Characteristics of Islamic Social Capital: Reflections on the Petatah Petitih of Sunan Gunung Jati

Abstract

Social capital is a unifier for individuals in society, including networks, norms, and social trust that can provide mutually beneficial collaboration to achieve common goals. This research proposes Islamic social capital theory to understand the characteristics of Islamic social capital possessed by the people of Cirebon. Phenomenology is used to determine Islamic values originating from the adage "ingsun titip tajug lan fakir miskin" which aims to increase community welfare as the primary goal and downstream of social capital. The process of in-depth interviews, observation, and literature study was used to sort out information regarding Islamic social capital, which includes relational, structural, and cognitive dimensions from the reflection of Sunan Gunung Jati's adage, which has a role in forming the characteristics of the Cirebon society which was then analyzed using NVivo 14. Research results show that the characteristics of Islamic social capital found in Cirebon society are from three dimensions of social capital, namely: 1) Relational Dimension; the community strictly obeys instructions from religious figures, the network of ties between social figures is closely intertwined, there is a belief in society that goodness will lead to goodness, 2) Structural Dimensions; mosque as a center for empowerment and improving community welfare, 3) Cognitive Dimension; instilling the values of mutual help, kindness, and honesty. Reflection on Sunan Gunung Jati's adage is an essential element in forming Islamic social capital in Cirebon society, which contains the following message: 1) maintaining the tajug or mosque as the center of civilization, center of religious, entrepreneurial and socio-cultural activities, 2) the mosque as the center of government and policy setting, 3) the mosque as the center of empowerment activities, 4) social concern and empathy to be maintained in society, 5) realizing a fair and prosperous developed Cirebon through the prosperity of mosques and sustainable mosque construction. The Islamic social capital formed in Cirebon is a unique combination of religious values and local traditions and strongly influences social norms in society.