Majelis Taklim and Muslim Urban Society Development: Genealogy, Intellectual Pedagogy, and Preachers’ Integrity in Fostering Wasatiyyah

Rasheed Uthman (Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia)
Muhammad Hilman Rois (Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia)
Iqbal Muhamad Zaqi (Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia)

Al-madinah: Journal of Islamic Civilization
Vol. 3 No. 1 (2026): Al-madinah: Journal of Islamic Civilization

Majelis Taklim (MT) constitutes the most significant non-formal Islamic educational institution in Indonesia, functioning as a primary platform for religious instruction, moral formation, and communal cohesion, particularly within the context of Muslim urban society development. Amid escalating religious polarization and the proliferation of extremist ideologies in urban spaces, MT holds considerable potential for consolidating Wasatiyyah Islam (Islamic moderation). However, existing scholarship has predominantly addressed MT's general sociological functions, leaving a substantive gap in understanding the specific methodological and ethical mechanisms through which moderation is cultivated in practice. Employing a qualitative-normative approach, this study proposes an integrated three-pillars framework for institutionalizing Wasatiyyah within MT. The framework centers on three interrelated dimensions: genealogical rootedness in classical Islamic tradition, reflective pedagogical methodologies, and the ethical integrity of religious instructors as constitutive mechanisms through which moderation is systematically cultivated and sustained to support sustainable urban social cohesion.