September 2016
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137 Reads
Two advices of Nurud’din Al-Raniri to the Sultan of Aceh in his Bustanu al-Salatin are chosen to relate their relevance to current condition in the country: Nasihat (1): Sayogianya bagi segala raja minta pengajar daripada segala masyaikh seperti kelakuan Raja Harun ar-Rasyid, dan mengambil insaf akan dirinya daripada mendengar nasihat itu. Dan jangan ia lalai dengan dunia yang fana ini. In this advice, al-Raniri insisted that all rulers need to heed wise counsels of their ministers and advisers, and not to be carried away in their decision, by the priorities of worldly gain, and that rulers need to be surrounded by wise and learned advisers who can give appropriate opinions based on their deep knowledge, expertise and wide experience, given without fear or favour. On the other hand, ill advices have brought catastrophe to the country, in the forms of economic disaster, disunity, and political turmoil and social unrest, as currently prevalent. Nasihat (2): Wajib atas segala hamba Allah mengerjakan amar bi’l-ma`ruf wa’n-nahi `ana’l-munkar. Dan tersangat wajibnya atas segala raja-raja dan segala orang yang berpenguasaan. In this advice, al-Raniri emphasized that it is incumbent upon everyone more so among those in power, to advocate good deeds and prevent evil deeds. If this is not done, then there will be abuse of power and trust by those who are in authority. This paper will analyse several other advices of al-Raniri, a legacy that are considered to be relevant to the current economic and political condition prevalent in the country, and a general discussion of their relevance and application will be done.