Muhammadiyah’s Manhaj Tarjih: An evolution of a modernist approach to Islamic jurisprudence in Indonesia

Ahwan Fanani,Nur Khasanah,Aji Sofanudin,Achmad I Hamzani

doi:10.4102/hts.v77i4.6942

Abstract

This study uses a literature study of examining the Tarjih Council of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia. Criticism is directed towards manhaj’s principle which states that any classical Islamic school of law should not be embraced and, thus, breaks up from the chain of Islamic intellectuality. The critics, however, fail to cover the very idea of Muhammadiyah as an embodiment of the Islamic renewal vision. The article aims to reveal the evolution of the manhaj. The evolution will be elaborated into stages to show the development of concepts and principles in each stage. The article is based on a literature study using constructive conceptual analysis. The analysis is divided into three steps, namely analytical assessment, performative aspects, and conceptual genealogy, stressing the reflective relationship between knowledge and social reality. The study shows that the Tarjih Council’s preference not to embrace any classical Islamic schools of law has developed since the establishment of the Tarjih Council. The developments of manhaj’s formulation occur in three stages from 1924 until 2000. The manhaj comes up with the synthesis of textuality, rationality, and spirituality as the basic vision of Muhammadiyah’s renewal idea which reflects the achievement of a modernist Islamic movement. The study, in comparison to previous research, provides a more comprehensive picture of the manhaj of Muhammadiyah as a representation of the Islamic renewal movement and shows how the manhaj comes to a synthesis that marks Muhammadiyah as a unique modernist-renewal movement.Contribution: The study enriches the perspectives on the manhaj as the backbone of Muhammadiyah ideology and shows that Islamic modernism in Indonesia has stepped further to uncover a synthesis suitable to Indonesian society.

Highlights

The decision taken by the Tarjih Council of Muhammadiyah not to endorse any classical Islamic school of law (Anwar 2005) has been termed as a deviation of Islamic intellectual tradition (Shodiqin 2015)
This article aims to provide an overview of the evolution of manhaj tarjih and the dynamics of Muhammadiyah’s religious orientation
Islamic renewal is a term that signifies the changes introduced into the Islamic world from the 19th and 20th centuries

Summary

Introduction

The decision taken by the Tarjih Council of Muhammadiyah not to endorse any classical Islamic school of law (Anwar 2005) has been termed as a deviation of Islamic intellectual tradition (Shodiqin 2015). The term reflects the traditional understanding that Islamic orthodoxy in Sunni Islam is represented by some theological and legal schools. Muhammadiyah, on the other hand, represents Islamic renewal or modernist movements. A renewal movement, while accepting modern institutions, relies on basic Islamic resources, the al-Qur’an and prophet traditions, and frees itself from close attachment to those theological and traditional legal schools. Nashir characterised Muhammadiyah’s reformation and modernisation marked by the notion that Islam contains comprehensive teachings, but has no single interpretation. To answer the contemporary dynamic of the Islamic society, Islamic interpretation is subjected to change and rational thinking (Nashir 2015:44). Noer (1996) included Muhammadiyah as a modern movement due to its acceptance of modern organisations and its support of nationalist movements. Bandarsyah (2016) emphasised the Muhammadiyah belief system and religious movement by underpinning the concept of tajdid (renewal)

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