Qur'anic Reception among Santri in Surah Al-Mulk Recitation Tradition at a Sumedang Tahfidz Pesantren

Abstract

This study examines the recitation tradition of Surah al-Mulk among santri (students) at Pondok Pesantren 'Ulumul Qur'an Al-Mustofa in Sumedang, West Java, through the lens of Living Qur'an studies combined with Hans Robert Jauss's reception theory and the phenomenology of religion. Although prior research has documented similar recitation traditions in other pesantren, an in-depth phenomenological account of this institution, integrated with Jauss's horizon-of-expectation framework, has not been available. This study aims to describe the meanings and functions the tradition holds for santri and to map the typology of Qur'anic reception it generates. Using a sequential mixed-methods design dominated by qualitative inquiry, data were gathered through in-depth interviews with seven santri and one ustadz, participant observation involving more than 300 santri, document analysis, and a structured survey, then analyzed using Moustakas's Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Findings show that santri undergo a gradual transformation in reception, moving through an unfamiliar phase, a habituated phase, and a phase of felt need. Meanings cluster around eschatological protection, nightly protection, sustenance, and inner tranquility, while the tradition performs five functions: spiritual-protective, psychological, social, pedagogical, and institutional. Four reception types were identified—exegetical, aesthetic, functional (dominant), and eternal—with a newly articulated subtype termed "reactive protection." The study offers an analytical framework for understanding Living Qur'an practices in Indonesian tahfidz pesantren and enriches the literature on how religious traditions are internalized through consistently repeated collective practice.