Muhammad Adib Abdushomad was born on 2nd August in city of Pekalongan Central Java. He was grown up in Islamic boarding School family so called as pesantren. The mother, Mrs. Hj. Umi Hanik is the daughter of KH. Nachrowi Hasan, a respected Islamic leader of one of the oldest Islamic boarding school in the city of Pekalongan, “Pondok Pesantren Ribatul Muta’allimin” from the father, Mr. H. Baedhowi, son of a well known batik businessman, H. Ahmad Dahlan.
Completed his primary school at the Islamic school of Madrasah Ibtidaiyyah Assalafiyyah at South Pekalongan, Adib then continued his education to the SMPN 5 Junior High School and SMAN 2 High School (both are public schools) at the city of Pekalongan. While in the senior high school, Adib once nominated as one of the best student in the city of Pekalongan and received an award from the Lord Mayor of Pekalongan city. With his strong Islamic education family background, Adib parents also brought Him to the Islamic boarding school in the afternoon, at the Pondok Pesantren Ribatul Muta’allimin graduated until the senior level. With the combination between the general knowledge gathered from public schools and the secular Islamic schools, Adib committed to continue his further studies to the school of medicine, however since Adib did not pass the test, He then turned his intention to enter the Islamic State University of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Walisongo, Semarang Central Java in 1996 majoring in Islamic Law (Syari’ah). Adib further completed his bachelor degree in 2000 and received an award as the best graduate.
Following his graduation, Adib then involved actively in the establishment of a non-governmental organisation, called the Islamic and Society Studies Organisation (eLSIM) in Pekalongan which focuses on conflict resolution, as well as other economic, politic and social analysis within Pekalongan communities. Furthermore eLsim also conduct some book’s review together with the author and with other expertise. One of the main concern was the discussion on the conflict resolution in Pekalongan aftermath the polarisation of political interest post reformation era. In addition, the NGO also established a monthly journal called the Journal of Anti-Violation and Discrimination (SAKTI) which concerned with the issue of peace settlement and in consequence lead to the progressive development of reputation of the organisation. Many officials and local leaders are supportive to the organisational activities, and in fact they have been invited to become the keynote speakers of the events created, such as the Lord Mayor, Head of Local Police, and also Head of Local Army.
In 2001, Adib continued his further studies at the Postgraduate program of the Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Walisongo (the same university) majoring in Islamic Law. Moreover, in 2001 Adib also admitted to be a lecturer at Wahid Hasyim University in Semarang and in 2002 Adib participate in selection test to become civil servant at the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. While Adib was conducting his Masters degree, He started to be an editor of several books, including the book written by Professor Ahmad Rofiq MA who was Adib’s lecturer both in his bachelor degree and in the postgraduate program which titled ”the Reformation of Islamic Law in Indonesia” and finally in 2003 He was succeeded in the selection process and started entering the bureaucracy, with the first posting in the Directorate of Islamic Higher Education. The first portfolio that Adib handled was to manage the Journal called “Swaraditperta” which collects, and reports any activities and also disseminates current and updated policies from the Directorate to the public, especially in the scope of Islamic Higher Education. Further, in the beginning of 2005, Adib was posted in Sub Directorate of Research, publication of scientific research and the public engagement
At the end of 2005, Adib was conducting English course in IALF Bali for six months. In 2006, Adib received an Australian Partnership Scholarship (APS) awarded by the Australian government from 2007 until 2009 to continue his further studies majoring in Masters of Education (Leadership and Management) at Flinders University Adelaide Australia. In Adelaide, Adib was honourably to be elected as the President of the Indonesian Islamic Community in South Australia (MIIAS) from the period of 2007-2008 and also selected as the Vice Chairman for special branch of Australia and New Zealand from the Islamic Civil Organisation called Nahdatul Ulama (NU) and since 2012-2014 become secretary of advisory (Katib Syuriah PCI NU-ANZ). NU is one of the biggest Moderate Muslim organisation in Indonesia.
During of his period studying at Flinders University, Adib also engaged in several academic activities, such as Leadership Workshop, Conflict Resolution Workshop, and also delivered a paper at the Educational Research Conference (ERC) in 2007 titled “Leadership Style and the Challenge in promoting Learning Organisation in the Directorate of Islamic Higher Education”. In the beginning of 2009, together with Mr Geof (Chaplin of Flinders University) and Professor Janet McIntyre co-pioneering a symposium called “Contributing to Peace” and in this occasion, Adib also delivered a paper titled “Considering the three approaches in Islamic Studies”.
