Muhammadiyah

On 18 November 1912, Ahmad Dahlan, a court official of the kraton of the Yogyakarta Sultanate and an educated Muslim scholar from Mecca, established Muhammadiyah in Yogyakarta. There were a number of motives behind the establishment of this movement. Among the important ones are the backwardness of Muslim society and the penetration of Christianity. Ahmad Dahlan, much influenced by Egyptian reformist Muhammad Abduh, considered modernization and purification of religion from syncretic practices were very vital in reforming this religion. Therefore, since its beginning Muhammadiyah has been very concerned with maintaining tawhid and refining monotheism in society.

From 1913 to 1918, Muhammadiyah established five Islamic schools. In 1919, an Islamic high school, Hooge School Muhammadiyah was established. In establishing schools, Muhammadiyah received significant help from the Budi Utomo, an important nationalist movement in Indonesia in the first half of the twentieth century, which provided teachers. Muhammadiyah has generally avoided politics. Unlike its traditionalist counterpart, the Nahdlatul Ulama, it never formed a political party. Since its establishment, it has devoted itself to educational and social activities.

In 1925, two years after the death of Dahlan, Muhammadiyah only had 4,000 members but had built 55 schools and two clinics in Surabaya and Yogyakarta. After Abdul Karim Amrullah introduced the organization to the Minangkabau people, a dynamic Muslim community, Muhammadiyah developed rapidly. In 1938, the organization claimed 250,000 members, managed its 834 mosques, 31 libraries, 1,774 schools, and 7,630 ulama. Minangkabau businesspeople spread organization to the entire of Indonesia.

During the 1965-66 political turbulence and violence, Muhammadiyah declared that the extermination of the Communist Party of Indonesia constituted holy war, a view endorsed by other Islamic groups. (See also the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-66). During the events surrounding the 1998 fall of Suharto, some parts of Muhammadiyah urged the leadership to form a party. Therefore, the leadership, including Muhammadiyah's chairman, Amien Rais, founded the National Mandate Party. Although gaining large support from Muhammadiyah members, this party has no official relationship with Muhammadiyah. The leader of Muhammadiyah said the members of his organization are free to align themselves with political parties of their choosing, provided such parties have shared values with Muhammadiyah.

In 2008, with 29 million members, Muhammadiyah was the second-largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, after Nahdlatul Ulama.

Muhammadiyah's central doctrine is Pure Tauhid, derived from and consistent with the principles of Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jama'ah. The organization emphasizes the authority of the Qur'an and Hadith as the sources of Islamic law, serving as the legitimate basis for interpreting religious beliefs and practices. The movement's primary focus is to heighten the community's sense of moral responsibility and to purify their faith, aligning it with authentic Islam. Theologically, Muhammadiyah adheres to Sunni doctrine, calling for a direct return to the Qur'an and Sunnah. It advocates for the purification of faith by evaluating and weighing various local customs against Islamic Sharia, while simultaneously safeguarding Islamic culture and society from Shirk, (polytheism), as well as Takhayul (Believing in something unreal, irrational, or lacking a strong basis in religious teaching.), Bidʿah (unwarranted innovation), and Khurafat (Fabricated stories, myths, or tales of origin believed to be religious teachings, despite having no basis in the Quran or Hadith.), or TBC.

Muhammadiyah strongly opposes syncretism, where Islam had coalesced with animism (spirit worship) and with Hindu and Buddhist elements that were spread among communities from the pre-Islamic period. Muhammadiyah opposes the tradition of Sufism that allows a Sufi leader (shaykh) to be the formal authority over Muslims. As of 2006, the organization was said to have "veered sharply toward a more conservative brand of Islam" under the leadership of Din Syamsuddin the head of the Indonesian Ulema Council. Muhammadiyah refused to condemn LGBT people, because it believes that publicly condemning people affiliated with those identities and orientations would not help them "return to normalcy".

Muhammadiyah is noted as a Muslim reformist organization. Its main activities are religious practice and education. It has built modern Islamic schools, differing from traditional pesantren. Some of its schools are also open to non-Muslims. In 2024, there were around 5.346 Schools/Madrasah owned by Muhammadiyah, From SD/MI (Primary), SMP/MTs (Middle), to SMA/MA/SMK (High), as well as 326 Pesantren (Boarding Schools).

Beneath the Central Board, there are Pimpinan Wilayah (PW) at the provincial level, followed by Pimpinan Daerah (PD) at the regency/city level, Pimpinan Cabang (PC) at the sub-district level, and Pimpinan Ranting (PR) at the village/urban village level. Currently, Muhammadiyah has 38 Pimpinan Wilayah (out of 38 provinces), 475 Pimpinan Daerah (out of 514 regencies/cities), 3,947 Pimpinan Cabang (out of 7,277 sub-districts), and 14,670 Pimpinan Ranting (out of 83,763 villages/urban villages) across Indonesia. Additionally, there are Pimpinan Cabang Istimewa (PCI) overseas, comprising 30 boards worldwide.

