Social Construction of the Al-Kahfi Reading Tradition on Friday
Nasrulloh
1
1
Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Malang, Indonesia
Keywords:
Living Hadis, Surat al-Kahfi, Social Construction.
Abstract:
Reading Quran especially Al-Kahfi on Friday is the Sunnah recommended by the Prophet. The
reading technique is not set in detail, anyone who reads it, whenever and wherever must get the
reward, as long as it is read on Friday or Thursday night. Interestingly, the reading of Al-Kahfi in
the academic community at the State University of Malang Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang has
been institutionalized and become a fixed tradition, combining the values of local wisdom. This
tradition indicates that the hadith is not merely a sacred text as the basis of the law, more than
that the hadith becomes a living tradition or referred to as 'living hadis' and blends with the
culture of a particular society. This research tries to answer the question of how the tradition
occurred in the middle of the academic community in UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang. The
phenomenon will be analyzed using the social construction theory initiated by Berger. This
research includes the type of qualitative-empirical research with the approach of sociology. Data
collection method used in this research are in-depth
interview and documentation. Before the
interview was conducted, the researcher selects the informant by using the purposive sampling
technique. Researchers use a new approach model of Hadith research, ie living hadith. The
tradition is formed through three dialectical moments. First: externalization, there are hadiths
explaining the importance of reading Al-Kahfi on Friday. Second: Objectivation, Tranquility
when reading al-Kahfi. Third:
Internalisation, the academic community has different subjective
meanings about the practice of that traditiony
.
1 INTRODUCTION
The study of Living Sunnah is an interesting
discourse in the academic world, since the sacred
texts sourced from the Holy Prophet are actualized
in the diversity of practices in societies that have a
diversity of scientific stratum and social order, in
terms of written tradition, oral or practice. The
contraversion about hadis or sunnah as a sourse of
islamic law was happened between ulama, but
sahabat and majority tabi'in keep up that hadis is one
of source in islamic law (Darmalaksana, 2017). All
of Imam Hanafi, Maliki, Syafi'I and Hanbali decided
that sunnah is source of Islamic law, without sunnah
most of ayat al-Qur'an can not be realized (Hamang,
2011).
The emergence of the theory of evolution of the
sunnah into the hadith (Nasrulloh, 2014), requires
one to reevaluate, reinterpret, and ritualize in
viewing and addressing the hadith as sacred texts
which are often regarded as jumud and static. Farida
on her research assigned that sunnah is important
thing as the source of law in Islam according to
Ushuliyyun and Muhaddithun (Farida, 2015).
Although sunnah or hadis as a source of law, there
are some little group argue that sunnah is not a
source of law in islam (Relit, 2014). Sunnah has a
dynamic and progressive nature, therefore hadith
must be interpreted situationally and adapted into
current situation. Therefore, hadith will always be
salih li kulli zaman wa makan, as Prophet’s
companions understand Prophet’s behaviors as
living Sunnah (Suryadi and Syamsuddin, 2007).
According to Rahman what is needed today is a
historical interpretation of the hadith in order to
restore the hadith into the context of the living
Sunnah, as what he was stated, “What we want now
to do is to recast Hadith into living Sunnah terms by
historical interpretation so that we may be able to
derive norms from it for ourselves through an
adequate ethical theory and its legal reembodiment”
(Rahman, 1965).
On another occasion, Rahman explains a little
more detail about how the historical interpretation of
Nasrulloh, .
Social Construction of the Al-Kahfi Reading Tradition on Friday.
DOI: 10.5220/0009924511751180
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Recent Innovations (ICRI 2018), pages 1175-1180
ISBN: 978-989-758-458-9
Copyright
c
2020 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
1175
the hadith is done. The following quotation is
Rahman's statement on how the historical
interpretation is done: "It must, of course, be
emphatically pointed out that a revaluation of
different elements in Hadith and their thorough
reinterpretation under the changed moral and sosial
conditions of today must be carried out. This can be
done only by a historical study of the Hadith –by
reducing it to the “living Sunnah” and by clearly
distinguishing from the situational background the
real value embodied in it. We shall find thereby that
some of the major emphases of our traditional
Ortodoxy will have to be modified and re-state
(Rahman, 1965).
