Khaira Ummah as an Ethical Framework for Militant Muslim: a Contextual Reading of QS. Āli ‘Imrān [3]: 110 in Indonesia
Abstract
The term militant Muslim in the Indonesian context is often associated with hardline Islam, radicalism, and confrontational actions, whereas religious militancy is not necessarily synonymous with violence. This article aims to reconstruct the concept of militant Muslims based on QS. Āl ‘Imrān [3]: 110 and explain its relevance to socio-religious life in Indonesia. This study employs a qualitative-library research method with a conceptual-normative analysis-intertextual approach. The main corpus of the study refers to interpretive tendencies, namely the exegeses of al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn ‘Āshūr, and Wahbah al-Zuḥailī. The interpretation is conducted through the identification of the textual meaning of QS. Āl ‘Imrān [3]: 110, the mufassirs’ emphasis on the concept of khaira ummah, followed by normative analysis to formulate the characteristics of militancy that are consistent with the values of the verse. The results show that militant Muslims from the perspective of QS. Āl ‘Imrān [3]: 110 are not determined by the level of confrontation or violence, but by steadfastness in carrying out amar ma‘rūf nahi munkar and faith in Allah consistently, proportionally, and with an orientation toward public welfare. This article offers a conceptual construction that places Muslim militancy within three components, namely steadfastness in faith, an ethical commitment to amar ma‘rūf nahi munkar, and an orientation toward social welfare. This construction is limited to a conceptual-normative reading of QS. Āl ‘Imrān [3]: 110 and differs from previous studies that tend to discuss khaira ummah in general, as it specifically operationalizes the verse to formulate a concept of non-coercive and contextually relevant religious militancy for Indonesian society. The reconstruction of this concept demonstrates that Muslim militancy remains relevant when manifested through preaching that is courteous, contextual, peaceful, and constructive for social life.