Kenduri Arwah dalam Perspektif Fiqh Keutamaan: Tinjauan Sejarah, Peranan Walisongo dan Amalan Nusantara

Post-Funeral Communal Gathering in the Perspective of Fiqh al-Awlawiyyāt: Historical Development, the Role of Walisongo, and Contemporary Nusantara Practices

الملخص

The practice of kenduri arwah (post-funeral communal gathering) remains one of the most enduring religious and socio-cultural traditions among Muslim communities in the Nusantara region, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia. Historically, this tradition originated from pre-Islamic animistic, dynamistic, and later Hindu-Buddhist ritual practices associated with ancestral veneration and beliefs concerning the spirits of the deceased. With the arrival of Islam, the Walisongo played a pivotal role in transforming these rituals through a gradual and culturally accommodative daʿwah approach that preserved beneficial social elements while replacing un-Islamic components with Islamic teachings and devotional practices. Despite its widespread acceptance, the legitimacy and religious status of kenduri arwah continue to generate scholarly debate among Muslim jurists. Therefore, this study aims to examine the historical development of kenduri arwah, analyse the role of the Walisongo in its Islamisation process, and evaluate the practice through the framework of Fiqh al-Awlawiyyāt (Fiqh of Priorities). Employing a qualitative research design, data were collected through extensive library research involving classical and contemporary Islamic sources, historical records, and scholarly literature, and subsequently analysed using content and thematic analysis methods. The findings reveal that the Walisongo strategically applied key principles of Fiqh al-Awlawiyyāt, including tadarruj (gradualism), prioritisation of public benefit (maslahah), wisdom-based reform, and the prioritisation of tawḥīd over the immediate eradication of deeply rooted cultural practices. These principles enabled the successful transformation of post-death rituals from forms associated with superstition and syncretism into gatherings centred on Qur’anic recitation, supplication, remembrance of Allah, charity, and communal solidarity. The study argues that the Walisongo’s approach exemplifies a practical application of Fiqh al-Awlawiyyāt in daʿwah, demonstrating how Islamic reform can be achieved through contextual sensitivity, cultural engagement, and the prioritisation of higher religious objectives while preserving social cohesion and facilitating the gradual internalisation of Islamic values.