The study of living sunnah attracted the
intellectual scholars of Islam to examine the practice
of religious society in implementing it in everyday
behavior which has hadith references as it’s
foundation and basic. The studies can be reviewed
from the researches initiated by Saifuddin Zuhri
Qudsi on Living Hadith: Geneology, Theory and
Application (Qudsy, 2016), Yeni Angelia and
In’amul Hasan on Wander in Gaining Knowledge
Study on Living Hadith of The Minangkabau People
(Angelia and Hasan, 2017). Adrika Fitrotul Aini
who also researched on Living Hadith in Thursday
Night Tradition of Majelis Shalawat Ad-Diba’
Bilmushtofa (Aini, 2015), and many other
researches of living hadith studies which can not be
mentioned in this study. Those studies are closely
related to Living Hadis discourse practiced by the
community, that also combining existing local
wisdom. While this study became a reinforcement
and complementary study about Living Hadith that
occurred in the academic group at a college, UIN
Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang.
The Prophet in one of his hadith had advised his
ummah to read Al-Kahfi on Friday night or Friday,
just as the following hadith:
.(al-Baihaqi, 1926)
The Hadith clearly indicate the suggestion to
read Al-Kahfi on Friday. Prophet in the text
announces that only by simply reading it, Allah will
give the reader light between the two Friday, the
Prophet did not explain neither technically nor how
to read it. Interestingly, the tradition of reading Al-
Kahfi in State University of UIN maulana Malik
Ibrahim has been institutionalized and done formally
and the congregation led by a ustadz who
memorized al-Qur'an. This activity is routine and
always done every Friday before Friday prayers,
precisely in the faculty of Sharia UIN Maulana
Malik Ibrahim Malang. Not only that, after reading
Al-Kahfi, there was a meal together, whether it be
with rice or traditional snacks. The activity is
followed not only by employees but also by lecturers
and leaders of sharia faculties. The tradition has
been institutionalized and has for many years lived
in the midst of an academic community.
From the fact that there is a special attraction of
the tradition, that tradition is not only understood as
a sacred text as a source of law, but has become a
cultural practice that lives in a particular community,
in this case the intellectual community at the college.
The hadith has become part of a tradition that has
been innovated and melded, mingled and mixed with
the culture in which the tradition is practiced. The
practice of reading Al-Kahfi is not just reading, but
also there are elements of togetherness with read
together and there are elements of sharing and caring
after reading Al-Kahfi.
From this fact, it becomes very important to do a
research on how institutionalization of the tradition
can occur and live in the middle of the academic
community in college. This study also reveals how
many kinds of living hadith phenomenon in the
tradition. To answer that question the researcher
uses the social construction theory initiated by
Berger. In Berger's (1973; 1990) perspective,
between the religion and the reality of the living
world in the midst of society there is a significant
relationship. The reality of diversity is acquired and
transmitted knowledge that is influenced by the
social environment (Berger, 1973). From this it can
be seen that indeed social reality is the result of a
social construction, because it is created by the
human self.
2 METHOD
This research is one type of qualitative-empirical
research with the approach of sociology, using social
construction theory. According to Bogdan and
Biklen (Berger, 2011), qualitative research has a
number of characters that allow a researcher to
obtain information from within, in other words: first,
emphasizes the natural setting and the researcher act
as the key instrument; second, this research is more
concerned with the process than the product; third,
this research tries to uncover the meaning behind
one’s actions.
Researcher used a new approach model of
Hadith research, ie living hadith. Living hadith is a
new form of understanding about sunnah or hadith
ICRI 2018 - International Conference Recent Innovation
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which is then interpreted in accordance with new
situations and conditions and aims to face and
provide practical solutions to new problems also
moral, spiritual, social and political so that this
interpretation is more dynamic (Suryadilaga, 2007).
In this development, the study of living Sunnah is in
the field of practical level, and to apply the result of
living sunnah study need sufficient methodological
understanding in accordance to the object of the
study, the community (Suryadilaga, 2009).
The fact that developed in the community
indicate a wide variety of shapes and with a tradition
of community interaction. There are at least three
variations in the study of living sunnah still
circulating in the community, namely the written
tradition, oral and practical. In this study, the
variation being studied is a tradition of practice.
