Ritual Tulak Breuh Dalam Masyarakat Aceh (Pendapat Imam Mazhab, Ulama Dayah, Kaum Modernis, Akademisi dan Masyarakat Awam)

Tulak breuh or a ritual of payment of fidyah refers to a ritual in which the family of deceased pays the fine for the deceased by certain procession of giving and receiving rice. It is a ritual carried out by some Acehnese with full confidence that it is closely related to the teachings of Islam; as the main purpose is to pay fidyah, a fine for the ṣalāt left by the deceased. The purpose of this study was to find out the views of madhhab’ulamā’s (School), dayah ‘ulamā, modernists, academicians, and the commoners towards tulak breuh ritual. The study implemented ethnographic research on which observation and interviews were used in collecting the data. Qualitative data analysis was done by data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The result showed that tulak breuh ritual was carried out upon someone’s death. The ritual constitutes a method of the payment of fidyah (indemnity) by distributing rice, gold, or money to pay off the ṣalāt left by the deceased. ‘Ulamās of the Shāfi’ī School do not allow the payment of fidyah for ṣalāt nor do they allow others to perform ṣalāt on behalf of the deceased. However, ‘ulamā of the Ḥanafī School make an exception for the fidyah paid off with agreement of the dead, while the ‘ulamā of other Schools do not agree with the ritual practice. Yet, in Aceh there are several views in this regard. The dayah ‘ulamā endorse the practice relying upon a fiqh robust basis laid by former ‘ulamā, while the modernists choose not to side with it. Academicians believe that tulak breuh is a ritual held to show respect for the deceased’s family members besides it is as a community development. Similarly,commoners believe that the ritual represents devotion and is a sacred habit through
which Allāh will grant forgiveness to the dead.

Keywords: Ritual, Tulak Breuh, Madhhab ‘ulamā, Dayah ‘ulamā, Modernist, Academician, Commoners.