Islamic Education, SDGs, and Javanese Syncretism in Kidung Rumekso by Sunan Kalijaga
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23917/profetika.v27i01.12360Keywords:
islamic education, sdgs, javanese culture, syncretism, sunan kalijagaAbstract
Objective: This study explores the intersection of Islamic education, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Javanese cultural syncretism through Kidung Rumekso by Sunan Kalijaga. It aims to examine syncretism as a cultural–pedagogical strategy in the Islamization of Java, focusing on how Islamic teachings are integrated with Javanese traditions and their implications for culture-based Islamic education aligned with SDGs, particularly inclusive and quality education. Theoretical framework: The study employs the concept of syncretism supported by hermeneutic and phenomenological approaches to analyze the integration of Javanese cosmology and Islamic monotheism within the text. Literature review: Existing scholarship indicates that Islamization in Java occurred adaptively through cultural accommodation; however, specific studies positioning Kidung Rumekso as an epistemological reconstruction remain limited. Methods: This research uses a qualitative philosophical method with a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach, examining textual content, relevant literature, and historical-cultural contexts. Results: The findings reveal that Kidung Rumekso represents a profound model of Javanese-Islamic syncretism operating across three dimensions: (1) theological, reflected in the alignment of Manunggaling Kawula Gusti with the principle of tawhid; (2) ritual, seen in the transformation of traditional chants or mantras into Islamic prayers; and (3) symbolic, demonstrated through the use of Javanese cultural symbols to communicate Islamic teachings contextually. These dimensions illustrate how religious values are transmitted in culturally resonant forms, supporting socially sustainable education. Implications: This model contributes to the development of contextual Islamic education that is adaptive, inclusive, and rooted in local wisdom, aligning with SDGs’ emphasis on cultural sustainability and equitable learning. Novelty: The study offers a new perspective by interpreting Kidung Rumekso as an epistemological reconstruction bridging Javanese mysticism and Islamic orthodoxy, rather than merely a form of cultural accommodation.
References
[1] M. Woodward, Java, Indonesia and Islam, vol. 3. Springer Science & Business Media, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0056-7.
[2] N. Abbas, F. Suparman, L. Suryanto, and M. C. A. Wafa, “Landscape Dakwah Islam Kultural Sunan Kalijaga di Jawa,” Amorti: Jurnal Studi Islam Interdisipliner. Jurnal Studi Islam Interdisipliner, Amorti, pp. 98–107, 2023. https://doi.org/10.59944/amorti.v2i2.95.
[3] A. U. Azizah and A. Hidayat, Teologi Dalam Kidung Rumeksa Ing Wengi, vol. 5, no. 2. Jurnal Mediakita: Jurnal Komunikasi dan Penyiaran Islam, 2021. https://doi.org/10.30762/mediakita.v5i2.3492.
[4] F. Saroni, Pesan Dakwah dalam Serat Kidung Rumekso Ing Wengi Karya Sunan Kalijaga (Kajian Semiotika Ferdinand De Saussure). IAIN Ponorogo, 2020. [Online]. Available: http://etheses.iainponorogo.ac.id/12049/1/211015024 %28Faiz Saroni%29.pdf
[5] R. Smith, “Mysticism and Syncretism on the Island of Java,” Independent Study Project (ISP), no. 3348. pp. 3–39, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part
[6] S. Lestari, “The Significance of Holistic Spirituality in Sunan Kalijaga’s Kidung Rumekso Ing Wengi,” J. Ling. Idea, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 114, 2024, https://doi.org/10.20884/1.jli.2024.15.1.7607.
[7] O. Y. Pamungkas, H. Hastangka, S. B. Raharjo, A. Sudigdo, and I. Agung, “The spirit of Islam in Javanese mantra: Syncretism and education,” HTS Teol. Stud. / Theol. Stud., vol. 79, no. 1, p. 8407, 2023, https://doi.org/ 10.4102/HTS.V79I1.8407.
[8] S. N. Agung, “A Semantic Analysis of Denotative Meaning in Kidung Doa Song By Sunan Kalijaga,” J. Ilm. Bhs. dan Sastra, vol. 3, no. 1, p. 1, 2016, https://doi.org/10.21067/jibs.v3i1.1152.
[9] E. Suroso, Sumarlam, M. Rohmadi, and Sumarwati, “Mystical Implicature of Javanese Mantras: From Lingual to Transcendental?,” Theory Pract. Lang. Stud., vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 2384–2391, 2023, https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1309.26.
