LOCAL QUR'ANIC EXEGESIS AS MORAL PEDAGOGY

A GADAMERIAN READING OF MORAL SUBJECT FORMATION IN PEPELING JEUNG PANGGEUING

Abstract

This article analyzes local exegesis (tafsir) as a form of moral pedagogy through the articulation of practical Sufism (tasawuf akhlaqi) in the popular Sundanese exegesis Pepeling jeung Panggeuing by Aceng Zakaria. This study is prompted by contemporary trends in moral education that predominantly emphasize normative-performative dimensions, whereas Sufism is frequently relegated to the domain of individual spiritual experiences detached from pedagogical praxis. Utilizing Gadamerian hermeneutics and the perspective of tasawuf akhlaqi, this research examines how amtsal (parables), ‘ibar (lessons), and the fusion of horizons constitute mechanisms for meaning construction that guide the transformation of consciousness and the formation of the moral subject. The findings indicate that Pepeling jeung Panggeuing constructs Qur'anic values as an inner consciousness through a process that moves from Qur'anic understanding and muhasabah (self-reflection) to tazkiyat al-nafs (purification of the soul), value internalization, and social-ethical action. This process integrates reflection and cultural experience in the formation of moral consciousness, through which internalized Qur'anic values are translated into social responsibility.These findings demonstrate that local exegesis functions as a moral pedagogy that integrates spiritual awareness, character formation, and social praxis within the cultural context of Sundanese society. This study contributes to contemporary d moral pedagogy by proposing a conceptual model of moral subject formation grounded in local exegesis and cultural experience.