.N. Dailami
11. Humble Surah Al-Furqaan:63 H.N. Muslim from Iyyadh bin
Khimar
12. Critical Surah Asy-Syams:8-10 H.N. Muslim from Ibnu Umar r.a.
13. Steadfast Surah Yusuf:87 H.N. Bukhari from Abdullah bin
Mas’ud
14. Perfect Minded Surah Yunus:100 H.N. Ibnul Mahbar from Abu
Qatadah r.a.
15. Defending the
truth
Surah Al-Maidah:54 H.N. Muslim
16. Using parts of
body positively
Surah Al-Isra’:36 H.N. Tirmidzi from Abu Hurairah
r.a.
17. Staying Positive Surah Al-Baqarah:8-10 H.N. Bukhari and Muslim
18. Hard-working Surah At-Taubah: 105 H.N. Ath-Thabrani
19. Responsible Surah An-Nahl:93 H.N. Bukhari, Muslim, and
Turmudzi from Abdullah bin
Umar r.a.
Remarks:
H.N. = Hadith narrated by
Table 2 above shows the relationship between the nineteen indexes of personal character and
teachings of Islam. It turns out that all of the indexes are associated with the word of God in the form of
Holy Qur’an and the words of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh in the form of Al-Hadith. This fact supports
the argument that the values of personal characters as described by Raja Ali Haji in his works are derived
from the teachings of Islam. Thus, for Muslims, the truth and the benefit of character as suggested by
Raja Ali Haji cannot be denied.
3. Class of Semiotic Signs in Personal Character Index
This section specifies the class of semiotic signs of personal character index in the works of Raja Ali Haji.
The findings of this study indicate that not all of the ten sign classes in terms of personal character index
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31
as proposed by Peirce (Van Zoest 1993, 31-33) were discovered in the works of Raja Ali Haji. In this
case, the classification of character index uses only four semiotic sign classes.
Religious obedience as an index of personal character is presented by Raja Ali Haji using
arguments. Two articles of Gurindam Dua Belas and stanzas in syair (poems) Thamarat al-Muhimmah
and Syair Sinar Gemala Mestika Alam are used to present these values (see Table 1). As an argument,
signs contained in these works are the inference of Raja Ali Haji on religiously obedient people based on
certain grounds. In this case, the reason of truth is that the teachings of Islam as contained, inter alia, in
Al-Quran,Surah Al-Bayyinah, stanza 5, and the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh as narrated by
Baihaqi (see Table 2) shows that goodness within every human beings as God’s servants can be seen if
they understand and implement the teachings of their religion. This ground contains truth according to
Muslims’ faith since they are based on the instructions of Allah the most glorified, the most high and the
guidance of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh.
In addition to argument, religious obedience which is a personal character index in the works of
Raja Ali Haji also used rheumatic iconic qualisign. In this case, the nature of religious obedience should
indeed be inherent in every person who has good character which is expressed in Gurindam Dua Belas,
Thamarat al-Muhimmah, and Syair Sinar Gemala Mestika Alam.
Religious obedience as a personal character index is also expressed using semiotic signs under
dicent indexical legisign. In this case, Raja Ali Haji revealed that the issue is based on the norms or the
rules of teachingsof Islam as contained in the word of God and the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad
pbuh.
Based on the above explanation, the index of religiously obedient in personal character index is
expressed by Raja Ali Haji using semiotic signs under three classes, namely argument, rheumatic iconic
qualisign, and dicent indexical legisign. In details, semiotic sign classes contained in the works of Raja
Ali Haji in relation to personal character index is shown in Table 3 below.
Table 3
Relationship between personal character index and Pierce’s semiotic class
No.
Index
Semiotic Class
Class I Class II Class III Class IV
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Religiously-Obedient √ - √ √
2. Gentle √ √ √ √
3. Hard-studying √ √ √ √
4. Courteous √ √ √ √
5. Honest √ √ √ √
6. Disciplined √ √ √ √
7. Independent √ √ √ -
8. Self-Care √ √ √ √
9. Sincere √ √ √ √
10. Wise √ √ √ √
11. Humble √ √ √ √
12. Critical √ √ √ √
13. Steadfast √ √ √ √
14. Perfect Minded √ √ √ √
15. Defending the truth √ √ √ √
16. Using parts of body
positively
- - √ √
17. Staying Positive - - √ √
18. Hard-working √ √ √ √
19. Responsible √ √ √ √
Remarks:
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32
Class I = rheumatic iconic qualisign
Class II = rheumatic indexical sinsign
Class III = dicent indexical legisign
Class IV = argument
√ = available
- = not available
In general, personal character index
contained in the works of Raja Ali Haji as
described in table 3 above uses four classes of
semiotic signs: rheumatic iconic qualisign,
rheumatic indexical sinsign, dicent indexical
legisign, and arguments. Only religious
obedience index that uses three sign classes
which is without rheumatic indexical sinsign. It
means that to express religious obedience index,
Raja Ali Haji did show the words, actions, or
behavior of those religiously obedient people.
What is shown instead is only the statement of
Raja Ali Haji himself as a writer based on the
norms he believes in.
The indexes of self-care and staying
positive also use only two classes of semiotic
signs, i.e. dicent indexical legisign and
argument. That means only the statement of the
writer that is based on the authors’ conviction is
shown, while the thoughts, feelings, personality
traits, attitudes, words and or behavior of those
with the index are not shown (without figures).
That is what is shown in article three (Using
partsof body positively) of Gurindam Dua Belas,
and article four of Gurindam Dua Belas, and
Thamarat al-Muhimmah, stanzas 20-32 (staying
positive).
Exclusive of the three personal
character indexes mentioned above, all other
indexes use four semiotic sign classes: rheumatic
iconic qualisign, rheumatic indexical sinsign,
dicent indexical legisign, and argument. That
means that the classification involves thoughts,
feelings, personality traits, attitudes, words and
or behavior of the person who has the character
value, the statement of the author (Raja Ali
Haji), and is equipped with the norms or rules of
teachings of Islam which implicitly underlie his
beliefs.
Conclusions and Suggestions
1. Conclusions
The findings of present study indicate that the
works of Raja Ali Haji contain nineteen
personal character indexes. All of the personal
character indexes are related to the teachings of
Islam. In semiotics, personal character index is
comprised of four classes: (1) rheumatic iconic
qualisign, (2) rheumatic indexical sinsign, (3)
dicent indexical legisign, and (4) argument. In
conclusion, a person with nineteen character
values afore mentioned is classified as a person
with good personal character.
2. Suggestions
The works of Raja Ali Haji proved to contain
the values of subtle characters highly
appreciated within Indonesian and Malay
culture in general. This means that the works of
Raja Ali Haji can and should be used as
learning materials for character education and
literature studies in an attempt to bring back
nation’s identity and Indonesian civilization. In
fact, as the values mentioned are universal in
nature, the character values presented by Raja
Ali Haji can also be used as a guide by every
human beings on earth as a way of life.
_________________
Abdul Malik is a lecturer of
Department of Indonesian Language
Education and Literature, Faculty of
Teacher Training and Education,
Raja Ali Haji Maritime University,
Tanjungpinang, Indonesia. E-mail:
Isnaini Leo Shanty is a lecturer of Department of Indonesian Language
Education and Literature, Faculty of
Teacher Training and Education,
Raja Ali Haji Maritime University,
Tanjungpinang, Indonesia. E-mail:
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