[10] N. Abbas, M. Fatimah, A. E. Rochmawan, and M. H. A. Wafa, “Interpretation of the Sufism Teachings of Sunan Bonang in the Context of Javanese Culture,” Amorti J. Stud. Islam Interdisip., vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 119–129, 2023, https://doi.org/10.59944/amorti.v2i3.96.
[11] K. Aljunied and K. Aljunied, Contemplating Sufism: Dialogue and Tradition Across Southeast Asia. John Wiley & Sons, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394270484.
[12] A. Nasution and R. Arum, “Acculturation Of Javanese Culture With Islam In Indonesia,” Dharmawangsa Int. J. Soc. Sci. Educ. Humanit., vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 32–38, 2024, https://doi.org/10.46576/ijsseh.v5i1.4356.
[13] N. I. Husniyah and M. Sodik, “Sunan Kalijaga Dakwah Media in the Spread of Islam in Java,” Educ. J. Educ., vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 208–217, 2024, https://doi.org/10.29138/educatio.v9i3.1619.
[14] D. F. Eickelman, “The Study of Islam in Local Contexts,” Contrib. to Asian Stud. Vol. 17 Islam Local Context., vol. 17, pp. 1–16, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004643833_004.
[15] A. Chodjim, Sunan Kalijaga (New Edition), New., vol. 2. 2013: Serambi Ilmu Semesta, 2013.
[16] L. F. Brakel, “Islam and local traditions: Syncretic ideas and practices,” Indones. Malay World, vol. 32, no. 92, pp. 5–20, 2004, https://doi.org/10.1080/1363981042000263435.
[17] C. R. Rizqi and N. E. P. Muchtar, Akulturasi Seni Dan Budaya Walisongo Dalam Mengislamkan Tanah Jawa, vol. 7, no. 2. Studia Religia: Jurnal Pemikiran dan Pendidikan Islam, 2023. https://doi.org/10.30651/sr.v7i2.20526.
[18] T. Daniels, “Islamic spectrum in Java,” Islamic Spectrum in Java. pp. 1–191, 2009. https://doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v28i2.1254.
[19] F. P. Meachem, “Sunan Kalijaga: The Birth of a Self-Actualized Pilgrimage Culture.” 2023. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3649/%0Ahttps://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4673&context=isp_collection
[20] A. J. Afandi, “Islam and Local Culture: The Acculturation Formed by Walisongo in Indonesia,” Indones. J. Humanit. Soc. Sci., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 103–124, 2023, [Online]. Available: https://ejournal.iai-tribakti.ac.id/index.php/IJHSS
[21] H. M. Vroom, “Syncretism and Dialogue: A Philosophical Analysis,” in Currents of Encounter, vol. 1, Routledge, 1989, pp. 26–35. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004669918_004.
[22] H. Calis, “The Theoretical Foundations of Contextual Interpretation of the Qur’an in Islamic Theological Schools and Philosophical Sufism,” Religions, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 188, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13020188.
[23] Imarotuz Zulfa, “The Application of Hermeneutics in Indonesia as a Koranic interpretation Method,” J. Islam. Scriptures Non-Arabic Societies, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 18–38, 2024, https://doi.org/10.51214/jisnas.v1i1.769.
[24] M. Sakdullah, “Kidung Rumeksa Ing Wengi Karya Sunan Kalijaga Dalam Kajian Teologis,” J. Theol., vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 231–250, 2016, https://doi.org/10.21580/teo.2014.25.2.394.
[25] H. Hariyono, R. Tirtosudarmo, D. N. Wijaya, A. Y. Pratama, and H. F. Utama, “Religious Dynamics in Sekoto: Adaptation, Resistance, and Ritual Traditions,” in 5th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science (ICHSS 2024). 2025, Atlantis Press, 2025, pp. 212–221. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-352-8_18.
[26] R. Rahmadi and H. Hamdan, Religious Moderation in the Context of Islamic Education: a Multidisciplinary Perspective and Its Application in Islamic Educational Institutions in Indonesia, vol. 21, no. 1. Khazanah: Jurnal Studi Islam Dan Humaniora, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18592/khazanah.v21i1.8487.
[27] M. S. Al-Farisi and F. Syauqii, “The Integration of Islam and Culture in Islamic Thought,” Al-Mujtama J. Soc. Sci., vol. 1, no. 1, p. 15, 2025, https://doi.org/10.30829/al-mujtama.v1i1.21525.