Data collection methods used in this study are in-
depth interviews and documentation. Before the
interview was conducted, the researcher chose the
informant by using purposive sampling technique
(Sumanto, 1997). There are two main techniques of
interviews, namely structured interviews and
unstructured interviews. Structured interviews are
interviews prepared by the author and have focused
on research focus, while unstructured interviews are
free and unplanned interviews but the authors are
required to have knowledge of the way or rules of
the interview (Vredenbregt, 1983). In this study,
researchers used a structured interview techniques
and unstructured, adapted to the conditions and
circumstances at the time of the interview.
Method of Data Analysis
The analytical technique used in this study is an
interactive model Huberman and Miles using three
steps, namely: data reduction, data display and
conclusion (Miles et al., 2014).
There are many kind of analysis can be used in
this research, like phenomenology approach,
Suryadilaga used this approach on his research under
topic Mafhum Salawat inda Majmu'at Joget
Shalawat Mataram (Suryadilaga, 2014). Theory
analysis used in this research is the theory of social
construction belonging to Berger. The theory of
social construction is a follow-up or development of
the theory of phenomenology, social initiated by
Emile Durkheim (Syam, 2005). Berger says that
social construction theory is shaped through three
fundamental dialectical moments of a society.
First; externalization (self-adaptation). This
moment of externalization, conceptually, can be
described as a form of adaptation to the texts of the
Qur'an and the hadith as well as the interpretation of
both by experts in their field. Various textual
statements contained in the Qur'an and hadith, can
be used as a buffer in claiming a 'right' or 'wrong'
phrase of a tradition that has been passed down from
generation to generation. Each tradition prevailing in
a community must have the basic legitimacy of each.
Could be from the history of the book, oral history,
or also derived from the books considered as an
important reference, although the book does not
include standards in the academic or boarding
schools.
Second; objectivity (self-identification with the
socio-cultural world). In the objective process, the
key word lies in the presence of agents that play the
role of individuals or groups of individuals for the
process of awareness, institutionalization or
habitualisation. In this context, objectivity is an
attempt to give new meaning to the reality
constructed by activists of religious organizations
about misogynist traditions. Thus, in this moment,
the efforts of researcher in providing a
reinterpretation of the social construction that have
been externalized by the activists of religious
organizations, referred to as a process or objectivity
moment (Sumbulah, 2011). Third; internalization
(self-identification in the socio-cultural world). This
moment is an individual process of self-
identification in the cultural societies that surround
it. This moment can be understood as the moment of
withdrawal of social reality into the individual
(Berger, 2011).
3 FINDINGS AND RESULT
Reading Al-Kahfi on Friday is a recommendation of
the Prophet to his ummah. By reading it Allah will
give the reader a light between two Friday, as the
hadith of the Prophet has been mentioned above. Not
only that reading Al-Kahfi has some other virtues,
which is as follows;
.
(al-Azdi, 1998)
Whoever memorize ten verses of Al-Kahfi he
(she) will be guarded from Dajjal’s slanders.
.(al-
Haithami, 1992)
who reads the beginning and end verses of Al-Kahfi,
he (she) will be endowed with light from head to toe,
and whoever reads the entire letter of Al-Kahfi then
he (she) will be given the light between the earth and
the sky.
Social Construction of the Al-Kahfi Reading Tradition on Friday
1177
...
whoever read verse ...
on night, he
(she) will be blessed with light from Adn to Makkah
and will be surrounded by angels (al-Haithami,
1992).
Some of these traditions clearly provide the
motivation and passion to read Al-Kahfi especially
on Friday or Thursday night. Therefore, scholars
think that reading Al-Kahfi letter on Friday or
Thurday night is very recomendded based on the
hadith (Az-Zuhaili, 1985). In that tradition there are
several phenomena of traditions of hadith that live or
living hadith, first; the practice of reciting Al-Kahfi
on Friday before the Friday prayer ritual, based on
the hadith mentioned. Second; strengthening the
relationship between lecturers and employees or
their peers and eliminating hostility among them.
Thus it is in accordance with the Prophet's hadith
about the importance of strengthening good relations
with others, and the danger of hostility.
:
:
»
«
:
:
»
» :«
« (al-Tirmidzi,
1975)
The Prophet asked his companions. "Will I tell
something better than the degree of fasting, prayer,
and shadaqah?" they answered; "Of course", Then
the Prophet said, which is to improve the
relationship among others, the actual breakdown of
relationships would slash goodness in religion.”
