Muhammadiyah’s Fatwa Direction on Takbir Keliling: Conditional Accommodation, Religious Symbolism, and Public Governance

This article examines Muhammadiyah’s fatwa direction on takbir keliling, a public Eid takbir procession widely practiced in Indonesia. The study responds to the growing transformation of takbir keliling from a neighbourhood religious tradition into a festivalized public event involving vehicles, sound systems, competitions, costumes, mascots, and mass mobilization. Using qualitative document analysis, this article treats Muhammadiyah’s Tarjih fatwas and official guidance as the primary legal-normative corpus, supported by two contextual datasets: 23 cases of restrictions on takbir keliling in Indonesia in 2024–2025 and 27 documented takbir keliling events in Yogyakarta in 2025. The article argues that Muhammadiyah’s position is best understood as conditional accommodation. Muhammadiyah is strict in preserving the devotional core of takbir, especially its wording, timing, and spiritual meaning; flexible in accepting public and cultural instruments of syiar such as processions, competitions, and loudspeakers; and restrictive toward elements that may cause public disturbance, excessive entertainment, neglect of worship, symbolic deviation, or misuse of communal funds. This pattern reflects the logic of Manhaj Tarjih, particularly purification in worship, dynamization in social instruments, and the integration of bayani, burhani, and irfani reasoning. The article contributes to the study of Islamic legal authority in Indonesia by showing how Muhammadiyah’s fatwas function not only as ritual guidance but also as religious public governance.