[28] E. Zakiyah, N. H. Magfiroh, and N. I. M. Sarif, “Javanese Islamic Moderation of Sunan Kalijogo, Harmonization of Islamic and Javanese Teachings (Aggregation of Culture and Ideology),” Proceedings of International Conference on Engineering, Technology, and Social Sciences (ICONETOS), vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 18–23, 2023.
[29] S. Almirzanah, “Celebrating differences through dialogue in Indonesia,” Relig. Educ., vol. 109, no. 3, pp. 234–245, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1080/00344087.2014.911617.
[30] A. S. AHMAD, “Religious Moderation in Islamic Religious Practices Through Wasathiyah Concept,” Sunan Kalijaga Int. J. Islam. Educ. Res., vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 72–84, 2021, https://doi.org/10.14421/skijier.2021.52.06.
[31] Purwadi, Dakwah Sunan Kalijaga: Penyebaran Agama Islam di Jawa Berbasis Kultural [Sunan Kalijaga’s Preaching: The Spread of Islam in Java Based on Culture], vol. 267. Yogyakarta: Putra Pelajar, 2004.
[32] D. P. Permadi, “Memoir of Kidung Rumekso Ing Wengi in the Frame of Symbolism,” Islah J. Islam. Lit. Hist., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 39–58, 2022, https://doi.org/10.18326/islah.v3i1.39-58.
[33] D. Greetham, The Pleasures of Contamination. Indiana University Press, 2025. https://doi.org/10.2979/5714.0.
[34] R. Fox and A. Hornbacher, “The Materiality and Efficacy of Balinese Letters,” The Materiality and Efficacy of Balinese Letters, vol. 6. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004326828.
[35] K. H. S. Zuhri et al., “Islamic Reasoning and Indigenous Counseling in Kidung Rumeksa Ing Wengi by Sunan Kalijaga (An Epistemological Study),” Addin, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 88–125, 2025. https://doi.org/10.21043/addin.v19i1.30964.
[36] F. J. Wertz, Five ways of doing qualitative analysis: Phenomenological psychology, grounded theory, discourse analysis, narrative research, and intuitive inquiry, vol. 1, no. 15. Guilford Press, 2013. https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsqmip.2013.1.15.56.
[37] J. W. Crewell and N. C. Porth, Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches, 4th ed. SAGE Publications, 1998.
[38] A. Zamhari, Rituals of Islamic Spirituality : A Study of Majlis Dhikr Groups in East Java. Australia: ANU E Press, 2010. https://doi.org/10.26530/oapen_459498.
[39] C. Kersten, A History of Islam in Indonesia: Unity in Diversity. UK: Edinburgh University Press, 2017.
[40] Waston, “Building peace through mystic philosophy: Study on the role of Sunan Kalijaga in Java,” Indones. J. Islam Muslim Soc., vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 281–308, 2018, https://doi.org/10.18326/ijims.v8i2.281-308.
[41] B. T. Wilmot, Review: Religion and the Demise of Liberal Rationalism: The Foundational Crisis of the Separation of Church and State, vol. 71, no. 3. University of Chicago Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/lfg093.
[42] F. Hutabarat, “Navigating Diversity: Exploring Religious Pluralism and Social Harmony in Indonesian Society,” Eur. J. Theol. Philos., vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 6–13, 2023, https://doi.org/10.24018/theology.2023.3.6.125.
[43] A. Bella Agustin, “Javanese Muslim Local Culture and Tradition in Islamic Perspective,” Sunan Kalijaga Int. J. Islam. Educ. Res., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 15–24, 2019, https://doi.org/10.14421/skijier.2019.2019.31.02.
[44] N. E. Wardani, “The struggle and Islamic patriotism of Sunan Kalijaga in folktales of Central Java, Indonesia,” HTS Teol. Stud. / Theol. Stud., vol. 79, no. 1, p. 8480, 2023, https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i1.8480.
[45] R. Latifa, M. Fahri, and N. F. Mahida, “Religious Moderation Attitude: Development Scale,” J. An-Nafs Kaji. Penelit. Psikol., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 135–152, 2022, https://doi.org/10.33367/psi.v7i2.2298.
[46] E. Zamroni and I. Lestari, Values Ngudi Kasampurnan Sunan Kalijaga As A Basis of Religious Moderation Education, vol. 12, no. November. Edukasi Islami: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2023.
[47] B. A. Sidi, Unity and Diversity : National Identity and Multiculturalism in Indonesia, no. November. University of Otago, 2019.
Downloads
Submitted
Accepted
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 mukhlis fathurrohman ngatmin abbas, Ngatmin Abbas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