Councils

Majelis Tarjih dan Tajdid (MTT), Majelis Tabligh (MT), Majelis Pendidikan Tinggi, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan (DIKTILITBANG), Majelis Pendidikan Dasar, Menengah dan Pendidikan Nonformal (MPDM-NF), Majelis Pembinaan Kader dan Sumber Daya Insani (MPK-SDI), Majelis Pembinaan Kesejahteraan Sosial (MPKS), Majelis Ekonomi, Bisnis, dan Pariwisata (MEBP), Majelis Pemberdayaan Masyarakat (MPM), Majelis Pembina Kesehatan Umum (MPKU), Majelis Pustaka dan Informasi (MPI), Majelis Lingkungan Hidup (MLH), Majelis Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia (MHH), Majelis Pendayagunaan Wakaf (MPW),

Department

Lembaga Pengembangan Cabang/Ranting dan Pembinaan Masjid (LPCR-PM), Lembaga Pengembangan Pesantren (LPP), Lembaga Kajian dan Kemitraan Strategis (LKKS), Lembaga Pembina dan Pengawasan Keuangan (LPPK), Lembaga Seni Budaya (LSB), Lembaga Resiliensi Bencana (LRB) / Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC), Lembaga Zakat Infaq dan Shadaqah Muhammadiyah (Lazismu), Lembaga Hikmah dan Kebijakan Publik (LHKP), Lembaga Pengembangan Olahraga (LPO), Lembaga Hubungan dan Kerja Sama International (LHKSI), Lembaga Dakwah Komunitas (LDK), Lembaga Pemeriksaan Halal dan Kajian Halalan Thayyiban (LPH-KHT), Lembaga Pembinaan Haji dan Umrah (LPHU),

Lazismu

Lembaga Zakat Infaq dan Shadaqah Muhammadiyah (Lazismu), The Muhammadiyah Zakat, Infaq, and Sadaqah Institution is a Muhammadiyah-owned institution operating in the field of zakat. Lazismu was established by the Muhammadiyah Central Board in 2002 and subsequently designated as a national zakat management organization by the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia via Decree No. 1.457/21 November 2002. Following the enactment of Zakat Law Number 23 of 2011, Government Regulation Number 14 of 2014, and the Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 333 of 2015, Lazismu was reaffirmed as a national zakat management organization through the Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 730 in 2016.

Muhammadiyah owns around 11,473 Mosques, around 8,725 Musala (Prayer Room/Small Mosque), and Waqf Land Assets with Land Area: 214,742,677 square meters (m²).

Universities

As of 2024, Muhammadiyah has 89 universities which are spread out in several provinces of Indonesia, such as:

• Ahmad Dahlan University of Yogyakarta (UAD)
• Muhammadiyah University of Malang (UMM)
• Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta (UMY)
• Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta (UMS)
• Muhammadiyah University of Karanganyar (UMUKA)
• Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto
• Muhammadiyah University of Makassar (Unismuh)
• Muhammadiyah University of Magelang (UMMGL)
• Muhammadiyah University of Semarang
• Muhammadiyah University of Metro
• Muhammadiyah University of Palembang
• Muhammadiyah University of Bengkulu
• Muhammadiyah University of West Sumatra
• Muhammadiyah University of North Sumatra
• Muhammadiyah University of Aceh
• Muhammadiyah University of Cirebon
• Muhammadiyah University of Bekasi
• Muhammadiyah University of Purworejo
• Muhammadiyah University of Surabaya
• Muhammadiyah University of Sidoarjo
• Muhammadiyah University of Gresik
• Muhammadiyah University of Jember
• Muhammadiyah University of Kupang
• Muhammadiyah University of Ternate
• Muhammadiyah University of Gorontalo
• Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta
• Muhammadiyah University of Prof. Hamka (UHAMKA)
• Muhammadiyah University of Parepare
• Muhammadiyah University of Sukabumi
• Muhammadiyah University of Ponorogo
• Muhammadiyah University of Pontianak
• Muhammadiyah University of East Kalimantan (UMKT)
• Muhammadiyah University of Sorong
• Muhammadiyah University of Mataram
• Muhammadiyah University of Bima
• Universiti Muhammadiyah Malaysia (UMAM) Padang Besar, Perlis

Media

Muhammadiyah published their own magazine called Suara Muhammadiyah (English: The Voice of Muhammadiyah). Initiated by Ahmad Dahlan himself, it was first published in 1915, making it one of the oldest publications in Indonesia. Its contents consist of information on the doctrine of the movement and reporting on Muhammadiyah's activities.

The national headquarters was originally in Yogyakarta. However, by 1970 the committees dealing with education, economics, health and social welfare had been relocated to the national capital, Jakarta.

Muhammadiyah owns several Autonomous Organizations, those being:

• Aisyiyah (women)
• Pemuda Muhammadiyah (youth)
• Nasyiatul Aisyiyah (women's youth)
• Ikatan Pelajar Muhammadiyah (students)
• Ikatan Mahasiswa Muhammadiyah (college/university students)
• Tapak Suci Putera Muhammadiyah (pencak silat martial arts)
• Hizbul Wathan (scouting).

The central committee structure consists of five advisors, a chairman with several deputies, a vice chairman, a secretary general with some deputies, and a treasurer with some deputies.