Rituals as Sites of Normative Production: Rethinking Living Islamic Law through the Sennu-Sennureng Tradition in Bugis Weddings

Abstrak

Inggris

Research on the mappacci tradition in Bugis society remains limited, particularly in addressing its philosophical dimensions within Islamic legal thought, leaving an important theoretical gap in explaining how local ritual practices participate in the production of Islamic normativity in lived contexts. Existing studies tend to interpret mappacci as a cultural, symbolic, or social phenomenon, while paying insufficient attention to its role within broader debates on living Islamic law and legal pluralism. This study therefore aims to analyze the sennu-sennureng element of the mappacci ritual through the perspective of Islamic legal philosophy, specifically within the framework of maqāṣid al-sharīʿah. Employing a qualitative interpretive design, the study combines textual analysis, participant observation, interviews, and contextual interpretation of symbolic practices to explore the relationship between ritual meaning and Islamic legal objectives. The findings demonstrate that mappacci, especially through the symbolic interaction of sennu-sennureng functions not merely as a customary rite but as a culturally mediated ethical system through which welfare (maṣlaḥah), moral responsibility, family integrity, and social harmony are articulated and sustained. The study argues that local rituals do not simply reflect Islamic norms but actively participate in their negotiation, reproduction, and ethical grounding within plural normative environments. Conceptually, it advances an understanding of Islamic law as a living and socially embedded normative system by integrating insights from symbolic meaning, legal pluralism, and maqāṣid-oriented legal philosophy. This contribution extends international discussions on living Islamic law by demonstrating how ritual practices serve as sites of normative production where religious authority, cultural tradition, and ethical reasoning intersect in everyday Muslim life.

Bahasa Indonesia

Penelitian yang membahas tradisi mappacci dalam masyarakat Bugis masih terbatas dalam menganalisisnya dari perspektif filosofi hukum Islam. Oleh karena itu, artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji tradisi sennu-sennureng dalam ritual mappacci dalam upacara pernikahan Bugis dari perspektif filosofi hukum Islam. Studi ini menggunakan desain penelitian dengan paradigma kualitatif deskriptif dan menemukan bahwa ritual mappacci dalam pernikahan Bugis, khususnya melalui interaksi simbolis sennu-sennureng, memiliki relevansi kuat terhadap tujuan filosofi hukum Islam ketika diinterpretasikan dalam kerangka nilai-nilai Islam. Ritual ini bukan sekadar tradisi adat tetapi berfungsi sebagai media simbolis-spiritual yang mewakili kesiapan fisik dan spiritual pengantin, serta komitmen keluarga dan masyarakat dalam membangun rumah tangga sakinah, mawaddah, wa rahmah sesuai dengan maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah. Dari perspektif filosofi hukum Islam, mappacci dapat dipahami sebagai 'urf yang sah yang memiliki nilai positif selama ia memperkuat etika tauhid, keadilan, kasih sayang, tanggung jawab, serta perlindungan terhadap perempuan dan anak-anak, yang terus berfungsi sebagai sistem normatif yang hidup. Namun, nilai-nilai ini sangat bergantung pada pemahaman filosofis masyarakat tentang makna simboliknya.

Kata kunci

• Living Normative System
• Mappacci tradition
• Philosophy of Islamic Law
• Sennu-Sennureng tradition