Transforming Solidarity into Social Obligation: A Socio-Legal Analysis of the Massolo’ Tradition
Abstract
The massolo' tradition in Kuala Mandor B Village, West Kalimantan has undergone a significant normative transformation. What once functioned as voluntary mutual aid (tabarru') is increasingly perceived as a binding social obligation resembling debt, generating moral, psychological, and economic pressure, particularly among economically vulnerable families. This study examines the symbolic transformation of massolo' and its normative implications under Islamic law. It employs a socio-legal approach with qualitative phenomenological methods, using in-depth interviews with five purposively selected informants and participant observation in Kuala Mandor B. The findings reveal three critical patterns. First, the systematic recording of contributions functions as a form of collective memory that generates reciprocal obligation. Second, a dualism of perception exists between economically secure community members, who view massolo' as solidarity, and those with limited resources, who experience it as coercive social debt. Third, the tradition operates as living customary law whose coercive force derives from the siri' (honor) system rather than formal legal authority. This article argues that while massolo' qualifies as 'urf ṣaḥīḥ in its original form, its shift toward coercive obligation risks violating Islamic principles of tabarru', maṣlaḥah, and lā ḍarar wa lā ḍirār. This study contributes to Islamic legal studies and law-and-society scholarship by demonstrating how living customary law can undergo normative distortion and by proposing legal reintegration as a framework for reconciling local tradition with Islamic ethics.
[Tradisi massolo' di Desa Kuala Mandor B, Kalimantan Barat telah mengalami transformasi normatif yang signifikan. Praktik yang semula berfungsi sebagai bentuk tolong-menolong sukarela (tabarru') kini semakin dipersepsikan sebagai kewajiban sosial yang mengikat menyerupai utang, sehingga menimbulkan tekanan moral, psikologis, dan ekonomi, terutama bagi keluarga yang secara ekonomi rentan. Penelitian ini mengkaji transformasi simbolik massolo' serta implikasi normatifnya dalam perspektif hukum Islam. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan sosio-legal dengan metode fenomenologi kualitatif melalui wawancara mendalam terhadap lima informan yang dipilih secara purposif serta observasi partisipatif di Desa Kuala Mandor B. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan tiga pola: Pertama, pencatatan kontribusi secara sistematis berfungsi sebagai bentuk memori kolektif yang menghasilkan kewajiban timbal balik. Kedua, terdapat dualisme persepsi antara anggota masyarakat yang secara ekonomi mapan, yang memandang massolo' sebagai bentuk solidaritas, dan mereka yang memiliki keterbatasan ekonomi, yang justru merasakannya sebagai utang sosial yang bersifat memaksa. Ketiga, tradisi ini beroperasi sebagai hukum adat hidup (living customary law) yang daya paksa normatifnya bersumber dari sistem siri' (kehormatan) dibandingkan dari otoritas hukum formal. Artikel ini berargumen bahwa meskipun massolo' dalam bentuk asalnya dapat dikategorikan sebagai 'urf ṣaḥīḥ, pergeserannya menuju kewajiban yang bersifat memaksa berpotensi melanggar prinsip-prinsip hukum Islam seperti tabarru’, maṣlaḥah, serta lā ḍarar wa lā ḍirār. Kontribusi penelitian ini menunjukkan bagaimana hukum adat yang hidup dapat mengalami distorsi normatif, serta menawarkan konsep reintegrasi hukum sebagai kerangka untuk merekonsiliasi tradisi lokal dengan etika Islam.]
Keywords
Copyright
Copyright Holder: Resa, Abu Bakar, Nur Rahmiani
Copyright Year: 2026
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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