Mapping the Diversity of Islamic Thought in Indonesia
Main Article Content
Abstract
Indonesia is recognized as the country with the world’s largest Muslim population and one of the most diverse landscapes of Islamic thought. This study aims to map the diversity of Islamic thought in Indonesia by examining its historical development, major intellectual traditions, and contemporary dynamics. Employing a qualitative approach with a systematic literature review design, this study follows the PRISMA 2020 framework to identify, screen, and synthesize relevant scholarly literature published between 2000 and 2026. Data were collected from Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Crossref, and nationally accredited SINTA-indexed journals and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The analysis is guided by Social Construction Theory, Kuhn’s Paradigm Theory, and Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah Theory to explain the evolution and transformation of Islamic thought in Indonesia. The findings reveal that the diversity of Islamic thought is the result of a long historical process shaped by Islamization, transnational scholarly networks, colonial encounters, educational transformation, democratization, and digitalization. The study identifies six major intellectual traditions: Traditionalism, Modernism, Neo-Modernism, Islamism, Liberal Islam, and Wasatiyyah, each characterized by distinctive epistemological foundations, interpretive approaches, and socio-religious orientations. Rather than representing ideological fragmentation, these traditions collectively constitute a dynamic and adaptive intellectual ecosystem that continuously responds to changing social, political, and cultural contexts. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the contemporary paradigm of Wasatiyyah plays an integrative role in strengthening religious moderation, social cohesion, and democratic values within Indonesia’s multicultural society. By providing a comprehensive conceptual mapping of Islamic thought, this study contributes to the advancement of Islamic studies and offers a valuable reference for scholars, policymakers, and Islamic educational institutions seeking to promote inclusive, moderate, and contextually relevant Islamic scholarship.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Abdullah, M. A. (2014). Religion, science, and culture: An integrated, interconnected paradigm of science. Al-Jami’ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 52(1), 175–203.
Ahmad, S. I. R., & Afnijar, J. (2026). Dinamika pemikiran islam kontemporer dalam konteks kehidupan masyarakat indonesia. Pendas: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 11(02), 212–222.
Ardianto, F., Mukhlis, M., Zulhandra, Z., & Lahmi, A. (2025). Traditionalism and Modernism in Indonesian Islam: Dynamics of Muslim Identity Construction. Ahlussunnah: Journal of Islamic Education, 4(3), 623–629.
Azra, A. (2004a). The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia: Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern’Ulam?’in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. University of Hawaii Press.
Azra, A. (2004b). The origins of Islamic reformism in Southeast Asia: Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern’ulama’in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Asian Studies Association of Australia.
Azra, A., & Hasan, I. R. (2002). Islam Nusantara: Jaringan global dan lokal. (No Title).
Barton, G. (1999). Gagasan Islam Liberal di Indonesia: pemikiran neo-modernisme Nurcholis Madjid, Djohan Effendi, Ahmad Wahib dan Abdurrahman Wahid 1968-1980.
Berger, P., & Luckmann, T. (2016). The social construction of reality. In Social theory re-wired (pp. 110–122). Routledge.
Bruinessen, M. van. (1995). Kitab kuning, pesantren, dan tarekat: Tradisi-tradisi Islam di Indonesia. (No Title).
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. SAGE Publications.
Feener, R. M. (2004). Islam in world cultures: Comparative perspectives. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
Haitomi, F., Sari, M., & Isamuddin, N. F. A. B. N. (2022). Moderasi Beragama dalam Perspektif Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia: Konsep dan Implementasi. Al-Wasatiyah: Journal of Religious Moderation, 1(1), 66–83.
Halim, A., Suharto, B., & Safe’i, I. (2026). Digitalisasi pesantren dan perubahan otoritas keilmuan. CENDEKIA: Jurnal Studi Keislaman, 12(1), 45–55.
Hasan, N. (2006). Laskar Jihad: Islam, militancy, and the quest for identity in post-New Order Indonesia (Issue 40). SEAP Publications.
Hasan, N. (2013). The making of public Islam piety, Democracy and youth in Indonesian politics. sukapress.
Ikhsanudin, M., Syamsuddin, S., & Sunarwoto, S. (2022). The Typology of Pesantren’s Islamic Thoughts in Java: A Qualitative Study. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 11(2), 107–119.
Kholili, M., Izudin, A., & Hakim, M. L. (2024). Islamic proselytizing in digital religion in Indonesia: the challenges of broadcasting regulation. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2357460.
Madjid, N. (2019). Islam: Doktrin & Peradaban. Gramedia pustaka utama.
Maulana, A. M. R., Farhah, F., Rachmawati, F., & Mulya, A. S. (2026). From Digital Religion to Digital Islam: Finding God in the Society 5.0 through Maqāsīd Sharī’ah. Al-Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syari’ah Dan Hukum, 11(1), 3–26.
Nasution, H. (1985). Islam Ditinjau dari Berbagai Aspeknya Jilid 1.
Nata, A. (2001). Peta keragaman pemikiran Islam di Indonesia. Divisi Buku Perguruan Tinggi, RajaGrafindo Persada.
Noer, D. (1973). The modernist Muslim movement in Indonesia, 1900-1942. (No Title).
Nurholis, M. (2025). Islamic law and environmental sustainability: Maqasid al-Sharia’s perspective. Jurnal Mediasas: Media Ilmu Syari’ah Dan Ahwal Al-Syakhsiyyah, 8(3), 541–548.
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., & Brennan, S. E. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Bmj, 372.
Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers.
Shabir, M., Rosyid, M., Dahri, H., & Tasfiq, M. S. (2026). Religious Moderation as Living Islamic Law: A Maqāṣid Perspective in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. Al-Ahkam, 36(1), 21–46.
Shihab, M. Q. (2019). Wasathiyyah Wawasan Islam tentang Moderasi Beragama. Lentera Hati Group.
Simamora, A. S., Sianturi, E., Lafau, E. W. S., Sembiring, I. S., & Lukitoyo, P. S. (2026). PROSES ISLAMISASI DI NUSANTARA PADA ABAD KE-13 HINGGA KE-16: PERAN JALUR PERDAGANGAN, ULAMA, DAN INTERAKSI BUDAYA DALAM PENYEBARAN ISLAM. Pendas: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 11(01), 194–201.
Sumardi, E., & Harbi, H. A. (2025). Islamisasi Di Nusantara: Jalur Perdagangan Sebagai Sarana Penyebaran Islam Abad Ke-13–16. Tashdiq: Jurnal Kajian Agama Dan Dakwah, 16(2), 91–100.
Syafaq, H., Hilmy, M., & Fageh, A. (2026). Digital Islamic Studies in Indonesia: Ontological, Epistemological and Axiological Perspectives. Afkar: Jurnal Akidah Dan Pemikiran Islam, 28(1), 157–204.
Tofaynudin, J. I., Anwari, M. S., Dahlan, M., & Futaqi, S. (2025). Religious Moderation as a Paradigm of Moderate Islamic Thought in the Era of Digital Disruption. Potret Pemikiran, 29(2), 248–267.
Yusuf, M. Z., Nahar, M. H., Abror, H. M., & Renaldi, M. H. (2024). Digital strategies for promoting religious moderation: The role of Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama on social media. International Journal of Nusantara Islam, 12(2), 116–130.