Third, the practice of charity performed after
after the reading of Al-Kahfi. The practice is one of
the forms of the practice of hadith that live in the
midst of the academic community. The Hadith of the
Prophet, which contains the suggestions and virtues
of charity, can be read in the following text.
" :
"
:
(al-Naisabury, n.d.)
Fourth; the practice of dhikr and reading al-
Qur'an together, this is according to the following
hadith of the Prophet;
:
»
«(al-Azdi, 1998)
Of the four phenomena of living hadith, this
study focused on the first living hadith. From the
results of interviews on a number of informants who
numbered six people, three from the elements of
employees and three other the elements of lecturers.
All informants mentioned that the activity is a good
and positive tradition, all informants know the
hadith about the sunnah recommendation in reading
Al-Kahfi on Friday. Which distinguishes between
them is their motivation to follow the reading of al-
Kahf, Mu'tashim Billah said that the first impulse to
follow the tradition because of environmental
factors, which the average colleagues follow the
reading, so he was encouraged to join with other
employees (Mu’tashim Billah, 2018).
Abdul Kadir as a lecturer in the field of law,
explained that the motivation that moved him to
follow the tradition besides the hadith from the
Prophet, is the documentary he once witnessed about
Ashabul Kahfi's struggle in fighting for his faith.
Following the tradition of reading Al-Kahfi
collectively, as if to grow the spirit of life, as well as
to know the source and path of the story about
Ashabul Kahf. Not only that, he also felt a positive
impact by following the Al-Kahfi, one of which can
memorize the verse and accidentally memorized it
(Abdul Kadir, 2018).
Miski, as a young lecturer, was encouraged to
follow the tradition because seeing the phenomenon
of the tradition has become a routine majority of
lecturers and employees in the faculty of Sharia UIN
Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, especially those
who have empty time. After following the recitation
of the letter al-Kahfi he felt the calm and fulfilled
the empty space of the heart that is considered empty
(Miski, 2018).The other three informants had the
same judgment in addressing the tradition, which
was to positively assess the activity and feel calm by
reading Al-Kahfi, and the supportive environment to
follow the activity.
From these data, obtained a result, that the
environment and tradition of a society greatly affect
the pattern of religious person. Tradition is
necessary to make the hadith able to live in their
midst. If so far many of the da'I make hadith as
justification of tradition in society, then with the
concept of 'living hadis', hadith not only as a rigid
and tentative text but rather functioning the hadith as
an elastic text and living with the wisdom of certain
community traditions. Positioning the hadith as
something that lives in the midst of society is one
form of understanding that had been applied by the
companions of the Prophet in his time. Thus, the
study of 'living hadith' needs to be developed, not
only as an attempt to practice the hadith in everyday
life, more than that in an attempt to synergize
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between text and context while maintaining the
values of local wisdom of society.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The tradition of reading Al-Kahfi on UIN Maulana
Malik Ibrahim Malang especially in the Faculty of
Sharia is a religious reality which influenced and
created by all the academic community both
lecturers and employees. The tradition is formed
through three dialectical moments. First;
externalization, the existence of traditions that
explain about the primacy of reading the letter al-
Kahf on Friday is one factor the emergence of the
tradition. In addition, friends and the support of the
leaders of faculty in the form of verbal commands
and guidance of those involved to contribute to the
realization of these traditions. Second; Objectivity:
The tranquility while reading Al-Kahfi together is an
important factor occurrence that tradition. The
content and messages are presented in the Al-Kahfi
is the main attraction to stay afloat follow and
preserve the tradition.
Third; Internalisation; The academic community
has different subjective meanings about the practice
of that tradition. the diversity of meaning in the
intersubjektif realized by them as inevitability, so
that in general raises the belief that by reading the
letter of al-Kahfi will get the blessing and ease in
carrying out daily life. The existence of the tradition
of reading Al-Kahfi collectively raises other living
hadiths, namely as the realization of the suggestion
of charity, the recommendation of reading al-Qur'an
in congregation, and establishing an emotionally
good relationship to fellow colleagues.
The attempt to live the hadith in certain
societal traditions, is a form of dialectic between the
text and the context, so that the texts of the hadith
can remain relevant throughout the time, wherever
and whenever. Hadiths should not only be treated as
texts as religious dogmas, more than that the hadith
has been transformed and lived in the midst of
society as an institutionalized practice. Thus the
universal value of religion as rahmatan lil alamin
can be realized.
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