Islam Substantif: Agar Umat Tidak Jadi Buih [Substantive Islam: So That the Ummah Does Not Become Foam]

Abstract

A collection of writings by Azyumardi Azra (1955–2022), a prominent historian and Muslim intellectual and Rector of IAIN/UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, edited by Idris Thaha and published by Mizan in 2000. Born in the early period of Reformasi, the book invites Indonesian Muslims to leave behind symbolic and formalistic religiosity in favour of substantive Islam, that is, an Islam that emphasizes core values such as justice, honesty, tolerance, and public welfare. Azra discusses the relationship between Islam and the state, Islamic parties after the New Order, democracy and civil society (masyarakat madani), education, conflict and violence with religious overtones, and the position of Indonesian Islam within the Muslim world. The subtitle "Agar Umat Tidak Jadi Buih" (So That the Ummah Does Not Become Foam) refers to a hadith about a community that is great in number yet fragile like foam on the sea, a warning that Muslims should build quality, not merely quantity. The book has become an important reference for the discourse on moderate Islam and democracy in Indonesia.