Aswaja dalam Bingkai Keindonesiaan: Akar Historis, Peran Ulama Nusantara, dan Relasinya dengan Kearifan Lokal

Abstract

This article examines the position of Ahlussunnah wal Jama'ah (Aswaja) as the theological foundation of Islam in Indonesia and its relationship with the socio-cultural realities of the archipelago. Indonesian Islam is considered distinctive for its capacity to engage local customs without diluting core teachings, a trait shaped by a largely peaceful process of Islamization over several centuries. This study employs a qualitative library-research approach, examining primary and secondary sources such as books, research reports, and journal articles concerning the history, key figures, and religious practices associated with Aswaja in Indonesia. Data were analyzed descriptively and analytically to map the pattern of Aswaja's entry, the contribution of scholars to its institutionalization, and its forms of acculturation with local tradition. The findings show that Aswaja reached the archipelago through trade and da'wah as early as the seventh century, intensifying between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, supported by the Wali Songo, the pesantren network, and the establishment of Nahdlatul Ulama in 1926 as its formal institutional home. Figures such as KH. Hasyim Asy'ari, Syekh Nawawi al-Bantani, and KH. Abdurrahman Wahid played key roles in preserving and renewing Aswaja thought. The fiqh principle al-'adah muhakkamah underlies traditions such as tahlilan, maulidan, and grave pilgrimage, as well as the concept of Islam Nusantara as a moderate, tolerant synthesis of Islam and local culture.