MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, MAKASSAR — The concept of Tabula Rasa, first introduced by Western philosopher John Locke, portrays humans as a blank slate at birth. According to Locke, humans are brought into the world without any inherent traits, and their personality and character are formed by the influence of their environment, family, and education throughout life.
However, in the gathering of Muhammadiyah South Sulawesi on Saturday (20/04), Secretary General of Muhammadiyah, Abdul Mu’ti, highlighted the similarities between the Tabula Rasa theory and the concept of Fitrah in Islam. Fitrah, as explained by Mu’ti, is the original and pure state when humans are first born into the world, without any sin or stain.
“Fitrah is like a newborn baby, pure and free from sin. In this state of fitrah, humans are naturally inclined towards Islam,” said Mu’ti.
In Islamic teachings, the belief that humans are born in a state of fitrah is very important. This is reinforced by a hadith that states that all children are born in a state of fitrah, and it is the parents’ religion that then shapes them into adherents of a particular religion. According to Mu’ti, fitrah in this context refers to the fitrah of embracing the straight (hanif) religion of Islam, in accordance with the verse in the Qur’an, Surah Ar-Rum verse 30.
“So be steadfast in faith in all uprightness ˹O Prophet˺—the natural Way of Allah which He has instilled in ˹all˺ people. Let there be no change in this creation of Allah. That is the Straight Way, but most people do not know” (Ar-Rum: 30).
Based on the verse quoted from the Qur’an, Mu’ti explained that from birth, humans have a natural tendency to seek the path of truth in religion. Islam, according to him, is the religion of hanifiyah, which is a religion that is consistent with truth. In addition, fitrah is also understood as the basic nature of humans who tend to like good things.
“This Islamic view emphasizes that humans are born into the world in a state of fitrah, and fitrah is to embrace Islam, and the tendency to do good and do the best in their lives,” Mu’ti said firmly.
Thus, the concept of Fitrah and Tabula Rasa becomes very different in Islamic view. While Tabula Rasa portrays humans as a blank canvas influenced by the environment, Fitrah in Islam shows that humans have an inherent calling to seek religious truth and tend towards goodness.
