Reconstructing Tawhidic Humanism: Nurcholish Madjid and the Transformation of Intellectual Da’wah in Contemporary Islam

Karman Karman; Abdul Hamid; Badrah Uyuni

doi:10.71039/istifham.v4i2.193

Authors

Karman Karman Universitas Islam As-Syafiiyah, Indonesia
Abdul Hamid Universitas Islam As-Syafiiyah, Indonesia
Badrah Uyuni Universitas Islam As-Syafiiyah, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71039/istifham.v4i2.193

Keywords:

Tawhidic Humanism, Intellectual Da’wah, Nurcholish Madjid, Contemporary Islamic Thought, Ethical Public Islam

Abstract

This study examines the ethical and humanistic dimensions of tawhid in the thought of Nurcholish Madjid and their implications for the transformation of contemporary intellectual da’wah. The study responds to the growing tendency of religious formalism, ideological polarization, and the weakening of ethical public engagement in contemporary Muslim societies. While previous scholarship has extensively explored Madjid’s ideas on pluralism, secularization, democracy, and Islamic neo-modernism, limited attention has been paid to the interconnections among tawhid, human dignity, rationality, intellectual freedom, pluralism, and intellectual da’wah within a unified framework. Employing qualitative library research with an interpretivist orientation, this study combines intellectual-historical analysis, hermeneutic interpretation, and critical discourse analysis of Madjid’s major writings and relevant scholarly works. The findings reveal three interconnected dimensions in his thought: tawhid as the theological basis of human freedom and dignity; rationality and intellectual freedom as foundations of critical religious consciousness; and pluralism, equality, and mutual respect as ethical principles for public life. Based on these dimensions, the study reconstructs tawhidic humanism as an analytical framework linking transcendence to human dignity, rationality, and plural coexistence. Within this framework, intellectual da’wah is understood as a dialogical and transformative process aimed at fostering critical religious consciousness, social responsibility, and ethical engagement in diverse societies.

References

Abou El Fadl, K. (2001). Speaking in God’s name: Islamic law, authority and women. Oneworld Publications.

Ahmed, A. S. (1992). Postmodernism and Islam: Predicament and promise. Routledge.

Al-Faruqi, I. R. (1992). Al tawhid: Its implications for thought and life. International Institute of Islamic Thought.

An-Na’im, A. A. (2008). Islam and the secular state: Negotiating the future of Shari‘a. Harvard University Press.

Andoni, Y., & Yulia, N. (2025). Menyulam etika dan kemanusiaan: Tafsir inklusif Nurcholish Madjid tentang Islam dan pluralitas di Indonesia (1970–2004). Analisis Sejarah: Mencari Jalan Sejarah, 15(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.25077/jas.v15i1.139

Aripudin, A., & Junaedi, J. (2024). Actualization of Islam: Conceptual analysis and operationalization of intellectual substantive da’wah by Nurcholish Madjid in Indonesia. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis, 7(5), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v7-i05-08

Asad, T. (2003). Formations of the secular: Christianity, Islam, modernity. Stanford University Press.

Bakti, A. F. (2005). Islam and modernity: Nurcholish Madjid’s interpretation of civil society, pluralism, secularization, and democracy. Asian Journal of Social Science, 33(3), 486–505. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853105775013634

Barton, G. (1997). Gagasan Islam liberal di Indonesia: Pemikiran neo-modernisme Nurcholish Madjid, Djohan Effendi, Ahmad Wahib, dan Abdurrahman Wahid. Paramadina.

Berger, P. L. (1999). The desecularization of the world: Resurgent religion and world politics. Eerdmans.

Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Harvard University Press.

Campbell, H. (2021). Digital religion studies: Key perspectives. New Media & Society, 23(1), 1–15.

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

Esposito, J. L., & Voll, J. O. (2001). Makers of contemporary Islam. Oxford University Press.

Foucault, M. (1980). Power/knowledge: Selected interviews and other writings 1972–1977. Pantheon Books.

Habermas, J. (2006). Religion in the public sphere. European Journal of Philosophy, 14(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0378.2006.00241.x

Hallaq, W. B. (2013). The impossible state: Islam, politics, and modernity’s moral predicament. Columbia University Press.

