MORALISTIC DA'WAH VALUES IN RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS FOR SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF TABLIGHI JAMAAT AND BENGALI MOSQUE IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Islamic religious institutions like mosques are essential buildings for the Muslim community's needs. However, the usage and construction of current-day mosques are unlike those in the days of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. This is due to the influences of patrons who utilized these built forms as a symbol of politics and economic stature, the effect of designers who considered religious institution as an aesthetic symbol, and the misconceptions of the society who perceived the religious institution as a house of God. Based on these issues, this paper aims to elucidate how the architecture of heritage mosques by the Tablighi Jamaat group can translate the moral values of da'wah based on the meaning and method of their da'wah for the development of society. This is because each element of the mosque plays a role as a code to translate and convey a message to the community through its architectural features with its users and environment through its architectural elements. This study applies two research paradigms: Interpretivism (hermeneutics) to translate the patron's ideology and structuralism (semiotic) to understand the meaning behind the physical construction of a building. This study contributes to the study of communication in the architecture of buildings, which was devoted to the influences of Tablighi Jamaat da'wah movement ideology towards heritage Islamic religious architecture in Malaysia as a centre of da'wah for societal development in acclaiming the value of tolerance among the Muslim and non-muslim communal members alike. In addition, it portrays that heritage Islamic religious institutions can function as a sign and symbol for transnational dimensions of cultural da'wah towards unity, equality, and spiritual rejuvenation.