This study aims to reveal the interaction of local Javanese culture with an Islamic philosophical approach originating from the
This research contributed to the fact that traditions that are good and acceptable to society can become the law as part of the Urf, which need to be maintained as long as they do not conflict with Sharia.
Indonesia is a unitary state consisting of ethnicity, religion, and race. Indonesia’s diversity as a gift for the nation’s wealth is contained in Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity). From a legal perspective, there are three applicable laws, namely positive law, Islamic law and customary law. Culture and customs in Indonesian society are dominated by Javanese culture as a representation of the majority culture, which has become an icon of local wisdom resulting from syncretism. The majority of Javanese people are Muslims, consisting of three groups, namely the aristocracy, Muslim scholars, and others who do not adhere strictly to the precepts of Islam (Van Bruinessen
The teachings of mysticism are closer to Sufism, which is divided into four levels: shari’a, Sufism, essence, and the highest knowledge (Sadeghi Sahlabad
Sufism is considered to be more friendly to local culture, and the majority of Javanese people have direct contact with religion and culture. Religion symbolises the value of obedience to God, while culture contains values and symbols so that humans can be dynamic in their lives. Religious systems that blend into society have a collective meaning, namely mutual influence on the totality of the socio-religious order, but cannot be seen as a standard system in society.
Javanese life is closer to mystical culture. This feature is very close to religious traits, and in certain groups it is even magical. Mysticism is a human activity that places more emphasis on the aspect of feeling or inner cultivation, so that in the Javanese context, this activity is popularly known as the mysticism or the flow of belief. Javanese mysticism is a syncretism (accommodation) between Javanese, Hindu and Islamic elements, as a result of a long historical process (De Jong
In the history of the development of religion in Indonesia, mystical views have become part of its development. The existence of mystical influences in a tradition can be seen throughout the development of Islam in Indonesia. Several Acehnese Sufi works show the origins of Islam in Java and have mystical influences such as the works of Nuruddin Arraniry, Syamsuddin Pasai and Hamzah Fansuri, who spread his thoughts around Cirebon and Java (McDaniel
The Javanese people, as one of the largest tribes in Indonesia, consists of several communities. One of them is Penginyongan, a community with a typical Javanese language, culture and art with its uniqueness. The Penginyongan areas include Banyumas, Purbalingga, Banjarnegara, Kebumen and Cilacap (Wildan
One fascinating Penginyongan culture to study further is
This is a qualitative study with a philosophical approach to religion and cultural acculturation. The philosophical approach is concerned with the perceptions of others, and there is much discussion about what it is. This research reveals the intersection between Islamic teachings and Javanese culture, especially the acculturation process of Islamic Sufism in Javanese culture. Data collection was carried out by observing and interviewing the
Islamic mysticism in the Penginyongan tradition is a practice carried out by the Banyumasan people deliberately related to mystical understanding and practice. The practice of mysticism begins with an excessive longing for God, starting with the awakening of the soul, repentance, meditation, and finally, attains the presence of God in the heart, which is called the Unity of God. When associated with the theory of Islamic Sufism, these stages are called shari’a, Sufi order, essence and high knowledge.
Trajtelova (
inherent and indescribable non conceptual nature
sociocultural and linguistic influences on the identification or detection of experiences.
In other words, the diversity of mystical experiences appears as a form of language’s inability to capture feelings and experiences. Differences in language and culture have brought structure and meaning. One of the ways to overcome this problem is to divide the mystical experience into two aspects. The first concerns the experience itself (i.e. direct understanding or intuition), and the second concerns the level of expression and description (Mamat et al.
In this case, studying the culture of entry in Islamic mysticism states that Islam Penginyongan is a religious tradition united with Javanese culture. Islamisation in Java forms opposite poles, specifically Muslim and Javanese spiritualism. The formal dimension of Islam emphasises rituals that are in line with doctrine. At the same time, the Javanese worldview focuses on the essential unity of all existence with God without having to go through legalistic practice. According to Lestari, Javanese Islam is considered a syncretic Islam, precisely the union of Islamic teachings with customs from Javanese traditions (Lestari
Islam does not exclusively share the cultural perspective of Penginyongan in mysticism. Mysticism in the Penginyongan culture refers to the traditions shared by major religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and other divine religions (heaven). In Islam, the proponent of
This relationship motive occurs not exclusively in the Middle East but is evenly distributed in South Asia and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, in this case, Javanese culture. In Schimmel’s opinion, Indonesian culture meets with South Asian culture as teaching or theory regarding entities. This theory is found in the philosophy of Vedanta. The intersection between Islam and Java is a common point in Islamic mysticism because the thought itself has a universal character (Lestari
Islamic mysticism in Penginyongan culture pervaded Javanese customs, traditions and culture. The Islamisation of Java can emerge through thesis, antithesis and synthesis. Alternatively, the struggle between culture and religion is referred to as a mystical contest between Penginyongan and Islamic mystics. This contestation refers to the ‘science’ approach. Streib mentions that culture has the meaning of a neutral arena, which is also part of Islamic mystical thought (Streib et al.
