Hamka’s thought in tafsir Al-Azhar: Between acculturation and rejection of local culture

Muhammad, Muhammad ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5582-0872 (2025) Hamka’s thought in tafsir Al-Azhar: Between acculturation and rejection of local culture. Journal of Social Innovation and Knowledge, 1 (2). pp. 226-246. ISSN 2950-2683

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Abstract

Indonesia upholds the principle of religious moderation to navigate its vast religious, cultural, and traditional diversity. To institutionalize this commitment, the Ministry of Religious Affairs has identified four key indicators of religious moderation, among which cultural accommodation remains an understudied aspect within Islamic Studies, particularly in Qur’anic exegesis. This study explores religious moderation with a specific focus on cultural accommodation as interpreted by Hamka in Tafsir Al-Azhar. Employing a library research method and a descriptive-analytical approach, this paper demonstrates that Hamka unequivocally rejects any form of religious moderation that involves accommodating local cultural practices. Through the al-Ijtimāʿī method, he consistently opposes Indonesian traditions and customs that he deems incompatible with Islamic teachings, classifying them as remnants of Jāhiliyyah, bid‘ah, superstition, myth, or even shirk. This study advances existing scholarship by offering a nuanced analysis of Hamka’s exegesis within the framework of religious moderation, particularly concerning cultural accommodation—an area that has received little scholarly attention. While most studies on Hamka emphasize his role as a modernist and reformist thinker, as well as his views on interreligious tolerance, this paper uniquely situates his thought within contemporary debates on religious pluralism and cultural adaptation. By critically examining Hamka’s rejection of local traditions, this study challenges prevailing narratives that depict him as a proponent of religious moderation in the context of cultural acculturation, offering a more refined and contextually grounded understanding of his interpretative approach.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Religious Moderation; Religion-Culture Integration; Hamka; Tafsir al-Azhar
Subjects:	22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies 22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2299 Other Philosophy and Religious Studies
Divisions:	Faculty of Sharia and Law > Department of Al-Quran and Tafseer studies
Depositing User:	Dr. Muhammad, Lc., M.Th.I
Date Deposited:	15 Apr 2025 14:17

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