Introduction

I am a Muslim woman and grew up in a family that is quite obedient to Islamic sharia in the city of Pekanbaru, Riau Province, Indonesia. On the other hand, my family still holds tightly to the values of Riau Malay traditions and customs. Our big family still performs certain ceremonies according to tradition as long as these ceremonies do not conflict with Islamic law, such as wedding ceremonies and circumcision.

Islam, as I understand, is a perfect religion. Islam provides guidance for it’s people in the form of the Qur’an and Hadith that are able to summarize all aspects of a Muslim’s daily life. The Qur’an is the holy book of Muslims which was revealed directly to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) through the angel Gabriel, while the Hadith is news that comes from the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), the last prophet sent by Allah to perfect the glory of human morality.

In our family, even though the wedding party is held in a building or hotel, both using the services of a wedding organizer and using modern concepts, the Islamic wedding ceremony procession will usually be held with more wisdom and sacred guidance by the elders in a large family, Ustad (Islamic figure / guru) , and “Mak Andam” . Mak andam is someone who will guide the parents of the prospective bride and groom to carry out the order of marriage preparation procedures according to Malay tradition. Mak Andam is a woman for the prospective bride, and vice versa, Mak Andam is a man for the prospective groom.

This is not much different when our family organizes a nephew’s circumcision. I usually participate in preparing for the circumcision according to Malay custom. Tepuk tepung tawar is an important procession in these two events. Complete with red, yellow, and green aisle background screens according to Malay colors. The nephew who will be circumcised also wears typical Riau Malay clothing, namely Teluk Belanga complete with sampin and tanjak (hat/headband) fabrics. A few days after the event is over, the nephews will be taken to a special clinic to undergo a medical circumcision process carried out by an experienced doctor.

“Indeed I was sent to perfect the glory of morality”
(Hadith narrated by Al-Baihaqi and Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu ‘anhu)

All hadith or news is then narrated and recorded by several names of trusted Islamic figures such as Abu Huraira, Ibn Umar, Sayyidah Aisyah who is also the wife of the Prophet, Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim and many other Islamic figures. The activity of narrating and recording the news is what makes hadith eternally rooted in Islamic teachings until this day. The Qur’an has never been changed and doesn’t know renewal.
In addition to the Qur’an and hadith, Muslims also know “Sunnah” or “sunna” which is defined as the actions and behavior of the Prophet Muhammad which is also a reference for Muslims in carrying out their daily activities.
These three guidelines do not only concern big matters in carrying out Islamic sharia such as the procedures for praying and fasting, marriage regulations, regulations in trading, distribution of inheritance, and other major matters, but also goes into more detailed matters such as how to manners of parents to children, manners of children to parents, how to socialize both to fellow Muslims and to people of different religions, and also how to live life and daily routines including eating and drinking etiquette.

In the Qur’an there are several clear warnings regarding foods and drinks that are forbidden or not to be consumed and which are lawful or permissible, of which can be seen in :

Al-Qur’an surah Al-Baqarah verse 173:

“He has only forbidden you ˹to eat˺ carrion, blood, swine, and what is slaughtered in the name of any other than Allah. But if someone is compelled by necessity—neither driven by desire nor exceeding immediate need—they will not be sinful. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful”

Al-Qur’an surah Al-Maidah verse 90:

“O you who have believed! indeed, intoxicants (khamr), gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful”

Even though my family observes the religious law well, me and all my siblings are sent to public schools. My parents then enrolled us in a religious school in addition when public school’s end. They were also taught us to pray and read the Qur’an since we were young. Over time, they then brought teachers home to teach us to read a better Qur’an twice a week. This all happened to me when I was in elementary school.

I came from a modest family. My late father used to be a civil servant in the governor’s office, while my mother is a lecturer, an activist, and as a politician until now. Even though they have this work background, Malay values are still embedded in our daily lives. These factors are what form the balance between religious knowledge, tradition, and formal education which later becomes a pattern of upbringing in our family.

As we know, Indonesia is the only country in the world that is not a middle eastern country but has the largest Muslim population. According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs (December 31, 2021) the Muslim population reached 237.53 million or equivalent to 86.9% of Indonesia’s total population of 273.32 million.

Indonesia is known to have more than 1,340 ethnic groups and Islam is able to enter and reach almost all of these tribes through peaceful means. Islam is then integrated with the concept of culture that exists in a society so that it is more easily accepted and understood, thus Islam becomes a value that has local content so that it is firmly rooted without having to eliminate the local culture as a whole.

In Riau Malay society, there is a proverb saying “you are not Malay if you are not Moslem”.
This sentence explains how close the relationship between Malay identity and Islam in the context of Riau Malay society. That is why understanding the principles of Islam in everyday life is not difficult for me because the teachings of Islam and the Riau Malay tradition have been fused.
Islamic teachings oblige its people to get sustenance in a lawful and good manner (thayib). Islam views everything that is originally haram, it will bring badness even in large numbers. On the other hand, wealth obtained in a lawful and good way will bring goodness, health, and clarity of soul even though the amount is small.

This warning is contained in Al-Qur’an Surah Al-Baqarah verse 168:

“O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy”.

Al-Qur’an surah Al-Mu’minun verse 51:

“O messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness. Indeed, I, of what you do, am Knowing”.

In addition to strict warnings about wealth, including halal and haram food and drink consumed, Islam also regulates good eating and drinking procedures or etiquette according to the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Here I will describe the etiquette of eating and drinking according to Islamic teachings obtained from the results of interviews with Prof. H. Abdul Somad, Lc., Desa., Ph.D. He is a well-known Ustadz in Indonesia and in Asia.