Qur'anic and Hadith Values in the Dile Jojor Tradition to Commemorate the Coming of Lailah al-Qadr in Lombok

Abstract

The culture of Muslim communities is influenced by the dialectic between religious teachings and local traditions where Muslims live. This article aims to explore the Dile Jojor tradition, also called Maleman in Lombok, which is influenced by the religious understanding of Lailah al-Qadr. Data of this qualitative study using an anthropological approach were obtained from observation, interviews and documentation. This article shows that the Dile Jojor tradition is not only related to the history of the arrival of Islam in Lombok which was introduced by the ulemas as a reminder of Lailah al-Qadr, but also related to the history of the Sasak people towards lights. At a time when people were not familiar with electricity, Dile Jojor was used as a street light to lead to the mosque to carry out Tarawih prayers and deliver zakat fitrah. This tradition has various meanings for the Sasak people: the sign of Lailah al-Qadr, the descent of angels to earth, the arrival of the spirits of the dead, and symbols of light for life, gratitude, and hope. The Maleman ritual begins with breaking the fast together, blaming Dile Jojor, praying, and remembrance. This tradition is a form of acculturation between Islam and local Sasak traditions, where the implementation of the tradition is based on the spirit and values of Islam but at the ritual level it adopts local wisdom. The Islamic values embodied in the Dile Jojor tradition are based on the spirit of the Quran. This article argues that harmonization between Islam and local tradition has made this tradition easily accepted by the Sasak people and continues to this day as a socio-cultural identity for Sasak Muslims

Keywords

• dile jojor, maleman, lailah al-qadr, acculturation, sasak tradition