Internalizing Living Sufism in Minangkabau Civil Society: A Nurcholish Madjid Perspective

Abstract

The current research paper investigates the internalization of Living Sufism in Minangkabau civil society from the point of view of Nurcholish Madjid's Islamic philosophy. Here, Living Sufism is interpreted as the manifestation of Sufi moral and spiritual principles in the daily social life rather than a purely individual or ritualistic phenomenon. This research was based on the qualitative library research methodology involving the descriptive-analytical approach. To collect data, the document analysis method was applied in regard to the main works by Nurcholish Madjid and other books and scholarly articles related to Sufism, civil society and Minangkabau socio-religious traditions. Sources were analyzed by highlighting the key concepts, classification of Sufi and civil-society values and their interpretation from the standpoint of Minangkabau socio-cultural context of Adat Basandi Syarak, Syarak Basandi Kitabullah. Research results showed that according to Nurcholish Madjid's philosophy, Sufism should be viewed as the basis for the ethical civil Islam (Islam keadaban) that implies spirituality expressed by the means of social justice, inclusiveness, moral responsibility and participative nature of communal activities. Thus, in the Minangkabau context, the internalization of Sufism can be illustrated conceptually by such values as musyawarah (deliberation), gotong royong (mutual assistance), ethical governance of nagari, and sincerity, modesty, moderation, compassion, and social accountability. They act as moral and social assets, which enhance social cohesion, responsible leadership, conflict management, and civic engagement. The research findings show that Living Sufism offers a useful ethical model that links Minangkabau Islamic-cultural practices to Madjid’s idea of inclusive and moral civil society.