The Relationship between “Hikayat Malem Dagang” and Aceh’s Qanun: A Comparative Philological Study

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-613-0_35How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Comparative Philology; Hikayat Malem Dagang; Qanun Aceh

Abstract

This study investigates the nexus between “Hikayat Malem Dagang”, a classic Acehnese literary work, and two key provincial regulations in Aceh: Qanun Aceh No. 6 of 2014 on Jinayat (Islamic criminal law) and Qanun Aceh No. 9 of 2008 on the Guidance of Custom and Tradition. Employing a comparative philological approach integrated with hermeneutic and intertextual analysis, the research identifies eight substantive indicators that evidence continuity of cultural, social, moral, and religious values from the hikayat into contemporary legal frameworks. With respect to the Jinayat Qanun, convergences are observed in the primacy of Islamic principles, the maintenance of public order grounded in sharia, the protection of justice and communal welfare, and the institutional integration of adat (custom) with sharia in governance. Regarding the Custom and Tradition Qanun, the Hikayat reinforces an Islamic and customary Acehnese identity, supports intergenerational transmission of cultural heritage, cultivates solidarity and mutual assistance, and underscores the preservation of literary and cultural traditions. The findings position “Hikayat Malem Dagang” not merely as literary patrimony but as a normative reservoir informing qanun formation, demonstrating the durability of local cultural capital within a modern legal order shaped by Islamic values. The study addresses a persistent fragmentation in scholarship across literature, law, and Acehnese ethnonational politics by offering a holistic, integrative perspective. It recommends future multidisciplinary inquiries that combine comparative philology and hermeneutics, extend to other hikayat–qanun pairings, and incorporate field-based empirical data to assess implementation and the regulative influence of literary values, thereby enriching understandings of literature’s role in contemporary socio-legal dynamics and supporting sustainable cultural preservation in Aceh.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Reza Pahlevi Ginting
AU  - Nurhayati Nurhayati
AU  - Masithah Mahsa
AU  - Trisfayani Trisfayani
AU  - Johari Johari
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/04
TI  - The Relationship between “Hikayat Malem Dagang” and Aceh’s Qanun: A Comparative Philological Study
BT  - Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Linguistics and Cultural Studies (ICLC-6 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 443
EP  - 453
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-613-0_35
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-613-0_35
ID  - Ginting2026
ER  -