The Past and The Present: Unbounded Inheritance of Knowledge through Generations

In the past, ulema would travel extensively in pursuit of knowledge, seeking it directly from its original sources—the shaykhs. Some of them are specialized in Tawheed (Islamic theology), Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Tafsir (Quranic exegesis), Hadith studies, and various other Islamic sciences. These scholars undertook intellectual journeys from one teacher to another, from one region to another, solely to deepen their expertise in specific disciplines. Some would study under one teacher for over a year, while others would only stay briefly to test and refine their knowledge.

Through this process, they had developed a chain of knowledge transmission which qualified them as authoritative experts in their fields. For example, Ustadz Marzuki, who continuously studied and deepened his understanding of Fiqh, maintained a consistent chain of knowledge by tracing back to the four great Imams of Fiqh: Imam Shafi’i, Imam Maliki, Imam Hanbali, and Imam Hanafi. Similarly, those who mastered other branches of Islamic knowledge also had obvious and traceable chains of transmission. In reality, we, too, possess such an incredible feature.

Back to our educational background, we studied Islamic sciences at IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta in which we sought knowledge from remarkable lecturers. For instance, we learned Arabic from Prof. Dr. D. Hidayat, MA. Around the 1980s, he was still very energetic, intelligent, young, and stunning. He became one of the favorite lecturers for us, partly because he resembled the legendary Indonesian pop musician, A. Riyanto.

At the same faculty, we also studied ‘Arudh (Arabic prosody) under Prof. Khotibul Umam. At that time, he was perhaps the only person capable of teaching this rare and complex discipline. Likewise, Dr. A.M. Hidayatullah, MA, taught us Bayan and Ma’ani (rhetoric discourse). In addition to his mastery in these fields, he was also a qari’ (Quran reciter) with a golden voice, a common moment when we witnessed him reciting the Quran at nearly every faculty event.

Among our lecturers was also a native Betawi scholar, Dr. Abdul Choir, M.A, who once served as Vice Dean and later became the Dean of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities, following Prof. Dr. Nabilah Lubis’s tenure. He taught us history, and when I was writing my Bachelor’s thesis, he served as my academic advisor while holding the position of Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.

In addition to them, there was Prof. Dr. Nabilah Lubis, MA, originally from Egypt, who also served as Dean of the Faculty of Adab in the mid-1990s. From her, we learned extensively about the Arabic language and literature. Studying Arabic with a native speaker like her clearly made the studying experience even more engaging.

Now, these legends have retired, enjoying their well-deserved later years. Therefore, to strengthen the bonds of friendship and respect between teachers and students, we have initiated a program to visit them directly. We hope that the knowledge we acquired from them continues to benefit the community while also helping us trace our scholarly networks and chains of transmission. May this effort bring blessings and be of great benefit for us.

For this is the end of my writing session.

This article is written by Murodi Al Batawi, a professor of Islamic History from Faculty of Da'wa and Communication Sciences.