In June 2009, Adib also presented a paper at the FUIEE conference titled “the paradigm Shift of Knowledge Management the Directorate of Islamic Education (DOIHE). What is more Adib also contributed an article in the Action Learning Journal (ALAR) 2009 titled “Reframing Participatory Action Research in Rural Areas”
Now he is undertaking Ph. D at the School of Social and Policy Studies, Flinders University under Endeavour International Post graduate Scholarship (IPRS) Australia. Under strong supervision Assoc. Prof. Janet McIntyre as the main supervisor and Prof John Halsey as co-supervisor Adib thesis is about “Developing Sustainable Future For Indonesian Higher Education; A Comparative Case Study of A secular University and Religious University to Critically Review the Research capacity”.
During his Ph.D Adib involves and present his paper in some seminar such as Postgraduate seminar at the School of Education in 2010. Attended conference and workshop about Critical systemic thinking and leadership in Melbourne in September 2010 and also Workshop on Relational Leadership on March 2012 for two days which is conducted by the School of Education. Furthermore, one of his paper already published in a book of PPIA Flinders collaborate with Flinders university (2012) by the title “Leadership for change”. He also published other paper together with Assoc Prof. Janet (2012) at the DRPM Gazette of the University of Indonesia by the title “University and Critical Systemic Thinking; One step to promote Multidisciplinary Research”, Vol.5.No.2, pp.2-5. In the same year 2012, he also presented his paper on the Indonesian Democracy Forum at Flinders university seminar together with Prof. William Liddle (Political scientist from Ohio State University, USA) by the tittle; ” Islamic higher education and Its Contribution to Indonesian Democracy, September 2012.
He submitted his Thesis or Dissertation on September 2013 and he got minor revision from the external examiners. He attended his Ph.D Graduation at Flinders University SA on April 2014. Since then he returned to office and being promoted since 2015 at Head of Sub-Section Leader on Curriculum Development at the Directorate of Islamic Higher Education and since 2017 he moved to Human Resources Sub Directorate and hold various position such as PIC on 5000 Ph.D Sholarship as well as IDB Project within the Ministry of Religious Affairs as Secretary.
Following is a number of books that have been edited by Adib as an editor from 2001 until current (most of the book is in Indonesian language, therefore the book edited below have been translated from the original version into English)
- The Reformation of Islamic Law in Indonesia (Gama Media Yogyakarta, 2001)
- Targeting NU (Gama Media Yogyakarta, 2001)
- The Eclecticism of the Islamic Law (Gama Media Yogyakarta, 2002)
- The Islamic Syncretism and the Javanese Culture (Gama Media Yogyakarta, 2002)
- Dialectics between Sufism and Psychology (Pustaka Pelajar, 2002)
- Studying black and white of the capital market (Gama Media, 2002)
- Contextual Preaching (Pustaka Pelajar Yogyakarta, 2003)
- The Dialectics of Preaching Studies (Pustaka Pelajar, 2003)
- De-formalisation of Islamic Law in Indonesia (Pustaka Pelajar, 2002)
- Setting Al-Qur’an into a Language (Pustaka Pelajar, 2002)
- Deconstruction and Reconstruction of the Islamic Law (Gama Media, 2002)
- Fighting Globalisation (Pustaka Pelajar, 2003)
- Building Civil Economic Foundation (Pustaka Pelajar, 2004)
- Studying the Future of Islamic Education in Indonesia (Gama Media, 2004)
- Typology of Islamic Education in Indonesia; the transformation of Islamic boarding Institution (Pustaka Pelajar, 2005)
- The Map of Islamic Contemporary Thinking in Indonesia (Pustaka Pelajar, 2005)
- The Introduction of Research (Pustaka Pelajar, 2005)
- The Dynamics of Alms and Communal Ownership (Pustaka Pelajar, 2005)
- Dialectics of Sufi and Music (Gama Media, 2005)
- The Deconstruction of the Islamic Law: An Naim perspective (Gama Media, 2005)
- The Anatomy of Poverty: the Islamic perspective (Pustaka Pelajar, 2006)
- Islamic Studies: Interconnected and Integrated (Pustaka Palajar, 2006)
- Pioneering the Islamic Non Dichotomy Education(Gama Media, 2007)