Value-Based Islamic Politics: The Political Da‘wah of Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama in Strengthening Civil Society in Indonesia

Abstract

The study addresses limited research on Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama’s political da'wah as a value-based Islamic political model for civil society. This study analyzes how Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama’s political da'wah strengthens Islamic civil society through value-based strategies. This research uses a sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative case studies and quantitative surveys to analyze the political da'wah strategies of Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama. The findings reveal that Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama share a perspective of politics as a trust oriented toward public benefit, justice, and social service. Both organizations utilize education, religious gatherings, deliberation, and community empowerment as instruments of political da'wah. However, their approaches differ, as NU emphasizes the Aswaja manhaj, maqashid sharia, pesantren traditions, and religious moderation, while Muhammadiyah focuses on monotheism, professionalism, charitable enterprises, policy advocacy, and good governance. Structural analysis shows that political da'wah strategies positively and significantly influence socio-political contributions, with a T-statistic of 15.962, f² of 0.551, and R² of 0.355. Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama’s political da'wah represents a value-based Islamic political model strengthening democracy and Islamic civil society. This study enriches Islamic political studies by proposing value-based political da'wah as an alternative model for democratic social transformation in Indonesia.