Sufism, Sharia, & Politics: Contesting Islamic Authority in Contemporary Aceh

Rubaidi; Abdul Jamil Wahab; Ali  Mas’ud; Budi Handoyo

doi:10.15408/ajis.v25i2.46792

Authors

Rubaidi Sunan Ampel State Islamic University of Surabaya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2280-7449
Abdul Jamil Wahab Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0341-4968
Ali Mas’ud UIN Sunan Ampel
Budi Handoyo STAIN Teungku Dirundeng-Meulaboh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v25i2.46792

Keywords:

Sharia, Sufi, Sufism, Politics, Religious authority

Abstract

This article examines the discourse between Sufi and sharia-oriented scholars concerning the nature of Islam and its implementation in social and state life in contemporary Aceh. It focuses on the thought of modern Acehnese Sufi figures, particularly Abuya Sheikh Amran Waly Al-Khalidi, vis-à-vis scholars affiliated with the Aceh Ulama Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Ulama, MPU) and the Aceh branch of the Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, MUI). Drawing on qualitative field research, data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and literature review. This study argues that the discourse between these groups extends beyond differences in interpretive approaches and legal application, reflecting fundamentally divergent epistemological understandings of Islamic teachings. Moreover, this contestation echoes historical dynamics in Aceh, notably the sixteenth-century debate between Hamzah Fansuri and Nuruddin ar-Raniri during the Samudera Pasai Sultanate. The Sufism–sharia discourse thus provides an analytical lens for examining broader dynamics of Islam in Aceh, including the implementation of Islamic law, inter-ulama relations, and the influence of Jakarta’s political elites. Ultimately, this article elucidates the foundational principles guiding both Sufi and sharia scholars in translating Islamic teachings into communal and state practices in Aceh and, more broadly, in Indonesia.

Abstrak

Artikel ini mengkaji diskursus antara ulama syariat versus ulama sufi dalam memahami hakekat Islam dan implementasi dalam kehidupan sosial kemasyarakatan maupun kenegaraan di Aceh modern. Kajian ini membedah pemikiran sosok ulama sufi Aceh modern, yakni Abuya Syekh Amran Waly Al-Khalidi vis-à-vis para ulama yang tergabung dalam Majelis Permusyawaratan Ulama (MPU) Aceh dan Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) Aceh. Artikel ini didasarkan pada penelitian lapangan. Data diperoleh melalui wawancara mendalam, dan studi pustaka. Artikel ini berargumentasi, bahwa diskursus kedua belah pihak dalam konteks Aceh modern tidak hanya menggambarkan tentang perbedaan cara berfikir dalam memahami sekaligus menerapkan ajaran Islam saja. Selain itu, kontestasi keduanya menggambarkan dinamika sejarah masa lalu yang terulang kembali di era Hamzah Fansuri versus Nuruddin Ar-Raniri pada Kesultanan Samudera Pasai abad ke-16. Diskursus antara sufisme dan syariat ini dapat digunakan untuk menganalisis dinamika Islam di Aceh dalam hubungannya dengan penerapan syariat Islam, relasi antar ulama, sekaligus keputusan politik elit pemerintah Jakarta. Artikel ini menyajikan temuan berupa prinsip-prinsip dasar pemikiran antara ulama sufi versus ulama syariat dalam konteks menerjemahkan ajaran Islam dalam kehidupan masyarakat sekaligus kenegaraan di Aceh maupun Indonesia pada umumnya.

Author Biographies

Rubaidi, Sunan Ampel State Islamic University of Surabaya

Professor of Sufism at Faculty of Tarbiyah and Education, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.
Abdul Jamil Wahab, Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN)

Researcher at Center for Religion and Belief, Research Organization for Social Sciences and Humanities, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta, Indonesia.
Budi Handoyo, STAIN Teungku Dirundeng-Meulaboh

Lecturer in the Sharia and Islamic Economics Department, Islamic Constitutional Law study program, STAIN Teungku Dirundeng-Meulaboh campus.

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