EN.MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA — Nur Kholis, a member of Muhammadiyah’s Council for Religious Opinion and Reform, has called on Muslims to strengthen the values of trustworthiness, honesty, and moral responsibility in both public and civic life.
He delivered the message during a Friday sermon at Islamic Center Mosque of Ahmad Dahlan University on Friday (5/6).
According to Nur Kholis, piety is not limited to ritual worship. It must also be reflected in integrity when carrying out public responsibilities. True devotion, he argued, requires people to avoid abusing authority, act honestly, make fair decisions, and prioritize the public interest.
He began his sermon by citing Quran QS An-Nisa (4:58), which commands believers to return trusts to those entitled to them and to judge with justice. He said the verse remains highly relevant amid growing public concerns over governance and accountability.
“People often ask why programs designed to help citizens are repeatedly overshadowed by allegations of misconduct,” he said. “Why do funds intended for children, students, farmers, workers, and vulnerable communities so often become entangled in the interests of a few?”
Corruption Is More Than a Legal Violation
At the same time, Nur Kholis urged Muslims to uphold the Islamic principle of tabayyun, or careful verification. People should not make accusations without evidence. However, he stressed that society must not remain silent when public trust is threatened.
According to him, corruption, abuse of office, conflicts of interest, and neglect of public welfare are not merely legal violations. They are also serious moral failures. Such actions weaken public confidence, undermine state institutions, impoverish communities, and erode social well-being.
He also cited QS Al-Baqarah (2:188) which prohibits acquiring the property of others through unlawful means.
For Nur Kholis, public funds are not ownerless assets. They represent the labor of farmers, the taxes paid by small traders, the efforts of workers, the hopes of teachers, and the future of an entire nation.
Therefore, anyone entrusted with public office should view leadership as a form of service rather than a means of personal enrichment.
“Power is not an opportunity to take more,” he said. “It is an opportunity to serve more.”
Quoting the Prophet Muhammad’s saying, “Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for those under your care,” Nur Kholis emphasized that accountability applies to everyone, not only government officials.
Teachers, lecturers, students, parents, mosque administrators, business owners, and ordinary citizens all bear responsibilities according to their respective roles.
Building Integrity Begins With Everyday Conduct
Nur Kholis urged people not only to condemn large-scale corruption but also to confront everyday dishonesty.
Manipulating reports, neglecting duties, or taking what does not belong to oneself may seem minor. Yet such behavior contributes to a broader culture of corruption.
“A clean nation is not built solely by clean leaders,” he said. “It is built by ethical citizens, critical communities, enlightened universities, and families that teach honesty.”
Three Principles for Responding to National Challenges
Nur Kholis encouraged Muslims to approach national issues through the lens of Islam Berkemajuan (Progressive Islam), which emphasizes compassion, enlightenment, advancement, and public benefit. He outlined three principles that should guide public engagement.
First, be critical without becoming hateful.
Concern about the nation’s condition is natural, he said, as long as it stems from care for society. Criticism, however, should never turn into slander, insults, or hate speech.
Instead, it should be based on evidence, knowledge, and proper ethics.
“The purpose of criticism is correction and improvement,” he explained, “not humiliation.”
Second, seek justice without losing composure.
Justice, he argued, is the foundation of national life. Without it, the law loses credibility, citizens lose trust, and development loses meaning.
Yet efforts to uphold justice must respect legal processes, preserve social cohesion, and rely on sound judgment.
He also warned against spreading unverified information or using social media as an outlet for uncontrolled anger.
“Progressive Islam teaches us to be a community that enlightens, not a community that rages,” he said.
Making Islam a Force for Civilization
Third, build a culture of trustworthiness beginning with oneself.
National reform does not start only with political leaders. It must grow within homes, schools, universities, mosques, and workplaces.
Children should learn honesty from their parents. Students should learn integrity from their teachers. Leaders should demonstrate that public office is a trust, not a privilege.
Nur Kholis cited a prophetic tradition stating that faith is incomplete in a person who lacks trustworthiness.
He urged Muslims to continuously evaluate whether they are fulfilling their responsibilities in managing their time, work, family, knowledge, wealth, positions, and speech.
In closing, he called for a balanced response to national challenges—one that combines prayer with action, criticism with solutions, courage with civility, and legal accountability with moral education.
He expressed hope that religious values would not remain confined to sermons but would shape governance, public services, education, economic life, and social policy.
According to Nur Kholis, this is how Islam can become a force for civilization: by defending ordinary people, safeguarding public trust, encouraging honest leadership, and promoting knowledge, morality, and justice.
He concluded by urging worshippers to make mosques centers of clarity, universities centers of enlightenment, families schools of honesty, and individuals guardians of trust wherever they may be.
“A strong nation,” he said, “is built not only on resources, but on the integrity and trustworthiness of its people.”
