Tangerang Selatan – FAH UIN Jakarta | The Faculty of Adab and Humanities of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held a national seminar on the treasures of Arabic-Hardami community manuscripts in the 5th floor theater room. This event was initiated by the Master of Arabic Language and Literature (MBSA) Study Program and attended by approximately 100 participants by presenting 2 speakers from New York University in the United States, Ismail Fajrie Alatas, Ph.D and Prof. Oman Fathurahman, M.Hum. (Professor of Philology MBSA FAH / Head of Ngariksa). On this occasion, remarks were given by the Dean of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities, Dr. Ade Abdul Hak, M.Hum. and the Head of the Master of Arabic Language and Literature (MBSA) Study Program, Dr. M. Adib Misbachul Islam, M.Hum.

"I am very enthusiastic in welcoming this event because Arabic-Hadrami manuscripts in Indonesia are very interesting and abundant. Some are manuscripts, some have been printed. Of course we must be willing to recognize, explore, and study them," said the Head of the MBSA Study Program at UIN Jakarta. One of the objectives of this event, according to him, is to equip students in research and development of knowledge about Arabic-Hadrami manuscripts in the context of Indonesian Islamic history. This is in line with the expectations in the speech delivered by the Dean of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities, Dr. Ade Abdul Hak, M.Hum. "This event may be a trigger for students and lecturers to conduct further research on the world of manuscripts".

This national seminar was delivered by two speakers in parallel. The first material was delivered by Ismail Fajrie Alatas, Ph.D with the material title: "We are the Guardians: Exploration of Hadrami Sufi Archives in Java". According to him, the existence of Arabic-Hadrami manuscripts in Java is quite limited in terms of accessibility. Arabic-Hadrami manuscripts are generally in Arabic and are not translated because they are not open to the public. However, these manuscripts are then reinterpreted in the form of other works, such as poetry and verse to find out the hagiography or manaqib of the Sufis/ali Allah Swt.

The second material presented by Prof. Oman Fathurahman, M.Hum reviewed the digitization of Arabic-Hadrami manuscripts and even ancient manuscripts in the contemporary era. Not only that, he also focused his presentation on the condition of the manuscripts in the library, the majority of which were dusty and unkempt. "Most of the manuscripts that exist now are what philologists call lacuna or have many holes. Therefore, the National Library of Indonesia as the main library must take an important role in preserving these important manuscripts". Said Prof. Oman.

At the end of the session, the moderator opened a question and answer session and then continued with the presentation of the reflection results of the two speakers in this event. It is hoped that this event will be able to spark students to explore their research on Nusantara manuscripts on a national and international scale.

Reporter and Author: Hilya Maylaffayza, S.IP.