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Emha Ainun Nadjib

Muhammad Ainun Nadjib (born 27 May 1953), best known as Emha Ainun Nadjib or Cak Nun/Mbah Nun, is an Indonesian poet, essayist, kyai, ulama, and humanist. Born in Jombang, East Java, Nadjib began writing poetry while living in Yogyakarta, publishing his first collection in 1976. He became one of the city's predominant poets by the late 1980s, and by then had also began writing essays. He is the leader of the Kiai Kanjeng group, which stages dramas and musical performances on religious themes.

Emha Ainun Nadjib

Muhammad Ainun Nadjib

(1953-05-27) 27 May 1953

Indonesian

Poet, essayist

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Early poems by Nadjib have elements of social criticism. However, more prominent are Islamic values, variously described as santri or Sufi. Islam is also a common subject for his essays. His writings have taken a variety of forms, including poetry, essays, novels, and short stories.

Early life[edit]

Nadjib was born Muhammad Ainun Nadjib in Jombang, East Java, on 27 May 1953. The fourth of fifteen children, he began his education at the Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor, a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Ponorogo. In his third year, Nadjib was expelled for leading a demonstration against school security.[1][2] He later moved to Yogyakarta, where he studied at Muhammadiyah I Senior High School. He attended the economics program at Gadjah Mada University but did not graduate, leaving after one semester.[2][3]

Style and views[edit]

As with fellow Yogyakarta-based writers such as Kuntowijoyo and Mustofa W. Hasyim, Nadjib poems are heavily influenced by Islam.[14] His Islamic influences have commonly been described as santri or orthodox,[15] though Salam suggests that there are Sufistic influences as well.[16] Nadjib has described his own poetry as "deeply religious and philosophical but esthetic".[2]


Nadjib's views on Islam are those of tolerance. He has condemned the 2007 Indonesian Ulema Council fatwa which forbade religious pluralism,[17] as well as regional-level sharia laws. He has supported the rights of Ahmadis to practice in Indonesia, and promoted open discourse with extremist groups as a method for mitigating their impact.[18]


Much of Nadjib's earlier works deal with social criticism.[16]

Betts, Ian (2006). Jalan sunyi Emha [The Silent Pilgrimage of Emha]. Jakarta: Kompas.  978-979-709-255-9.

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