IN COOPERATION WITH THE AUSTRIAN INDONESIAN SOCIETY

As a relatively new subdiscipline within Hadith studies (examining records of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings and deeds), living Hadith research continues to evolve and is establishing itself as a distinct field. It diverges from traditional critiques of Hadith transmission (isnad) and narrative (matn), and is informed by ethnographic approaches commonly applied in anthropology. This article explores living Hadith through a case study of the Balimau tradition in Kuntu society in the province of Riau, Sumatra, Indonesia. Balimau in Kuntu is celebrated as a ritual bath in the Subayang river shortly before the start of the fasting month. While employing ethnographic methods, this research has a focus on Hadith narratives that serve as the foundation of the Balimau tradition. Specifically, the study examines five core aspects of living Hadith: (1) the practice of Balimau in Kuntu society as a Hadith-based tradition, (2) the Hadith narrative (matn) underpinning the tradition, (3) the reception of the Hadith in Kuntu across generations, (4) the transmission of the Hadith, and (5) the transformation of the Balimau tradition over time. This study is significant not only for advancing theoretical discussions of the living Hadith approach but also for providing concrete evidence that Hadith in this context does not necessarily originate from canonical Hadith collections. Rather, the Hadith examined here represents narratives believed to be authentic, even if considered fabricated (mawḍu') by classical scholars. This expanded definition prevalent in Kuntu challenges and transcends traditional categorizations of Hadith established by classical Sunni and Shia scholars.

Dona Kahfi MA Iballa is a recipient of the prestigious Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) scholarship from the Indonesian government that allows him to pursue a doctorate in the International Doctoral Class-Program “Islamic Thought and Muslim Society” at the Postgraduate School of the State Islamic University (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Currently, he is also a guest researcher at the Institute for Social Anthropology, Austrian Academy of Sciences. He is the founder of the Artikula Foundation: https://artikula.id/.