The Struggle of Islam and Nationalism in Indonesia:A Study of Abdullah bin Nuh’s Thought (1905–1987)

Dania Dania; Didin Saepudin; Fuad Jabali

doi:10.15408/bat.v32i2.51751

Authors

Dania Dania STIT Insan Kamil Bogor
Didin Saepudin Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
Fuad Jabali Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15408/bat.v32i2.51751

Keywords:

Abdullah bin Nuh, Islamic nationalism, Indonesia, thughur (Islamic Frontiers)

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze how Abdullah bin Nuh (1905–1987), an influential West Javanese Islamic scholar and intellectual, understood and developed the concept of Indonesian nationalism from an Islamic perspective, as reflected in his Arabic manuscript Mādhā Naf'al fī Sabīl al-Islām bi Indūnīsiyā (What We Have Done for the Path of Islam in Indonesia).

Method

This research employed a historical approach based on textual analysis of the manuscript Mādhā Nafʿal fī Sabīl al-Islām bi Indūnīsiyā (Nuh, 1948) as the main source of data. The study applied philological approach and content analysis through four steps to find issues proposed in the research problems.

Results/findings

The study finds that Nuh formulated a dialectical relationship between Islam and nationalism. For him, nationalism is not the antithesis of Islam; rather, it can become the golden ring in the great chain of Islamic unity, provided it is built upon the foundation of thughur and directed toward justice. However, Nuh also identified four fundamental problems plaguing Indonesian Muslims: fragile faith (aqidah), weak unity, fractured brotherhood, and a low level of Islamic culture.

Conclusion

The study enrich the discourse on the relationship between Islam and nationhood in Indonesia, which is often viewed as an unresolved tension. Nuh's thought offers a nuanced perspective that sees potential synergy between Islamic principles and nationalist aspirations, contingent upon internal reform and strengthening of the Muslim community.

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