Catur Piwulang of Sunan Drajat: The Humanitarian Turn in the History of Islamic Da'wah in Java and its Relevance to Islamic Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30829/juspi.v10i1.26828Keywords:
Catur Piwulang, Humanistic da'wah, Sunan Drajat, Islamic humanism, Islamic education.Abstract
This study is motivated by the importance of re-examining the da'wah strategies of the Walisongo, which contributed significantly to the Islamization of Java through peaceful, adaptive, and human-centered approaches. One of the most prominent figures in this regard was Sunan Drajat, whose teachings of Catur Piwulang emphasized social concern and the dignity of human beings. This study aims to analyze Catur Piwulang as a form of humanistic da'wah in the history of Islamization in Java and to examine its relevance to Islamic education. This research employed a descriptive qualitative approach using library research and a historical-hermeneutic perspective. Data were collected from books, scholarly articles, and historical sources related to Sunan Drajat’s da'wah, Islamic humanism, and Islamic education, and were analyzed through content analysis and historical analysis. The findings reveal that Catur Piwulang—which teaches giving a cane to the blind, food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and shelter to those exposed to rain—represents a da'wah strategy oriented toward fulfilling basic human needs, upholding human dignity, and strengthening social solidarity. These values reflect the principles of Islamic humanism and correspond with the humanistic theories of Paulo Freire and Abraham Maslow. Furthermore, Catur Piwulang demonstrates strong relevance to Islamic education by promoting empathy, social responsibility, justice, and humanitarian awareness. In conclusion, Sunan Drajat’s Catur Piwulang can be understood as a form of humanistic da'wah that remains relevant as a paradigm for developing moderate, inclusive, and socially civilized Islamic da'wah and education.References
Abdurrohman, M. I., & Fanani, M. A. (2024). Sejarah Dan Perkembangan Pendekatan Metode Hermeneutika Dalam Menafsirkan Al-Qur’an. Intelek Dan Cendikiawan Nusantara, 1(1), 211–223.
Al Ayyubi, I. I., Hayati, A. F., Azizah, E. N., Herdiansyah, R., & Mirayanti, U. (2024). Pendidikan Humanis Paulo Freire Dalam Pembelajaran Matematika Madrasah Ibtidaiyah. Wulang: Jurnal Pendidikan Guru Madrasah Ibtidaiyah, 1(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.55656/wjp.v1i1.178
Al Muzakki, M. I., Larasati, D. A., Prastiyono, H., & Khotimah, K. (2024). Potensi Ajaran Catur Piwulang Sunan Drajat Sebagai Sumber Pembelajaran IPS SMP. Dialektika Pendidikan IPS, 4(3), 13–20.
Aminullah, M. (2022). Humanisme Religius Perspektif Al-Qur’an (Titik Temu Agama dan Filsafat). Tjdid: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 6(2), 219–242.
Badrudin. (2020). The Building Islamic Humanism in The Context of Peoples Benefit. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Studies, 2(10), 875–878. https://doi.org/10.29103/ijevs.v2i10.3312
Balqis, N., Santoso, M. T., & Husniyah, N. I. (2023). Peran Syekh aulana Malik brahim dan Raden Qasim dalam Penyebaran Agama Islam pada Masyarakat Jawa. Jurnal Pikir, 9(1), 3.
Husniyah, N. I., & Muhlis, M. (2023). Peran Mbah Banjar, Mbah Mayang Madu, Raden Qosim Sunan Drajat Dalam Penyebaran Islam Masyarakat Pesisir Utara Lamongan. Urwatul Wutsqo: Jurnal Studi Kependidikan Dan Keislaman, 12(2), 307–317. https://doi.org/10.54437/urwatulwutsqo.v12i2.1193
Indriyani, R., & Putra, D. R. (2025). Revitalisasi Nilai Toleransi Islam dalam Sejarah Penyebaran Islam di Indonesia Studi Kasus Pendekatan Wali Songo. Ghaitsa : Islamic Education Journal, 6(2), 180–193.
Kurniawan, A., Yanti, F., Hermanto, A., & Sukri. (2024). Dakwah Walisongo dalam Penyebaran Islam di Indonesia. Al-Ukhwah - Jurnal Pengembangan Masyarakat Islam, 3(1), 31–45. https://doi.org/10.47498/jau.v3i1.3350
Lutfillah, N. Q. (2019). Da’wah Management of Wali Songo in The Age of Majapahit Kingdom. International Journal of Religious and Cultural Studies, 1(1), 40–46. https://doi.org/10.34199/ijracs.2019.4.005
Mahfudh, & Susetiyo, A. (2025). Islamic Da ‘ Wah of Wali Songo : Religious Moderation Through Cultural Acculturation in a. Jasna : Journal for Aswaja Studies, 5(2), 215–230.