This critical study of Penginyongan Islamic teachings aims to construct social facts based on Islam on Penginyongan culture as a historical reality that forms the basis for present and future Penginyongan society. In addition to eliminating minor assumptions from other parties. Furthermore, it dismisses the character created by colonialism which often brings bias. According to Susilo and Syato, religion and culture in Indonesia are inseparable from the colonialism carried out by Europe (Susilo & Syato
Islam is a religion with universal values which have given a reasonably straightforward way regarding the existence of the supernatural mystic for the life of humankind (Nakissa
Mysticism is a term that has developed in society in general, especially Penginyongan. Mysticism, as a form of spiritual experience, is not influenced by existing religion (Wright
Penginyongan culture, located between Javanese and Sundanese, has unique and different characteristics. Penginyongan culture has a characteristic that shows the existence of freedom, as in gamelan music, ancient Banyumasan songs or other traditional arts. This traditional art is folk art, performed to entertain and as a mystical ritual for salvation and welfare, especially for the Penginyongan community.
There are several similarities in the arts of the Penginyongan and Sundanese people: the use of mantras in their performances. Ritual leaders guide the ritual performance by repeating mantras and were equipped with offerings in traditional art. One of them is the ritual of calling the rain, the ritual whose implementation uses the recitation of mantras or
In particular, the
In its development, the
To carry out the
Furthermore on
After all the rituals have been performed, frankincense is burned, and a group of men with bodies painted black enter the ritual ceremony, which symbolizes the devil. At that time the puppeteer immediately recited the following incantation:
The
Then, the puppeteer lifted the
The puppeteer is often called a rain handler in this Cowongan. The public believes that the puppeteer has magical and spiritual powers to bring rain (Kamal et al.
The Penginyongan people love culture extensively and are closely related to Islamic mysticism. Meanwhile, in another part, several dancers depicting devils dancing while seducing beautiful woman. This woman is a symbol of an angel who is descending to Earth. Then the angels paraded around the field, where the
In Islam, culture is carried out through an approach to God. The concept of Islamic Sufism, the attainment of the Sufi level in the puppeteer
If religion is analysed from the dimension of tradition, Williamson mentions that the contextualisation of religious traditions can arise in one religion, with universal expression and local interpretation in the other (Williamson, Hood & Chen
The acculturation of the Penginyongan culture to Islam is the acceptance of external ideas and evidence as a form of the implication of the worldview on Javanese society. Islamic traditions and the fusion of Penginyongan cultures originated from the Javanese philosophy of life as their comprehensive conception of the world. Therefore, it is necessary to take Lajwani’s opinion based on the belief in the essential unity of all existence (Lajwani, Khoso & Shaikh
Moral rules emphasise stability, calmness, harmony, politeness, subtlety, patience, acceptance and self-restraint against lust. The community subordinates the individual’s life, and then the society is subordinated by nature to achieve harmony and unity with God. The cultural practices of the
This harmonisation has a central role in the life of the Penginyongan community and contextualises the Penginyongan community in understanding their lives. People can practise their culture through social and religious solidarity in all life activities. Cultural values for society are interpreted as social solidarity and economic egalitarianism, such as joint harvest and the distribution of yields. At the same time, external beliefs and ideologies minimise religious conflicts and strengthen social identification reflected in the Javanese worldview.
Thus,
Based on some of these facts, Islamic mysticism in the culture of Penginyongan has positive values in applying Islamic teachings in society through a cultural approach. It can be said that the negative perspective of Islamic mysticism arises because of a misunderstanding in digesting the culture and religion that are present in society. Thus, it can be said that the misguided labelling of Sufi practices is the result of the rigid purification movement and the existence of the Takfiri Islamic movement, attributable to the wrong way of reading religious teachings. Therefore, universal religious understanding and tolerance are needed for the community in the application of Islamic mysticism studies in culture in Indonesia, one of which is the Penginyongan culture.
Mysticism is the actualisation of Islam by the Penginyongan society, which places greater emphasis on the mystical dimension. Magical and mystical powers are the dominant elements for the Penginyongan people. Mysticism is the main forming element of the spiritual locus of the Penginyongan society, which is oriented to the magical and spiritual. Dissemination of Penginyongan Islamic Mysticism is unique in the culture of Penginyongan, which contains animism, dynamism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. The existence of Islamic Penginyongan has maintained the relevant and unique Indonesian Islamic pattern and enriched the actualisation of Islamic culture as a universal religion. Thus, the
The author declares that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
S.S. presented the idea, developed the theory and data and wrote and edited the manuscript.
This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the author.