Religious Moderation through Prophetic Ethics: Qur’anic Principles, the Medinan Experience, and Indonesian Moderation Discourse

Elok Faiqoh; M Zainuddin; Ahmad Izzuddin

doi:10.22373/jsai.v7i2.9458

Authors

Elok Faiqoh Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Malang, Indonesia
M Zainuddin Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Malang, Indonesia
Ahmad Izzuddin Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim, Malang, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22373/jsai.v7i2.9458

Keywords:

Religious Moderation, Prophetic Ethics, Qur’anic Ethics, Charter of Medina, Indonesia

Abstract

Religious moderation in Indonesia is commonly articulated through policy indicators intended to support peaceful coexistence, yet Qur’anic ethics, the Medinan experience, and contemporary moderation discourse are frequently examined as separate domains. This article analyzes how selected Qur’anic texts and the Medinan experience can inform an ethical reading of religious moderation in contemporary Indonesia. It employs qualitative library research that combines a thematic reading of Q.S. Al-Hujurat 49:13, Q.S. Al-Anbiya 21:107, Q.S. An-Nisa 4:135, and Q.S. Al-Baqarah 2:256; a historical-contextual reading of scholarly accounts of the Charter of Medina; and a conceptual comparison with Indonesia’s religious moderation framework and selected studies of religious and digital discourse. The analysis identifies three interrelated ethical dimensions—humanization, liberation, and transcendence—from which five principles are derived: human dignity, justice, transcendental accountability, inclusivity, and social responsibility. The Medinan experience illustrates how distinct communal identities could coexist within an arrangement of reciprocal obligations, although it cannot be treated as a directly transferable model of modern governance. In the Indonesian context, the prophetic framework complements existing policy indicators by foregrounding ethical questions concerning dignity, coercion, unequal treatment, and moral accountability. The article contributes a heuristic framework for evaluating religious moderation without presenting it as an empirically validated theory or an alternative administrative model.

References

Albana, H. (2022). Kontestasi narasi moderasi beragama di Instagram. Al-Izzah: Jurnal Hasil-Hasil Penelitian, 17(1), 14–27. https://doi.org/10.31332/ai.v0i0.3791

Arjomand, S. A. (2009). The Constitution of Medina: A sociolegal interpretation of Muhammad’s acts of foundation of the umma. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 41(4), 555–575. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020743809990067

Asmanidar, A. (2023). Diversity and humanity in Islam: A perspective of religious moderation. Abrahamic Religions: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama, 3(2), 301–312. https://doi.org/10.22373/arj.v3i2.20416

Casanova, J. (1994). Public religions in the modern world. University of Chicago Press.

Choirin, M., Dwijayanto, A., Yumna, L., & Muaz, Y. A. (2024). Nurturing moderate Islam: Strategic da’wah communication in the digital era for Generation Z. International Journal Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din, 26(1), 108–118. https://doi.org/10.21580/ihya.26.1.20008

Denny, F. M. (1977). Ummah in the Constitution of Medina. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 36(1), 39–47. https://doi.org/10.1086/372530

Fauzi, N. W. A. (2024). Konsep etika bermasyarakat dalam Al-Qur’an perspektif Surat Al-Hujurat ayat 13 dan relevansinya di era digital. Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia, 5(10), 892–909. https://doi.org/10.59141/japendi.v5i10.5641

Hayya, S. S. (2026). Analisis relevansi konsep keadilan sosial dalam QS. An-Nisa ayat 135 menurut Tafsir Al-Misbah dengan teori keadilan sosial John Rawls. AT-TAKLIM: Jurnal Pendidikan Multidisiplin, 3(5), 550–562. https://doi.org/10.71282/at-taklim.v3i5.2058

Hefner, R. W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and democratization in Indonesia. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400823871

Hidayah, A., Fauziyah, N. R., & Wibowo, W. (2024). The role of the state in fostering religious harmony in Indonesia: A historical review, challenges and policy towards moderation. Academic Journal of Islamic Principles and Philosophy, 5(1), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.22515/ajipp.v5i1.9181

Iffan, A., Nur, M. R., & Saiin, A. (2020). Konseptualisasi moderasi beragama sebagai langkah preventif terhadap penanganan radikalisme di Indonesia. PERADA: Jurnal Studi Islam Kawasan Melayu, 3(2), 187–199. https://doi.org/10.35961/perada.v3i2.220

Izutsu, T. (2002). Ethico-religious concepts in the Qur’an. McGill-Queen’s University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780773570511

Kamali, M. H. (2015). The middle path of moderation in Islam: The Qur’anic principle of wasatiyyah. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190226831.001.0001

Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia. (2019). Moderasi beragama. Badan Litbang dan Diklat Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia.

