MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA – Indonesian marketing expert Hermawan Kartajaya visited the Muhammadiyah headquarters, Jakarta on Thursday, July 31, 2025. He was welcomed by Muhammadiyah Chairperson of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Community Empowerment, and Environment Anwar Abbas and Muhammadiyah Secretary Muhammad Izzul Muslimin.
Hermawan is well known for his work with American marketing professor Philip Kotler and for authoring several influential marketing books. He is also the founder and chairman of MarkPlus, a leading marketing consultancy firm under the Mcorp group.
His visit aimed to strengthen collaboration with Muhammadiyah. During the meeting, Hermawan introduced a new idea called “Islam for SDGs” (Sustainable Development Goals). The concept came to him after speaking with a Buddhist monk in Thailand who expressed concern about younger generations becoming increasingly disconnected from religion.
Hermawan believes this idea aligns well with Muhammadiyah values and programs. Through its philanthropic department, Lazismu, Muhammadiyah has been actively supporting the global development agenda. Its initiatives, ranging from poverty reduction and education to healthcare and food security, reflect a strong commitment to building a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world.
“Lazismu has already been working in line with the SDGs,” said Hermawan, acknowledging Muhammadiyah role in providing practical, community-based solutions.
Hermawan also touched on the topic of marketing, noting that the best marketing practices can be found in the life of Prophet Muhammad.
“Triple Bottom Line”+1P Approach
Meanwhile, Anwar Abbas highlighted how Islamic teachings have reflected modern business principles, particularly the “Triple Bottom Line” approach (People, Profit, and Planet).
Anwar Abbas referred to a verse from the Qur’an, Surah Al-Qasas (28:77):
Rather, seek the [reward] of the Hereafter by means of what Allah has granted you, without forgetting your share of this world. And be good [to others] as Allah has been good to you. Do not seek to spread corruption in the land, for Allah certainly does not like the corruptors.”
Anwar Abbar emphasized that Islam adds a fourth dimension to the 3P concept, namely Paradise.
“The 3P idea is already found in the Qur’an. However, in Islam, we go one step further by including Paradise. Without it, focusing only on people, profit, and the planet can lead to greed and harm. That is why we are reminded to make the Hereafter our ultimate goal, said Anwar Abbas.
