MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA – The Chairperson of Muhammadiyah Muhadjir Effendy encouraged students of Madrasah Mu’allimin Muhammadiyah to follow the example of the Muhammadiyah founder, Ahmad Dahlan, especially his spirit of learning and open-mindedness.
Muhadjir highlighted Dahlan’s willingness to learn and teach wherever he could. One key example was his time at the Opleiding School voor Inlandsche Ambtenaren in Magelang before he founded his own school. At the time, the school had no religious teacher. Dahlan boldly offered to teach Islamic studies there.
“Ahmad Dahlan told the Dutch principal that these students, who were future civil servants, needed a proper understanding of religion, especially since they would serve a society that was 90 percent Muslim,” said Muhadjir at the commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 24.
However, Dahlan’s goal wasn’t just to teach. According to Muhadjir, he also wanted to learn how to manage a school. He used these teaching opportunities to understand how formal education was structured, which later helped him build his own institution.
In addition to teaching at the civil servant school, Dahlan also taught at schools founded by Christian missionaries and Zending groups. He used the same argument that students needed religious education. What set him apart, Muhadjir said, was his ability to see value in different educational systems and learn from them.
“Muhammadiyah efforts in education began with an open mind. With that mindset, Dahlan studied what worked well in Dutch government schools and missionary schools, and learned from them,” explained Muhadjir.
Muhadjir also noted how Dahlan stood out from other Islamic leaders at the time. While many refused help from the Dutch colonial government, Dahlan accepted it. This decision reflected his independent thinking.
Quoting research by Amir Hamzah Wiryosukarto, Muhadjir said that Dahlan’s open-mindedness was different not only from other Islamic scholars but also from early nationalist movements.
“That was a form of ijtihad (independent reasoning) by Dahlan. And today, we see he was right. Many of the institutions that rejected that approach haven’t grown the way Muhammadiyah has in the field of education,” said Muhadjir.
Muhadjir emphasized that Dahlan’s thinking was far ahead of his time. His ideas continue to be relevant today, and his vision helped shape a non-confrontational but impactful strategy to build and strengthen the nation.
“His way of thinking and working was part of a bigger plan to uplift the country, not by confrontation, but by education and action. That approach has become Muhammadiyah’s unique way of contributing to the nation,” he said.
