Kearifan Tempatan dalam Fiqh al-At'imah di Alam Melayu

Local Wisdom in Fiqh Food in Malay World

Abstract

The consumption of halalan tayyiban food is a religious requirement in Islamic law. The advent of Islam which was guided by the revelations (wahy) shaped the features of halal food cultures among local society. The result of the interaction between the revelations and the local cultures created a mutual relationship in establishing the halal food culture. The accommodating and adapting processes are seen in the banning of various forms of prohibited food, such as pork, wine, carcasses, blood and such. It is present in the acceptance of local tastes (istitabah al-Malayuwiyyah) in food consumption, as in the exotic foods of local communities such as tapai, pekasam, budu, tempoyak which undergo the process of fermentation; as well as local exotic animals such as squirrels, palm civets and the eel. In addition, discussions of food fiqh are clearly laid out in books of fiqh written by classical Muslim-Malay scholars. The socialisation of the yellow books gives momentum in increasing awareness levels of the Muslim communities regarding halal food. In this regard, this qualitative study focuses on local wisdom in food fiqh. The researchers look at the reciprocal aspects of Shari'a and local traditions in establishing a culture of halalan tayyiban food among the Malay-Muslim communities. In order to achieve this objective, the researchers conduct a full library study by referring to discussions of fiqh al-at’imah (food) by classical Malay-Muslim scholars and the data collected are analysed inductively so as to determine local wisdom in fiqh of food. The findings show that local wisdom in halalan tayyiban food consumption in an Islamic society is based on the application of fiqh of purity and food in writings of fiqh by classical Malay-Muslim scholars. It is the result of blending local wisdom with the guide of revelations (wahy) and local food traditions.