Auditorium of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA SPs UIN Jakarta, SPs NEWS – The Graduate School (SPs) of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held the 1727th Doctoral Promotion Exam in the Auditorium Room of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA Graduate School on Friday, August 28, 2026 with promovendus Andi Ahmad Syauqi Nafis.

Syauqi is a student of the Doctoral program in Islamic Studies with a concentration in Arabic Language and Literature. His dissertation is entitled "Spiritual Intelligence Behind the Nahwu Text: A Semiotic Study of the Book of al-Futūḥāt al-Quddūsiyyah fī Sharḥ al-Muqaddimah al-Ājurrūmiyyah by Ibn 'Ajībah". Syauqi examines the deep relationship between the rules of Arabic grammar (nahwu) and the dimension of Sufism.

The research aims to uncover the reading of semiotics in Ibn 'Ajībah's work as well as explain how the symbols of nahwu are interpreted hermeneutically as a representation of man's spiritual journey as a servant of Allah.

More than just a linguistic study, Syauqi thoroughly explores how the dynamics of meaning built in the text can map a person's spiritual intelligence. This qualitative research relies on the book al-Futūḥāt al-Quddūsiyyah as a primary source, juxtaposed with secondary references from linguistic studies and Islamic psychology.

In order to explore the mechanism of meaning production and symbolic transformation in texts, this study applies a structuralism-semiotic approach through two stages of reading, namely heuristic and hermeneutical. This approach deeply traces how grammatical rules that seem rigid can be transformed into a very dynamic language of Sufism.

The findings show that semiotic readings have succeeded in revealing the shift in the function of nahwu symbols into sufistic symbols. This change occurs through the mechanism  of displacing (diverting) and creating meaning (creation of meaning), which was born from the strong intellectual background and horizon of the Sufism tradition owned by Ibn 'Ajībah.

Through the hermeneutic reading of the word categories (ism, fi'il, ḥarf) as well as the i'rāb signs, the Arabic grammatical structure is proven to be reconstructed as a map of the inner human journey. The grammatical category sequentially describes the stages of spiritual attainment, ranging from sharia (sharī'ah), tariqat (ṭarīqah), to essence (ḥaqīqah).

One of the most iconic findings in this study is the symbolization of dignity (i'rāb) as a stage of soul transformation. Harakat kasrah symbolizes the process of cleansing oneself from reprehensible nature (takhallī), fatḥah represents adorning oneself with commendable morals (taḥallī), ḍammah represents the spiritual experience of divinity (tajallī), and sukūn is the peak of serenity and maturity of tajallī as the highest level of spiritual intelligence.

Practically, these findings show that the book al-Futūḥāt al-Quddūsiyyah is not only a linguistic document, but functions as a praxis system for the development of spiritual intelligence. This concept is considered very relevant and contributes to the formation of moral maturity and psychological resilience of modern humans.

Academically, Syauqi strengthens the thesis of previous researchers such as Ramz Balbaqi (2008), Bilal 'Irfal (2011), Muhammad Qustulani (2018), Luqman Samarna (2019), and Faliqul Isbaḥ (2022) who view Sufistic nahwu as an imaginative takwil over the Sufi inner journey. At the same time, this research also debates the views of M. J. Carter (1997) and Dominic Longo (2017) who had rejected the possibility of Sufistic readings of nahwu science.

Syauqi successfully defended his dissertation under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Sukron Kamil, M.Ag, Prof. Dr. R. Yani'ah Wardani, M.Ag and Dr. Syahrul A'dam, M.Ag, and was tested in front of a board of examiners consisting of Prof. Dr. Zulkifli, MA, Prof. Dr. Sukron Kamil, M.Ag, Prof. Dr. R. Yani'ah Wardani, M.Ag, Dr. Syahrul A'dam, M.Ag, Prof. Dr. Asep Usman Ismail, M.Ag, Prof. Kusmana, MA, Ph.D and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Farkhan, M.Pd.

After paying attention to the writing of the dissertation, the comments of the examiner team and the answers of the examiners, the examiner team determined that Syauqi graduated with the title of Very Satisfactory. Andi Ahmad Syauqi Nafis is the 1727th Doctor in the field of Islamic Studies, the doctoral program of the Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. (Jay A)