Islam in Indonesia

Islam Religion in Indonesia - Islam occupies a formative space in the constitution of a national identity in the Indonesian Republic, with 87.06% of the population practicing the religion as of 2023. Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world. It represents a close engagement between Islam, tradition, and modernity. Islam arrived in the archipelago by maritime trade routes in the 13th century alongside Arab and Indian Muslim traders and merchant sailors. The movement of Sufism with Sufis and the travelling scholars meant Islam was spread by spreading messages of social cohesion, devotion, and spiritual purification. At the time of the arrival of Islam, the local rulers in Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi were converting to Islam; thus, these rulers introduced Dutch and Indians to an Islamic court setting and established Islamic kingdoms. The doctrinal Shafi'i school of jurisprudence is clearly the first and dominant sect amongst the Muslim population in Indonesia; although the minority Shia congregate around Jakarta, and the Ahmadiyya population of approximately 400,000 is a source of some friction, an illustration of diversity. While classical Islamic Arabic language liturgical traditions are still utilised, the content of most daily practice is the co-optation of various Indonesian and regional languages. Spirit-centred traditions also persist outside of formal religions, e.g., kebatinan, an eclectic pluralist mix of Islamic, Hindu-Buddhist, and animistic practices. This inward-looking, mystical practice illustrates the cultural pluralism of Indonesia. Sites of symbolic magnitude, such as the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, the largest in Southeast Asia, serve as religious, civic, and architectural reference points. Rituals that embody Islam's collective ethos, including sujud during Ramadan and the roar of the mass takbir statement during Eid al-Fitr, reinforce the collective moral framework of ummah across islands and ethnicities from Aceh to Papua.

Islam in Indonesia flows through two great streams: traditionalism and modernism. These two streams influence theology, education and the public sphere. Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which is the largest body of Islam in Indonesia, continues a long legacy of Islam Nusantara, which emphasises moderation (wasatiyyah), custom (adat), and Sufi sensibility in both theology and practice. The NU pesantren system trains santri and sends them forth equipped with Qur’anic exegesis, fiqh, and knowledge of Arabic. But it is not just NU that is a major actor in Indonesia and beyond. Muhammadiyah has emerged as a modernist voice that calls for renewal, rationalisation, and direct engagement with scripture, rejecting taqlid. It operates one of the largest networks of schools, hospitals, and universities in the country. Together these two organisations provide Indonesia with the Islamic impulse to balance history with renewal. They influence culture, there is batik besurek, wayang sadat, and the Saman dance, as well as the law, ethics and rituals. Even while officially governed by the secular Pancasila philosophy, the part of the bulk of Muslim citizens that utilise their agency to engage in politics and civic life is significant. With demographic weight, spiritual depth, and cultural adaptability, Islam in Indonesia is well-poised to continue to grow as a forceful voice in the global ummah.