Interpreting the Molangi Banasi and Managawa Traditions of Muslim Nias in Welcoming Ramadan through Buya Hamka’s Tafsir al-Azhar

Abstract

Molangi Banasi and Managawa are cultural traditions practiced by Muslims in Gunungsitoli, Nias, to welcome the month of Ramadan. Although the community continues to preserve these traditions, neither the Qur’an nor the Hadith explicitly prescribes them, leading to diverse patterns of religious interpretation. This study examines the meanings of Molangi Banasi and Managawa through the perspective of the Living Qur’an and evaluates their religious position using Buya Hamka’s Tafsir al-Azhar. The study employed a qualitative field research design. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews with thirteen participants comprising one religious leader, six community members, and six young adults, as well as documentation and a literature review. The researchers analyzed the data using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, including data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings show that participants understand Molangi Banasi and Managawa as inherited cultural traditions rather than normative acts of worship. Religious leaders classify them as local customs that Muslims may observe but are not required to perform. Community members increasingly evaluate the traditions according to the Qur’an and the Hadith, while younger participants value them primarily as expressions of social solidarity, cultural identity, and communal celebration before Ramadan. Analysis of Tafsir al-Azhar demonstrates that Hamka rejects religious legitimacy based solely on ancestral custom and requires religious practice to rest upon the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and rational judgment. At the same time, he accepts ʿurf (custom) when it does not conflict with explicit principles of Islamic law. The study further demonstrates that the Qur’an shapes these traditions through normative reception rather than direct textual reception. Instead of functioning as a ritual text, the Qur’an provides the normative framework through which the community evaluates, preserves, and reconstructs inherited cultural practices. This finding expands the conceptual scope of Living Qur’an studies by showing that Qur’anic reception also operates through cultural negotiation and normative evaluation.