The Dimensions of Sufi Healing in Traditional Medication of the Islamic-Banjar Community

The practice of Batatamba, a form of Sufi healing from the Banjar community in South Kalimantan, combines Sufistic tradition with local wisdom and mystical legitimacy. During the COVID-19 outbreak, such alternative health treatments have drawn attention. This qualitative field study, using an anthropological approach, examines the forms, methods, and sources of Batatamba. The mystical legitimacy gives traditional healers, called Pananamba, a sacred element and a humane mission to help others, offering new insight into how Sufi healing develops in the region through a blend of spirituality and local knowledge.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Sufi healing has become an exciting topic to discuss amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Various alternative health treatments remain a concern from a medical and non-medical perspective. One kind of Sufi healing originating from the Banjar community in South Kalimantan is the practice of Batatamba. This study examines the forms, methods and sources of Sufi healing practice that live and develop in South Kalimantan. The method used in this study is qualitative. The data were collected from field research. It employs an anthropological approach which looks at the Sufi side of healing in the practice of Batatamba.Contribution: This study gives a new insight into Sufi healing that developed in South Kalimantan that combines the Sufistic tradition with local wisdom and the legitimacy of mystics in knowledge transfer (epistemology). The mystical legitimacy has made practitioners of traditional medication in this area, commonly known as Pananamba, have a sacred element and are committed to a humane mission to help others.