Ulumuna

Translating Tawḥīd: Chinese Tapekong in a Sundanese Islamic Manuscript

Muhammad Nida’ Fadlan — 2026-06-09

This study examines how a Sundanese Muslim scholar, Raden Haji Muhammad Nuh of Cianjur (1879–1966), employed the Chinese term tapekong, referring to the deity Tua Pek Kong venerated in Chinese temples, as an antithetical reference to Islamic monotheism (tawḥīd) in his Sundanese Pegon translation and commentary (sharḥ) of the ‘Aqīdat al-ʿawām, a foundational creedal poem by Aḥmad al-Marzūqī (d. 1846). The central question is: Why did the translator choose a Chinese religious referent, rather than other non-Islamic traditions, to concretize shirk (polytheism), the theological antithesis of tawḥīd? Drawing on philological analysis of the manuscript and the scholarly framework of Islamic vernacularization, this study argues that the use of tapekong constitutes a deliberate act of theological localization. It transformed tawḥīd from an abstract doctrinal category into a socially embedded marker of communal identity, reflecting the multicultural milieu of the twentieth-century Sundanese community, particularly the Priangan region, where Chinese temples (kelenteng) represented the most visible form of religious alterity. This finding contributes to the study of Islamic theology in Southeast Asia by demonstrating how vernacular translations actively shape, not merely transmit, theological understanding through culturally situated rhetorical strategies.

From Faith, Ritual, and Social Responsibility: Community-Based Public Theology in the Haul Guru Sekumpul

Safii Safii — 2026-06-13

This article examines the transformation of ritual piety into public theology through the Haul Guru Sekumpul in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Employing ethnographic fieldwork combined with a hermeneutical approach, the study interprets religious practices as expressions of lived theology embedded in social life. Data were collected through participant observation, documentation, and in-depth interviews conducted during the 2025 and 2026 commemorations. The findings show that the haul functions not only as a devotional ritual but also as a site of collective ethical formation. Core Islamic values such as compassion, solidarity, and service are enacted through everyday practices, transforming faith from an individual experience into a shared social responsibility. The event also demonstrates a form of community-based moral governance, in which participants collectively organize public order and social welfare without reliance on centralized institutional control. This study contributes to Islamic public theology by showing that community-based religious practices can generate non-institutional moral authority and shape public ethics in socially embedded ways. It offers broader insights into the relationship between religion, society, and the public sphere in contemporary Muslim contexts.

The Baduy Experience of Divinity and its Significance For Ecological Sustainability

Humaidi Humaidi — 2026-06-14

This study examines how the Baduy community’s experience of divinity informs ecological sustainability. It asks how spiritual belief, customary law, and everyday practice shape Baduy modes of conserving nature. The study uses a qualitative fieldwork design supported by library research. Data were collected through systematic observation, in-depth interviews with selected members of the inner and outer Baduy, and local government official in Lebak District, Banten, Indonesia. Informants were selected purposively for their knowledge of Baduy religious practice, customary authority, and environmental management. The data were analyzed through a philosophical phenomenological approach by identifying recurring themes in the informants’ lived experiences and interpreting them in relation to ecotheological perspectives, especially Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s critique of the separation between nature and the sacred. The findings show that Baduy Divine experience is embodied in customary rules, agricultural practices, forest zoning, simplicity, and restraint in the use of natural resources. The article argues that the Baduy case contributes to religious ecology by showing how an indigenous tradition and its interaction with Islamic concepts offer a concrete example of religiously grounded ecological ethics.

Paradise Imagery in the Qur’an: A Semiotic and Theological-Aesthetic Reading

Hamidi Ilhami — 2026-06-17

This study examines the interpretive tension in contemporary Qur’anic discourse on Paradise between literal-materialist readings and symbolic-spiritual interpretations. Previous studies on Qur’anic eschatology have largely focused on theological or literary aspects, while limited attention has been given to Paradise imagery as an integrated semiotic and theological system. Existing semiotic approaches also tend to remain conceptual without demonstrating how Qur’anic symbols function within a spiritual hermeneutical framework. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, this research analyzes selected Qur’anic verses on Paradise through the integration of Saussurean semiotics, Barthesian myth analysis, and Islamic theological aesthetics. The analysis focuses on denotative, connotative, and theological-symbolic meanings supported by classical tafsīr and contemporary Qur’anic scholarship. The findings reveal that Qur’anic depictions of Paradise function as symbolic theological signs that guide believers from sensory imagination toward spiritual consciousness and divine proximity. Elements such as gardens, rivers, light, and companionship represent ethical refinement, peace, and transcendence rather than merely material pleasure. The study also finds that overly materialistic interpretations may reduce the pedagogical and spiritual dimensions of Qur’anic eschatology. This study contributes to contemporary Qur’anic studies by offering an operational framework integrating semiotics, tafsīr, and Islamic spiritual theology in the interpretation of eschatological language.

Integration of Islamic Values and Local Wisdom of Siri' Na Pacce in the Sustainability of Settlement Arrangement by the Community Self-Help Agency (BKM) Post-KOTAKU Program

Fatimah Fatimah — 2026-06-23

Using a case study of the Community Self-Help Agency (BKM) in post-KOTAKU settlement improvement initiatives, this study explores how the integration of religious values and indigenous cultural norms strengthens local institutional capacity and enhances the sustainability of community-based settlement governance. It further develops a conceptual model of local institutions rooted in religious and cultural values. Qualitative in nature, the research focuses on three BKMs in Gowa Regency. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, and analyzed based on themes. The findings indicate that locally led initiatives of BKM plays a crucial role in supporting the sustainability of environmental and settlement improvements. The outcomes include both technical and administrative management engagement and strengthened community participation and sense of ownership. The integration of Islamic values such as justice, and public interest with the local wisdom of Siri' na Pacce, emphasizing honor (Siri') and social solidarity (Pacce), serves as a moral and spiritual foundation. The synergy of the two gave rise to a hybrid model of institutional capacity, an integrative model combining the normative-spiritual, socio-cultural, and structural-institutional dimensions.