Charisma, Symbols, and Pesantren Nationalism: Mbah Liem and NKRI Harga Mati

Abstract

Pesantren play a vital role in shaping social morality, religious authority, and civic orientation in Indonesia, particularly as religious values and nationalism continue to be negotiated in public life. This study aims to analyze how Mbah Liem’s religious authority and nationalist vision were constructed, remembered, and institutionalized through Pondok Pesantren Al Muttaqien Pancasila Sakti and its social practices. This study employs a systematic qualitative review approach. Data were collected through literature searches on Google Scholar, Garuda, and DOAJ, complemented by backward and forward citation tracking of key sources. The data were analyzed using thematic synthesis through initial coding, thematic grouping, cross study comparison, and the formulation of social mechanisms linking actors, symbols, practices, and social effects. The findings show that pesantren nationalism in the case of Mbah Liem was not produced merely through political slogans, but through charismatic authority, institutional discipline, symbolic production, religious national boundary work, and social networks. The slogan “NKRI Harga Mati” gained its force because it was attached to Mbah Liem’s reputation, repeated within pesantren practices, and validated through wider public encounters. The implication of this study is that the sociology of religion needs to pay closer attention to how charisma, symbols, and institutional practices in pesantren produce civic belonging in Indonesian Muslim society.

Pesantren memiliki peran penting dalam membentuk moralitas sosial, otoritas keagamaan, dan orientasi kewargaan di Indonesia, terutama ketika nilai agama dan nasionalisme terus dinegosiasikan dalam kehidupan publik. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis bagaimana otoritas keagamaan dan visi kebangsaan Mbah Liem dikonstruksi, diingat, dan dilembagakan melalui Pondok Pesantren Al Muttaqien Pancasila Sakti serta praktik sosialnya. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan tinjauan kualitatif sistematik. Data dikumpulkan melalui penelusuran literatur pada Google Scholar, Garuda, dan DOAJ, serta dilengkapi dengan backward dan forward citation tracking terhadap sumber kunci. Data dianalisis menggunakan sintesis tematik melalui coding awal, pengelompokan tema, perbandingan lintas studi, dan perumusan mekanisme sosial yang menghubungkan aktor, simbol, praktik, dan efek sosial. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa nasionalisme pesantren dalam kasus Mbah Liem tidak hanya dibentuk melalui slogan politik, tetapi melalui otoritas karismatik, disiplin institusional, produksi simbol, kerja batas religius-kebangsaan, dan jejaring sosial. Slogan “NKRI Harga Mati” memperoleh kekuatan karena dilekatkan pada reputasi Mbah Liem, diulang dalam praktik pesantren, dan divalidasi melalui perjumpaan publik yang lebih luas. Implikasi penelitian ini menegaskan pentingnya sosiologi agama dalam memahami bagaimana karisma, simbol, dan praktik kelembagaan pesantren memproduksi keterikatan kewargaan dalam masyarakat Muslim Indonesia.