Practises of self defence martial art from shari'ah perspective : a case study of Persatuan Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia in Gombak

Abstract

Nowadays, the existence of Silat has brought many misconceptions among the Malay society. Some Malays believe that Silat practitioners do not possess pleasing personality and regularly get involved in superstitious practices and deviant beliefs. This research aims to study the definition of Silat and Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia and discover the position of Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia within the principles of Sharī'ah. Besides, this study will analyse the etiquettes, values and discipline of Persatuan Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia practices to find out the extent of its conformity with the Sharī'ah principles and investigate the learning process of Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia in various training classes within Gombak, Selangor to find out whether it is in line with the principles of Sharī'ah or vice versa. A qualitative case study was conducted to explore the extent of conformity of its etiquettes, values and discipline in Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia with compliance to Maqaṣid Sharī'ah. The research methods utilised were library research, observation and interview. A total of 12 samples from four different Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia training classes will have to respond to the interview questions provided and conducted by the researcher. The findings concluded that Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia, through its central concepts, complied with the Sharī'ah principles. It is agreed that the etiquettes, values and discipline in Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia, regardless of any aspects it is implemented and practised, is following the Sharī'ah principles. Therefore, this study indicates that Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia is a Malay martial art that can be learnt and preserved by the young generation as a legacy for future generations. This study is limited to practitioners actively involved in Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia under Persatuan Seni Silat Cekak Malaysia (PSSCM) by focusing on Gombak, Selangor.