Hefner, R. W. (2000). Civil Islam: Muslims and democratization in Indonesia. Princeton University Press.

Ichwayudi, B., Rahman, M., & Prasetyo, A. (2025). Reinterpreting democracy and pluralism: Nurcholish Madjid’s intellectual legacy and its relevance for contemporary Indonesia. Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 5(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.22373/jpi.v5i1.30582

Jamal, S. (2023). Islamic modernization, identity politics and religious conservatism in Indonesia: Reflections on the renewal of Nurcholish Madjid’s Islamic thought. Integration: Journal of Social Sciences and Culture, 1(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.38142/ijssc.v1i3.146

Khairiyah, N., Uyuni, B., & Syukur, Y. (2025). Digital da’wah as soft power: A conceptual review of Islamic communication in contemporary global politics. ISTIFHAM: Journal of Islamic Studies, 2(2), 242–253.

Lidinillah, M. A., Syamsuddin, M., & Kuswanjono, A. (2023). Iqbal humanism and human rights. Jurnal Filsafat, 33(2), 230–249. https://doi.org/10.22146/jf.81126

Madjid, N. (1992). Islam doktrin dan peradaban. Paramadina.

Madjid, N. (1995). Islam agama kemanusiaan: Membangun tradisi dan visi baru Islam Indonesia. Paramadina.

Madjid, N. (1999). Cita-cita politik Islam era reformasi. Paramadina.

Madjid, N. (2008). Islam kemodernan dan keindonesiaan. Mizan.

Madjid, N. (2019). Karya lengkap Nurcholish Madjid: Keislaman, keindonesiaan, & kemodernan (B. Munawar-Rachman, Ed.). Nurcholish Madjid Society.

Mahmood, S. (2005). Politics of piety: The Islamic revival and the feminist subject. Princeton University Press.

Majid, Z. A., Al Yusni, D. H., Himayah, M., & Uyuni, B. (2021). The effect of modern and contemporary Islam on critical thinking of Islamic figures. SPEKTRA, 3(2), 43–55.

March, A. F. (2009). Islam and liberal citizenship: The search for an overlapping consensus. Oxford University Press.

Muin, F. (2014). Islamic neo-modernism and pluralism: The thought of Nurcholish Madjid. Al-Jami‘ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 52(2), 497–528. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2014.522.497-528

Nafis, A. A. Z., Barsihannor, B., & Santalia, I. (2023). Pluralism theology of Nurcholish Madjid. AL-MUTSLA, 5(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.46870/jstain.v5i1.451

Rahman, F. (1982). Islam and modernity: Transformation of an intellectual tradition. University of Chicago Press.

Ramadan, T. (2004). Western Muslims and the future of Islam. Oxford University Press.

Razack, S. (2008). Casting out: The eviction of Muslims from western law and politics. University of Toronto Press.

Rozak, A., Hidayat, K., & Ali, M. (2015). Political thoughts and socio-cultural nationalism ideologies of Nurcholish Madjid on strengthening democracy, civil societies and civic virtues in Indonesia. Asian Social Science, 11(27), 142–151. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v11n27p142

Saeed, A. (2006). Islamic thought: An introduction. Routledge.

Safitri, L., Manshur, F., & Thoyyar, H. (2022). Nurcholish Madjid on Indonesian Islamic education: A hermeneutical study. Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura, 22(2), 215–232. https://doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v22i2.5749

Salvatore, A. (2016). The sociology of Islam: Knowledge, power and civility. Wiley Blackwell.

Sardar, Z. (2003). Islam, postmodernism and other futures: A Ziauddin Sardar reader. Pluto Press.

Siroj, M., & Ulfah, N. (2025). Reimagining Islamic education: Critical perspectives inspired by Nurcholish Madjid. Tadibia Islamika, 4(2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.28918/tadibia.v4i2.8281

Taylor, C. (2007). A secular age. Harvard University Press.

Voll, J. O. (1982). Islam: Continuity and change in the modern world. Syracuse University Press.

Wadud, A. (1999). Qur’an and woman: Rereading the sacred text from a woman’s perspective. Oxford University Press.

Zaprulkhan. (2025). Integrating Islam with humanity and Indonesian identity: Perspectives of Nurcholish Madjid and Ahmad Syafii Maarif. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 15(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.151.19