Kuntowijoyo. (2006). Islam sebagai ilmu: Epistemologi, metodologi, dan etika (2nd ed.). Tiara Wacana.

Lecker, M. (2004). The “Constitution of Medina”: Muḥammad’s first legal document. Darwin Press.

Massofia, F. D., & Rahmawati. (2023). Konsep Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin pada QS. Al-Anbiya: 107 (Kajian tafsir Qur’an). Al-Fahmu: Jurnal Ilmu Al-Qur’an dan Tafsir, 2(2), 143–150. https://doi.org/10.58363/alfahmu.v2i2.84

Menchik, J. (2016). Islam and democracy in Indonesia: Tolerance without liberalism. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316344446

Mubarok, A. R., & Sunarto, S. (2024). Moderasi beragama di era digital: Tantangan dan peluang. Journal of Islamic Communication Studies, 2(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.15642/jicos.2024.2.1.1-11

Nasikhin, N., Raaharjo, R., & Nasikhin, N. (2022). Moderasi beragama Nahdlatul Ulama dan Muhammadiyah dalam konsep Islam Nusantara dan Islam Berkemajuan. Islamic Review: Jurnal Riset dan Kajian Keislaman, 11(1), 19–34. https://doi.org/10.35878/islamicreview.v11i1.371

Nurdin, F. (2021). Moderasi beragama menurut Al-Qur’an dan Hadist. Jurnal Ilmiah Al-Mu’ashirah, 18(1), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.22373/jim.v18i1.10525

Nurjanah, E. (2019). Piagam Madinah sebagai struktur masyarakat pluralistik. Al-Tsaqafa: Jurnal Ilmiah Peradaban Islam, 16(2), 210–214. https://doi.org/10.15575/al-tsaqafa.v16i2.5913

Rahmadi, R., Syahbudin, A., & Barni, M. (2023). Tafsir ayat wasathiyyah dalam Al-Qur’an dan implikasinya dalam konteks moderasi beragama di Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Ushuluddin, 22(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.18592/jiiu.v22i1.8572

Ropi, I. (2019). Whither religious moderation? The state and management of religious affairs in contemporary Indonesia. Studia Islamika, 26(3), 597–601. https://doi.org/10.36712/sdi.v26i3.14055

Saeed, A. (2006). Interpreting the Qur’an: Towards a contemporary approach. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203016770

Santoso, H. E. (2024). Moderasi beragama dan hak asasi manusia (HAM): Analisis peran agama dalam memperkuat toleransi dan kesetaraan. IN RIGHT: Jurnal Agama dan Hak Azazi Manusia, 13(1), 51–81. https://doi.org/10.14421/inright.v13i1.3599

Sari, A. I., Mahmud, A., & Nugroho, K. (2026). Interpretasi QS. Al-Baqarah ayat 256 dalam Tafsir At-Tanwir Muhammadiyah serta implikasinya terhadap penguatan toleransi beragama di Indonesia. Reslaj: Religion Education Social Laa Roiba Journal, 8(3), 278–297. https://doi.org/10.47476/reslaj.v8i3.11302

Syihabuddin, M., & Huda, L. N. (2024). Exploring Kuntowijoyo’s concept of prophetic leadership and its relevance in Indonesian Muslim society. Jurnal Sosiologi Reflektif, 18(2), 345–364. https://doi.org/10.14421/cme5rn08

Watt, W. M. (1961). Muhammad: Prophet and statesman. Oxford University Press.

Zainudin, M. (2002). Piagam Madinah. MIMBAR: Jurnal Sosial dan Pembangunan, 18(3), 290–301. https://doi.org/10.29313/mimbar.v18i3.77