Akulturasi Islam dan Budaya Jawa: Studi Etnografi-Historis Masjid Saka Tunggal Baitussalam Cikakak Banyumas

Abstract

This article examines the acculturation of Islam and Javanese culture at the Masjid Saka Tunggal Baitussalam in Cikakak Village, Wangon District, Banyumas Regency. The research is driven by a theoretical gap in previous studies, which tended to analyze the mosque's architecture and the social rituals of the Aboge (Alif Rebo Wage) community separately. Using a qualitative-descriptive approach with an ethnographic-historical method, data were gathered through direct observation, in-depth interviews with the mosque's custodian (juru kunci) and local residents, and documentation. The study reveals three main findings. First, historically, the mosque’s establishment in 1288 AD reflects an early and accommodative Islamization strategy through the spatial adaptation of a pre-Islamic sacred site marked by ancient menhirs. Second, architecturally, the single pillar (saka tunggal) and its four-winged carvings serve as a visual dawah medium that synthesizes Islamic monotheism (tawhid) with the Javanese cosmological concept of papat kiblat lima pancer. Third, socially, this material space provides historical legitimacy for the Aboge community to maintain their unique living Islam rituals, such as Javanese-intoned dhikr and simultaneous adhan by four muezzins without amplification. This study offers an integrative perspective showing how a historical sacred space functions as a supporting medium for contemporary social harmony and cultural resilience.