Reinterpreting Nurcholish Madjid’s Secularization

Abstract

The renewal of Islamic thought in Indonesia requires a conceptual foundation capable of combining Islamic values ​​with the demands of modernity in a critical and rational manner. This study aims to analyze the concept of secularization in Nurcholish Madjid's thought as an effort to purify monotheism and strengthen Islamic rationality, while simultaneously distinguishing it conceptually from secularism. The method used is a qualitative study with a library study approach through documentation techniques and content analysis of Nurcholish Madjid's main works and relevant supporting scientific literature. The results show that secularization, according to Nurcholish Madjid, is not an anti-religious ideology, but rather a process of desacralization of worldly matters to maintain the purity of monotheism, namely freeing Muslims from the erroneous cult of traditions, institutions, and worldly power. In conclusion, this approach places rationality, freedom of thought, and ijtihad as the foundations of contextual Islamic renewal. Nurcholish Madjid's thought has contributed significantly to shaping a rational and civilization-oriented Islam without neglecting its spiritual dimension.