A Critique of KH. Misbah Mustofa’s Social Construction of MTQ in Tāj al-Muslimīn min Kalām Rabbi al-‘Ālamīn

Abstract

This article examines KH. Misbah Mustofa’s religious criticism of the Musabaqah Tilawatil Qur’an (MTQ), as articulated in his Qur’anic commentary, Tāj al-Muslimīn min Kalām Rabbi al-‘Ālamīn. He regarded the MTQ as a form of syirik khafi (subtle polytheism), at a time when Qur’anic recitation competitions were being widely normalized by the New Order government, many kiai, and Muslim intellectuals. This divergence in religious perspectives is examined through qualitative library research using content analysis and the sociology of knowledge framework developed by Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann, particularly the three dialectical moments of internalization, externalization, and objectivation. The primary source is KH. Misbah’s interpretation in Tāj al-Muslimīn min Kalām Rabbi al-‘Ālamīn. The study finds that his rejection of the MTQ was closely related to his pesantren-based intellectual formation, his critical stance toward political authority, and his understanding of the essential purpose of Qur’anic recitation. His criticism was explicitly externalized through his interpretation of Qur’an 2:63 in Tāj al-Muslimīn. More broadly, the objectivation of his ideas through the commentary took place through regular teaching at Pesantren al-Balagh, the pesantren networks established by his students, and the publication of the work by his heirs. However, this study does not yet establish the extent to which his criticism of the MTQ, once objectivated, was subjectively internalized and subsequently externalized through the social practices of his family, students, and alumni.