The educational revolution of sunan bonang through transformative islamic-javanese syncretism

Authors

  • Naomi Fahma Universitas Muhammadiyah Klaten

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51468/jpi.v7i1.874

Keywords:

Sunan Bonang,, Islamic educational philosophy,, religious-cultural syncretism,, character formation,, Javanese culture.

Abstract

This research analyzes the philosophical contributions of Sunan Bonang in the development of Islamic education that is integrated with Javanese culture through a religious-cultural syncretism approach. The purpose of this study is to identify the foundational principles of Sunan Bonang's educational philosophy, to analyze the methods of transmitting Islamic values within the context of Javanese culture, and to evaluate the relevance of his thoughts to character formation in contemporary Islamic education. The research questions include: (1) What is Sunan Bonang's philosophical conception of harmonizing Islamic teachings with Javanese tradition? (2) What pedagogical strategies did Sunan Bonang employ to transform Islamic values through the medium of local culture? (3) To what extent is Sunan Bonang's religious-cultural syncretism relevant to character formation in the context of modern Islamic education? The methodology employed in this research utilizes a historical-philosophical approach with hermeneutical analysis of primary texts, including Suluk Wujil and Bonang, historical manuscripts from the Walisongo period, as well as observations of contemporary cultural practices that still uphold elements of Sunan Bonang's teachings. The findings of the study indicate that: (1) Sunan Bonang developed a tawhid-based educational philosophy manifested through symbols and narratives of Javanese culture; (2) His pedagogical strategies are multilayered, integrating the traditions of gamelan, tembang, and wayang as media for the transmission of Islamic values; (3) Sunan Bonang's syncretic approach demonstrates effectiveness in the contextualization of Islamic teachings without compromising theological essence; (4) The character formation model rooted in sufistic values combined with local wisdom creates a distinctive foundation for the identity of Nusantara Islam. The results of this study provide an alternative philosophical framework for the development of contemporary Islamic education that is responsive to cultural diversity and the challenges of globalization.

References

Abbas, N., Fatimah, M., Rochmawan, A. E., & Wafa, M. H. A. (2023). Interpretation of the Sufism Teachings of Sunan Bonang in the Context of Javanese Culture. Amorti: Jurnal Studi Islam Interdisipliner, 119-129. doi:https://doi.org/10.59944/amorti.v2i3.96

Afandi, A. J. (2023). Islam and local culture: The acculturation formed by walisongo in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(1), 103-124. doi:https://doi.org/10.33367/ijhass.v4i1.4135

Al-Attas, M. N. (1980). The concept of education in Islam: Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia Kuala Lumpur.

Alatas, I. F. (2016). Aligning the Sunna and the Jama'a: Religious Authority and Islamic Social Formation in Contemporary Central Java, Indonesia.

Aljunied, K. (2025). Contemplating Sufism: Dialogue and Tradition across Southeast Asia: John Wiley & Sons.

Ashimi, T. A. (2023). The Major Contributions of of Ibn Khaldun, Al Kindi and Ibn Rushd to the Field of Social Sciences and Humanities. Asian Journal of Research in Education and Social Sciences, 5(3), 538-545.

Azra, A. (2004). The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia: Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern'Ulam?'in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries: University of Hawaii Press.

Azra, A. (2006). Islam in the Indonesian world: An account of institutional formation: Mizan Pustaka.

Beatty, A. (1999). Varieties of Javanese religion: An anthropological account (Vol. 111): Cambridge University Press Cambridge.

Bourdieu, P. (1990). The logic of practice: Stanford university press.

Brakel, L. F. (2004). Islam and local traditions: syncretic ideas and practices. Indonesia and the Malay world, 32(92), 5-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/1363981042000263435

Brennen, B. S. (2021). Qualitative research methods for media studies: routledge.

Burhanudin, J. (2007). Islamic Knowledge, Authority and Political Power: the Ulama in Colonial Indonesia. Leiden: Leiden University.

Chuanchen, C., & Zaini, A. W. (2023). Cultivating Cultural Synergy: Unifying Boarding Schools, Local Wisdom, and Authentic Islamic Values for the Enhancement of Islamic Identity. Managere: Indonesian Journal of Educational Management, 5(2), 187-197. doi:https://doi.org/10.52627/managere.v5i2.339

Conway, C., & Stanley, A. M. (2006). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. In: JSTOR.

Dhofier, Z. (2011). Tradisi pesantren: studi pandangan hidup kyai dan visinya mengenai masa depan Indonesia.

Flick, U. (2018). Triangulation in data collection. In: The SAGE handbook of qualitative data collection.

Geertz, C. (1976). The religion of Java: University of Chicago press.

