Spiritual Transformation of Indonesia, Sammaniyah Order Written in Newly Published Book by UIN Jakarta Anthropologist

Prof. Suwito Auditorium, UIN Online News - The Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held a Studium Generale alongside the launch of the book Tarekat Sammaniyah di Indonesia: Transmisi, Diversifikasi, dan Transformasi, authored by Prof. Dr. Zulkifli, M.A., and published by Rajawali Press. The event took place on Monday (August 4, 2025) at the Prof. Suwito Auditorium, Graduate School of UIN Jakarta.

The event marked the release of the latest work by Prof. Dr. Zulkifli, M.A., Director of the Graduate School of UIN Jakarta and Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) which explores the development of the Sammaniyah Sufi order in Indonesia. Featuring two keynote speakers: Prof. Arif Zamhari, M.Ag., Ph.D., Professor of Sociology of Religion at UIN Jakarta; and Tommy Christomy, S.S.A., Ph.D., a lecturer from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Indonesia, the discussion was smoothly moderated by Risa Alivia, a graduate student at UIN Jakarta.

"I first read Evans-Pritchard’s book The Sanusi of Cyrenaica in January 1992 while I was in Australia. That book sparked my initial interest in the study of Sufi orders, particularly the Sammaniyah order. Since then, I have been deeply engaged in this research for over three decades," Zulkifli shared.

Currently serving as Director of the Graduate School, he emphasized that academic work is the integral part of a lecturer and researcher, making the consistency in producing scholarly works becomes every academicians' identity.  

"As an academician and lecturer, I believe thay our existence only perceived through works. These are inevitable process of being an academic: conducting research and publishing works whether in the form of books or journal articles. I have always done this regularly, and this book is the product of over 30 years of my research into this particular topic," he stressed.

Regarding the writing process he endured, Prof. Zulkifli admitted that his greatest challenge was managing time amidst his demanding academic schedule which requires him to stay in sync with teaching while staying productive outside of his extra duties.

Adding depth to the discussion, Tommy Christomy, S.S.A., Ph.D., from the University of Indonesia, invited participants to explore the deeper dimensions of Sufi orders, emphasizing the importance of inner experience as an epistemological source in the Sufi world.

"Ontology is all about how the essence of every abstract concept can be understood. The Sufi order (طريقة as in Arabic) is one of them, while the rest remains as a theory. Empirically, the question is: how does a Sufi attain the very theory of Tarekat?" 

He also underlined the significance of consistency between teachings and practices within the tarekat. 

"For a follower of the tarekat, what is taught and what is practiced must align," he asserted.

(Nosa Idea L./Zaenal M./Muhamad Arifin Ilham/Photo: M. Ghifari Rahman)