MEMBACA KEMBALI RITUAL TURUN BATU NISAN SEBAGAI PERTAHANAN DAKWAH ISLAM DI PESISIR SUMATERA UTARA

Abstract

Modernization and the shrinking of traditional spaces for religious education place the Islamic values of coastal communities at risk of weakening, so the continuity of da’wah within tradition needs to be strengthened. This study examines the “turun batu nisan” (tombstone-lowering) ritual on the coast of North Sumatra not merely as a form of cultural acculturation but as a strategy for defending Islamic da’wah that keeps Islamic teachings sustained, communicated, and transmitted amid strong local traditions. The study employs a descriptive qualitative approach using direct observation, interviews with a religious leader, and a literature review, and analyzes the data through the concepts of cultural da’wah, the indigenization of Islam, and da’wah bil hal (da’wah through action). The findings show that the ritual contains da’wah values, namely prayer, remembrance of God (zikir), recitation of the Qur’an, invocations of blessing (sholawat), and marhaban, integrated into local traditions such as the purification of the tombstone, religious gatherings, and communal feasts (kenduri). This integration allows Islamic messages to be conveyed through habituation without presenting da’wah as something foreign to the community. The ritual also strengthens social solidarity and preserves religious cultural heritage. The ritual can therefore be understood as a contextual model of da’wah bil hal and cultural da’wah for guiding the younger generation of coastal North Sumatra to remain close to Islamic values through traditions they know in everyday life.