Auditorium of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA SPs UIN Jakarta, SPs NEWS – The Graduate School (SPs) of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held the 1711th Doctoral Promotion Exam in the Auditorium Room of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA on Thursday, July 30, 2026 with promovendus A. Muthalib.

Muthalib is a student of the Doctoral program in Islamic Studies with a concentration in the History of Islamic Civilization. His dissertation was entitled "Tuan Guru Sapat (1867-1939) and the Development of Islam in Indragiri Hilir Riau: Historical-Sociological Analysis".

This research is here to correct the tendency of Indonesian Islamic historiography which has been considered too Java-centric. As a result of the dominance of this narrative, the role of coastal local scholars outside Java Island is often overlooked as the main actor in the dynamics of social change and Islamic civilization in the archipelago.

The main focus of this research highlights the work of Sheikh Abdurrahman Shiddiq bin Muhammad Afif al-Banjari (1867–1939), or better known to the wider community as Tuan Guru Sapat. After gaining deep religious knowledge in the holy land of Haramain, he decided to migrate and settle in the coastal area of Indragiri Hilir, Riau, in order to dedicate his life to the development of the people.

Through the Hidayat Sapat Islamic Boarding School that he founded, Tuan Guru Sapat not only maintained and defended the Sunni-Shafi'i orthodoxy. More than that, he responded to the current of colonial modernity tactically by building religious educational institutions that were structured, rooted in coastal Malay culture, and financially independent.

In terms of educational transformation, Muttalib's research reveals how Tuan Guru Sapat succeeded in overhauling the traditional recitation model into a modern pesantren system in his time. The curriculum implemented integrates the study of the yellow book, tool science, jurisprudence, monotheism, Sufism, to general scientific disciplines such as logic, algebra, adab, and ulama regeneration programs.

In addition to education reform, Tuan Guru Sabang's excellence lies in the breakthrough in the economic independence of his institution. He built the fiscal foundation of Islamic boarding schools based on local potential through the management of coconut plantations, the implementation of the trench system, and the collective work culture of the students without depending in the slightest on subsidies or interventions from the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies.

A strong synthesis of character education, economic sovereignty, religious authority as a mufti, and a wide scientific network succeeded in giving birth to an independent, moderate, and locally rooted model of Islam in the archipelago. This empirically proves that Islamic modernity in coastal areas is able to grow dynamically from its own traditions.

The novelty of this dissertation lies in the conceptual formulation of the "Sapat Model". This concept describes an integrative configuration that unites religious authority, educational reform, agrarian economics, and transnational networks of scholars that have not been systematically formulated in previous studies.

Academically, A. Muthalib's research findings are in line with and enrich previous historical writings such as the works of Arrafi'i Abduh (1988) and Lesley Potter (1993). This research provides a new emphasis and depth of analysis on the dimension of agrarian economic independence that has not been worked on comprehensively.

Through the success of this doctoral promotion, the formulation of the "Sapat Model" is expected to be a historical reference and contemporary inspiration for the development of current pesantren governance, especially in combining the advantages of religious literacy with economic independence based on local potential.

Muttalib successfully defended his dissertation under the guidance of Prof. Jajang Jahroni, MA, Ph.D, Prof. Dr. Didin Saepudin, MA, Prof. Usep Abdul Matin, S.Ag, MA, MA, Ph.D, and was tested in front of a board of examiners consisting of Prof. Dr. Zulkifli, MA, Prof. Jajang Jahroni, MA, Ph.D, Prof. Dr. Didin Saepudin, MA, Prof. Usep Abdul Matin, S.Ag, MA, MA, Ph.D,  Prof. Dr. Masri Mansoer, M.Ag, Prof. Dr. Yusron Razak, MA and Prof. Dr. Murodi, M.Ag.

After paying attention to the dissertation writing, the comments of the examiner team and the promovendus' answers, the examiner team determined that Muttalib graduated with the title of Very Satisfactory.  A. Muthalib is the 1711th Doctor in the field of Islamic Studies, a doctoral program at the Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. (Jay A)