The Element of Local Wisdom in Islamic Malay Performing Art: An Analysis from Islamic Law Perspective

Performing arts in Malay-Muslim communitieshas undergone a complex process prior to itsestablishment. It is an interface containing elementsof local community culture, religious teachings andinteractions with the surroundings which is rich inflora and fauna. As such, works of arts in the Malayworld reflect values of modesty, refinement, harmonyand subtlety as well as reflecting the character of the local community. After the arrival of Islam in theMalay Archipelago, the establishment of communalart has undergone a purification process asa result of infusing values of the revelations bythe early mubaligh. Performing mediums such aswayang kulit and gamelan are utilized by themduring the Islamisation of the locals. Thus, thepresence of early mubaligh has influenced arts inthe Malay world till a new art is established whichis proof of the superiority of the local wisdom ofMalay-Muslim communities. Performing arts suchas mak yong and kuda kepang not only function asan entertainment medium but also as a medium ofeducation, medication and worship. Accordingly, thisstudy focuses on the analysis of performing arts as alocal Malay wisdom from the perspective of Islamiclaw. To achieve this objective, a qualitative study thatutilises the full library approach is adopted. Datacollected is analysed inductively to convey elementsof local wisdom and the Islamic law perspective onperforming arts in the Malay community. Findingsof the study show that Malay performing arts aredistinctive due to the fusion of local cultures, valuesfrom the revelations and inspirations from nature. This fusion led to the creation of an art that isrefined, gentle and warm, as a manifestation of thesuperior local wisdom of the community. Performingarts which are not in conflict with Shariah maybe accepted as ‘urf sahih, while performing artscontaining elements of worship and superstition fallunder the category of fasid meaning local wisdomthat is rejected as it is opposed to Shariah.