Syi’iran Tradition in Bantul: Merging Islam and Local Tradition

Abstract

Islam and local tradition cannot be separated when delivering da'wah. It is crucial to understand and respect local traditions while promoting Islamic values to achieve effective and meaningful delivery of the message of Islam. While the advancement of technology offers a variety of media in Islamic teaching, a few communities still take advantage of the local tradition to deliver da’wah. This research focuses on Syi’iran Tradition in Bintaran Wetan, Srimulyo, Piyungan, Bantul where the community in that area deliver da’wah through syi’ir. This study employs qualitative analysis, where the primary data is collected through documentation and in-depth interviews with the leaders and activists of syi'ir. This paper argues that the syi’iran tradition proves that local tradition and Islam can be merged to convey Islamic teaching harmoniously and preserve the local tradition simultaneously.