Written by Makmur

To discuss Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy (CCRL), we must address the questions: Who am I, who are you, and who are they? To answer these questions, one must possess three competencies: personal, comparative, and collaborative.

CCRL is like a comfortable, safe, peaceful, and beautiful home. I say this because it contains various communities that interact, support, sustain, and share with one another to provide benefits. I am inseparable from CCRL because I consider it a part of my body. If CCRL were to disappear, my body would not function properly or would be sick. Each body part has a different role, yet they need each other in daily life. Similarly, CCRL has three main elements that complement one another: I, you, and they.

Understanding “I” (Personal Competency)

“I” refers to a person with social sensitivity. This person is willing to share to make others happy because they believe that others will not be happy without them, and they consider how to be a beneficial person for others. The word “I” holds a principle of life, as expressed in the hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW:

عَنْ جَابِرً  قَالَ  قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ  اْلمُؤْمِنُ أَلِفٌ مَؤْلُوْفٌ وَلَاخَيْرَ فِيْمَنْ لَايَأْلَفُ وَلَا يُأْلَفُ  وَخَيْرَ النَّاسِ  أَنْفَعَهُمْ لِلنَّاِس

From Jabir, he said, “The Messenger of Allah SAW said, ‘A believer is friendly and approachable, and there is no good in a person who is not friendly and approachable. The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.'”

This hadith signals to people (especially Muslims) to interact with one another and not be cruel or sullen, as a person who is not friendly towards others may be considered by the Creator to have weak faith. If a person claims to believe in their God, they should apply the message of this hadith. Furthermore, they should always think, “I was created for others, not just for myself, and I will not be happy if you and they are not there.” If we examine the Prophet’s hadith, there is no place for the word “no” to neglect the rights of others, as the Creator has given us many examples to apply in our daily lives.

For example, the Creator provides an opportunity for all of creation to live happily, safely, peacefully, and prosperously. The Creator never intimidates, mocks, or abuses. Thus, the function of the word “I” is to make humans into creatures who can emulate the behavior of their God, who is compassionate and generous.

CCRL is a humanist approach that makes us aware of the beauty of diversity. Diversity is like a rainbow created by God as a sign that diversity is not always a bad thing to be viewed but can be a comfort to the eye. While diversity can sometimes lead to conflict, not all conflicts are caused by it. Conflicts can occur due to several factors, including: our lack of social sensitivity, our high sectoral ego, feeling better than others, and a lack of tolerance. Yet, all of this has been exemplified by Allah and His Messenger.

“I” means a creation of the Creator assigned to be a Caliph on His Earth. As a Caliph, one must have a good disposition and character and be able to provide a sense of security, comfort, and peace to others. This is because the duty of a Caliph is to manage the Earth and make it a safe place for all of His creatures, both physically and spiritually. A Caliph must also be able to protect everyone without discriminating based on ethnicity, race, religion, or background. A Caliph must have the principle that all humans are equal in the eyes of the Creator, and what differentiates them is only their obedience to the Creator’s commands. A Caliph must also respect the opinions of others and not act arbitrarily or feel that they are the most correct among all people.

I used to feel that my opinion was the most correct because, at the time, I had only studied from one source of knowledge. However, at the end of my studies, the head of my Islamic boarding school gave me a message: “If you want to be great and gain much knowledge, then make water an example in your life (the philosophy of water). At the source, it is small, but at the downstream, it is large. It becomes large because it never stops flowing and seeking a path to reach the downstream.” This means, “If you want to be a person who can understand the circumstances of others, then study until the end of your life, continue to seek knowledge, and learn from a teacher who can teach you knowledge that is beneficial for you and others.” In this way, personal, comparative, and collaborative competencies will certainly be achieved.

Inclusivity as a Guiding Principle

The CCRL program shapes a person’s mindset from exclusive to inclusive. Through CCRL training, I was taught to be a person who can invite others to do good bil hikmah wa ma’izhatil hasanah (with wisdom and good counsel). This is in line with the teachings of Islam, as explained in the Quran, Surah An-Nahl verse 125:

أُدْعُوْا اِلَى سَبِيْلِ رَبِّكَ بِاْلحِكْمَةِ وَاْلمَوْعِظَةِ اْلحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِيْ هِيَ أَحْسَنُ اِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمْنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيْلِهِ  وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِاْلمُهْتَدِيْن

“Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good counsel, and argue with them in the best manner. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is guided.”

The message of this verse is that we must invite others to the right and good path in a good way, not by intimidating, insulting, hating, or being hostile, as if judging others to be despicable in this world and the hereafter.

If we want to be good human beings, we must have the three competencies. These three competencies are very important for life because they help us understand the purpose of our creation. This means that a person who wants to understand who others are and why they were created must have adequate knowledge. With knowledge, one will surely understand the circumstances, beliefs, and rights of others. How is this achieved? The method is quite simple: study what others have, believe, and have created. From this knowledge, a good understanding will emerge, which will eliminate doubt when wanting to cooperate in building a civilization.

Humans are indeed diverse, but fundamentally, we are the same. What differentiates us is our ability to draw closer to God through various means. The presence of CCRL is a breath of fresh air in creating harmony in a cross-cultural society because CCRL encompasses “I, you, and they” who must protect each other to create a life full of happiness in this world and the hereafter.

That is CCRL; it is present to create harmony, bring happiness, and bring peace to people through an Islamic culture. I have become a person with social sensitivity and piety because of CCRL, and so I and CCRL are an inseparable whole.