Hasib, A. (2024). Changes and Continuity of Islamic Educational Institution Models. DIROSAT: Journal of Education, Social Sciences & Humanities, 2(1), 50-62. doi:https://doi.org/10.58355/dirosat.v2i1.56

Hassan, S. A. (2024). Concept of ‘urf (Custom) in Islamic Law and its Application in Social Affairs: An Analytical Study. Mohi ud Din Journal of Islamic Studies, 2(I), 1-26.

Hefner, R. W. (2011). Civil islam: Muslims and democratization in indonesia: Princeton University Press.

Hodgson, J., Capriles, J. R., & Fenlon, J. (1977). The influence of sward characteristics on the herbage intake of grazing calves. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 89(3), 743-750.

Hutabarat, F. (2023). Navigating diversity: Exploring religious pluralism and social harmony in Indonesian society. European Journal of Theology and Philosophy, 3(6), 6-13. doi: 10.24018/theology.2023.3.6.125

Kersten, C. (2017). History of Islam in Indonesia: Unity in diversity: Edinburgh University Press.

Laffan, M. (2011). The makings of Indonesian Islam: Orientalism and the narration of a Sufi past. In The Makings of Indonesian Islam: Princeton University Press.

Lickona, T. (1992). Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and responsibility: Bantam.

Lukens-Bull, R. (2005). A peaceful jihad: Negotiating identity and modernity in Muslim Java: Springer.

Mahmudulhassan, M. (2024). Exploring the Essence, Importance, and Distinctive Attributes of Islamic Culture: An In-depth Cultural Analysis. Bulletin of Islamic Research, 2(2), 311-326. doi:https://doi.org/10.69526/bir.v2i2.25

Mulyo, M. T. (2023). Sufi Education in “Het Boek Van Bonang”: A Philosophical Perspective on Islamic Education. At-Tarbawi: Jurnal Kajian Kependidikan Islam, 8(1), 1-16.

Nasr, S. H. (2006). Islamic Philosophy from its Origin to the Present: Philosophy in the Land of Prophecy: State University of New York Press.

Noddings, N. (2002). Educating moral people: A caring alternative to character education: ERIC.

Nourse, J. W. (1994). Making monotheism: Global Islam in local practice among the Laujé of Indonesia. Journal of Ritual Studies, 1-18.

Pamungkas, O. Y., Hastangka, H., Raharjo, S. B., Sudigdo, A., & Agung, I. (2023). The spirit of Islam in Javanese mantra: Syncretism and education. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 79(1), 8407. doi:https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-hervorm_v79_n1_a8407

Rahman, F. (2017). Islam & modernity: transformation of an intellectual tradition (Vol. 15): University of Chicago Press.

Ricklefs, M. C. (2006). Mystic synthesis in Java: a history of Islamization from the fourteenth to the early nineteenth centuries: EastBridge.

Ryan, N. (2003). Tauhid and Tasawwuf: Indonesian Sufism in search of unity.

Sanjani, M. A. F., Zain, B., & Mustofa, M. L. (2024). Islam and Local Wisdom: Integration of Local Values in Islamic Thought. Journal of Social Studies and Education, 2(1), 27-43. doi:https://doi.org/10.61987/jsse.v2i1.567

Sidi, B. A. (2020). Unity and diversity: National identity and multiculturalism in Indonesia. University of Otago,

Srimulyani, E. (2010). Islam, adat, and the state: matrifocality in Aceh revisited. Al-Jami'ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 48(2), 321-342. doi:https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2010.482.321-342

Sunyoto, A. (2012). Atlas Wali Songo: buku pertama yang mengungkap Wali Songo sebagai fakta sejarah.

Suroso, E., & Rohmadi, M. (2023). Mystical Implicature of Javanese Mantras: From Lingual to Transcendental? Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 13(9), 2384-2391.

Tjandrasasmita, U. (2009). Arkeologi islam nusantara: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia.

Togia, A., & Malliari, A. (2017). Research methods in library and information science. In Qualitative versus quantitative research: IntechOpen.

Vygotsky, L. S., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes: Harvard university press.

Wertz, F. J. (2011). Five ways of doing qualitative analysis: Phenomenological psychology, grounded theory, discourse analysis, narrative research, and intuitive inquiry: Guilford Press.

Woodward, M. (2010). Java, Indonesia and Islam (Vol. 3): Springer Science & Business Media.

Zarkasi, F. (2019). Educative Values of Peace Mind Mysticism of Sunan Bonang In the view of Islam. International Journal of Emerging Issues in Early Childhood Education, 1(2), 128-141.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Naomi Fahma. (2025). The educational revolution of sunan bonang through transformative islamic-javanese syncretism. At Turots: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 7(1), 394–410. https://doi.org/10.51468/jpi.v7i1.874