Sacred Values Of Cows In Kudus Society’s View

Abstract

Thispaper elaborates the tradition of Kudus society, a traditition sourced from the saying of Sunan Kudus, one of nine friends of God (wali) who spread Islam in Java island. At the time, Sunan Kudus prohibited Kudus society to slaughter cows as an act of tolerant and respect to Hinduism. His fatwa (Islamic legal pronouncement) then turned into a “sacred” tradition in Kudus society’s view which is believed until today. Although, the understanding towards this tradition has shifted, but the majority of Kudus society still pays respect to cows. Another interesting thing is that the sacralization influences the economic activities of Kudus society. There is no traditional food that is usually made of beef. This proves that a tradition may influence the economic activity of a society. Keyword—sacred, tolerance, culture, and tradition.