Hermeneutic Phenomenological-Existential Interpretation of Islam and State Relations in the Thought of Mohammad Natsir
The main conference hall of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Indonesia in Depok hosted a dynamic academic forum today (2/7/2026). The event featured an in-depth examination of the historical draft of Prof. Yusril Ihza Mahendra’s philosophical work on the ideas of Mohammad Natsir. The central theme of the session was: ‘A Reinterpretation of Mohammad Natsir’s Thought on the Relationship between Islam and the State: A Philosophical Study Using a Hermeneutic Phenomenological-Existential Approach’.
This study moved beyond mere historical romanticism or rigid academic textual repetition. The forum successfully deconstructed and reconstructed Natsir’s original ideas using three contemporary philosophical analytical tools. This approach elevated the discussion of the relationship between religion and the state to a more dynamic reading, transcending the boundaries of conventional normative political jurisprudence.
The relationship between Islam and the state in Indonesia has always been a fiercely contested intellectual arena. Amidst this landscape of thought, the figure of Mohammad Natsir stands as one of the most radical historical markers.
In the first session, the discussion dissected the hermeneutic aspect, a philosophical method of interpretation pioneered in the modern tradition by Hans-Georg Gadamer. Through this approach, Natsir’s political texts, compiled in ‘Capita Selecta’, were not read rigidly but were instead brought into dialogue with the concrete socio-political situation in which they were produced (Sitz im Leben). Natsir lived and formulated his ideas during a transitional era (from the 1930s to the Constituent Assembly era of the 1950s), a period when he had to confront the secularism of the Western-educated elite directly. The hermeneutic analysis revealed a process of ‘fusion of horizons’. It became clear that Natsir’s concept of ‘Islamic Democracy’ or a ‘Theistic State’ was not a utopian attempt to copy the medieval caliphate model wholesale. The structure of Natsir’s texts hermeneutically proves an effort to tame modern institutions, such as parliament, elections, and the rule of law, so they could serve as legitimate constitutional vessels for implementing universal Islamic ethical values in Indonesia.
The second layer sharply discussed in the forum was the phenomenological approach, a method pioneered by Edmund Husserl to uncover the pure essence of human consciousness (noema and noesis). Phenomenology requires the interpreter to place all modern prejudices and political stigmas in brackets (epoché) in order to view the phenomenon of thought purely. This method was applied to dissect the doctrine of ‘Syamil Mutakamil’ (Islam as an integral and comprehensive religion) that is always attached to Natsir’s figure. Under the phenomenological lens, the accusation that this doctrine leads to religious totalitarianism immediately collapsed. The reduction revealed that Natsir’s intentionality of consciousness placed the state not as a metaphysical end in itself. The state is merely a tool or a locus of manifestation (tajalli) for divine values to realise social justice for all citizens. Islam and the state manifest as a harmonious existential unity, not as two mutually negating entities.
The final and most captivating layer of the study was the existentialist approach. This perspective views humans not as abstract concepts but as flesh-and-blood beings who grapple directly with freedom, anxiety, and the necessity of making decisions in urgent situations. Natsir, in the existential analysis presented, is portrayed as an intellectual who experienced immense existential tension. He bore the responsibility of his theological faith while simultaneously facing the sociological plurality of a newly independent Indonesia. Natsir’s historic move, which gave birth to the ‘Integral Motion’ (Mosi Integral Natsir) in 1950 that saved Indonesia from the trap of a federal state and restored the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), was an authentic existential act. Natsir proved that for a Muslim, the commitment to maintaining the nation’s territorial integrity is the highest manifestation of moral freedom guided by faith. He chose a grounded, accommodative-constitutional path over a confrontational-utopian one.
As a concluding note, the philosophical study of Prof. Yusril Ihza Mahendra’s dissertation provides an invaluable methodological legacy. In the contemporary era, where public policy discourse, political stability, and the relationship between religion and the state are often marred by shallow polarisation, such a mature philosophical reading serves as an urgent guide. The theoretical synthesis found in the fusion of hermeneutics, phenomenology, and existentialism reminds all elements of the nation that managing Indonesia requires intellectual maturity, sharpness in viewing historical reality, and a robust ethical-spiritual commitment for the benefit of all citizens without exception.