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International Journal of Information Technology and Business Management 15th

December 2017. Vol.58 No.1

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ISSN 2304-0777 www.jitbm.com

22

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






24

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






25

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






26

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)






27

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






28

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 -






29

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.






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






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:






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:

[email protected]

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:

[email protected]

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