Muhammad Is’ad Al Muzakki, D. A. L., Prastiyono, H., & Khotimah, K. (2024). Potensi Ajaran Catur Piwulang Sunan Drajat Sebagai Sumber Pembelajaran IPS SMP. Dialektika Pendidikan IPS, 4(3), 13–20.
Muna, R., Nisa, K. K., & Husnaini, M. (2026). The Dialectic of Humanism in Islamic Education by Muhammadiyah and. Juspi (Jurnal Sejarah Peradaban Islam), 9(2), 651–661.
Nurhasanah, M., Idharudin, A. J., & Sumarno. (2025). Konsep Humanisme Berbasis Nilai Moderasi Beragama : Analisis Surat Al-Baqarah Ayat 143. Imtiyaz: Jurnal Keislaman, 9(1), 144–162.
Permatasai, I., & Hudaidah. (2021). Proses Islamisasi dan Penyebaran Islam di Nusantara. Jurnal Humanitas: Katalisator Perubahan Dan Inovator Pendidikan, 8(1), 1–9.
Rofiq, A., & Rozaq, A. (2023). Pesan Dakwah Sunan Drajat dalam Wejangan Catur Piwulang (Analisis Semiotika Charles Sanders Pierce). Klitika: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia., 3(2), 48–55. https://doi.org/10.55352/an-nashiha.v3i2.740
Rohmawati, N., & Meiludin, M. (2020). Aspek Semiotik dan Nilai Budaya pada Situs Sunan Drajat dan Sendang Duwur di Kabupaten Lamongan. Klitika: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra Indonesia., 2(2), 117–131.
Rosyidah, N. F., Ameliah, A. P., & Kusno, M. (2025). Sunan Ampel Dan Pendidikan Islam : Peran , Metode , Dan Pengaruhnya dalam Perkembangan Keislaman di Nusantara. Daarus Tsaqofah: Jurnal Pendidikan Pascasarjana Universitas Qomaruddin, 2(2), 276–286.
Safi’i, I. (2024). Pengarusutamaan Nilai-Nilai Islam Sunan Drajat Sebagai Gerakan Dakwah Kultural. Al-Tsiqoh: Jurnal Ekonomi Dan Dakwah Islam, 9(1), 1–17.
Saifullah, A., & Sukarman. (2023). Nilai-Nilai Pendidikan Humanistik Dalam Dakwah Sunan Drajat. Jurnal Progress: Wahana Kreativitas Dan Intelektualitas, 11(1), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.31942/pgrs.v11i1.8327
Setyaningrum, P. N., Arifi, A., & Hatta, J. (2025). Pengembangan Teori Humanistik Abraham Maslow dan Carl Rogers Mengenai Bullying serta Implikasinya pada Madrasah Ibtidaiyah. Jurnal Paramurobi, 8(1), 199–219.
Subagiya, B. (2023). Eksplorasi Penelitian Pendidikan Agama Islam melalui Kajian Literatur: Pemahaman konseptual dan Aplikasi Praktis. Ta’dibuna: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 12(3), 304–318. https://doi.org/10.32832/tadibuna.v12i3.13829
Sunyoto, A. (2017). Atlas Wali Songo. Tangerang Selatan: Pistaka IIMan dan Lesbumi PBNU.
Syalafiyah, N., & Harianto, B. (2020). Walisongo : Strategi Dakwah Islam di Nusantara. J-Kis: Jurnal Komunikasi Islam, 01(02), 167–178.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright Statement
1. Author(s)'s Warranties
The author warrants that the article is original, written by the stated author(s), has not been published before, contains no unlawful statements, does not infringe the rights of others, is subject to copyright that is vested exclusively in the author, and free of any third-party rights, and that any necessary written permissions to quote from other sources have been obtained by the author(s).
2. Right of Authors
JUSPI allows the author(s) to hold the copyright. Authors retain all their rights to the published works, such as (but not limited to) the following rights:
- Reproduce the work.
- Prepare derivative works based on the work.
- Distribute copies of the work.
- Perform the work publicly.
- Display the work publicly.
- Copyright and other proprietary rights relating to the article, such as patent rights.
- The right to self-archive the article (please read our Repository Policy).
- The right to enter separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the article's published version (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal (JUSPI).
3. Co-Authorship
If the article was jointly prepared by other authors, any author submitting the manuscript warrants that he/she has been authorized by all co-authors to be agreed on this copyright and license notice (agreement) on their behalf and agrees to inform his/her co-authors of the terms of this policy. JUSPI will not be held liable for anything that may arise due to the author(s) internal dispute. JUSPI will only communicate with the corresponding author.
4. Royalties
This agreement entitles the author to no royalties or other fees. To such extent as legally permissible, the author waives his or her right to collect royalties relative to the article in respect of any use of the article by JUSPI.
5. User/Public Right
JUSPI's spirit is to disseminate articles published as free as possible. Under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, JUSPI permits users to share, copy, redistribute, display, and perform the material in any medium or format. Adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. Users will also need to attribute authors and JUSPI to distributing works in the journal and other media of publication.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
