Nyai Hj. Arnah Cimanuk: Female Qira'at scholar from Banten

 

Nyai Hj. Arnah Cimanuk: Female Qira'at scholar from Banten

1850-1935 AD was the period in which the mukimin of Banten became the largest mukimin of the archipelago in Mecca. Those who live in Mecca, are at least divided into three groups: first , those who live in Mecca to perform the pilgrimage and deepen spirituality and spirituality; second , carrying out the pilgrimage and studying or deepening the religious sciences; third , those who live in Mecca to earn a living.

This cannot be separated from the condition of Haramain which is a place for students from the archipelago to study. Therefore, Mecca became a very important part in the construction of Islamic history in the archipelago. Mecca also provides a unique characteristic in the struggle for the history of the archipelago.

Like other cities in the Islamic world, from classical times to the early 20th century. In Mecca, teaching (religion) was a cultural role dominated by male clerics. Hundreds of volumes of biographies (kitab tabaqaat ) record thousands of biographies of male scholars from various schools of jurisprudence and theological schools, from the classical period to the early 20th century. How very dominant among men in the transmission of Islamic scholarship, including the transmission of knowledge of Nusantara scholars who study in Haramain.

However, this does not mean that female clerics are not in the transmission of knowledge from Nusantara clerics. Because basically, many women have an important role in the transmission of Islamic scholarship in the archipelago, one of which is the figure of a female cleric from Banten named Nyi Hj. Arnah Cimanuk.

Refers to the archive sheet of the Dutch Consulate in Jeddah in 1873-1950 AD which is kept at the National Archief Den Haag, Netherlands. Mufti Ali in his research entitled  Nyi Hj. Arnah Cimanuk (1876-1923): A Banten cleric in Mecca, explained that there were 96 more Nusantara scholars who taught in Mecca in 1913-1914 AD, or more than a decade after the death of the great scholar who was referred to as mufti al-hijaz , namely Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani (1813-1898).

Of the 96 ulama, 28 of them came from Banten. What is noteworthy is that two of the 28 ulama from Banten are female clerics, one from Bandung named Nyi Hj. Maryam, and the other from Cimanuk Pandeglang, whose name is Nyi Hj. Arnah. The document found by Mufti Ali is proof that, in the history of Islamic civilization in the archipelago, women have also adorned the history of Islamic civilization and the transmission of knowledge in the archipelago.

Nyi Hj. Arnah was born in Cimanuk, Pandeglang in 1876 AD. She is an important link in the intellectual transmission of female Islamic scholars, especially in the field of qira'at , from the period of Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani to the next generation. In addition to the science of qira'at, he also studied other Islamic sciences such as, fiqh, hadith, interpretation, Arabic grammar and tarekat. These knowledges were obtained from the results of his studies with first-class Banten clerics living in Mecca, such as Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani, Sheikh Abdul Karim Tanara, Sheikh Tb. Ismail, KH. Ahmad Jaha, Sheikh Marzuki, Sheikh Arshad bin Alwan, and Sheikh Arsyad bin As'ad.

This female cleric from Banten became one of the important links in the transmission of traditional Islamic scholarship, from the period of Sheikh Nawawi to the next generation. His scientific knowledge directly from Mecca until now is still being given to students who study qira'at , especially those who study at the Daarul Qur'an Islamic Boarding School in Warunggunung, Rangkasbitung, Lebak and the Riyadul Banat Islamic Boarding School in Kadu Peusing, Pandeglang. All of the qira'at sanad of the female students in the two pesantrens are down to the only son of Nyi Arnah Cimanuk, whose name is KH. Emed Bakri. KH. Emed Bakri was the first qira'at hafs propagator in Pandeglang.

Besides being very well known as a qira'at teaching scholar, Nyi Arnah is also known as an adherent of the tarekat who always practices dalail fasting (fasting almost all her life). According to Mufti Ali, the congregation followed by Nyi Arnah is the Qadiriyah wa Naqsyabandiyah order. He also regularly reads dala'il al-khairat by Imam Jazuli.

The name Nyi Arnah can be referred to as a Banten female cleric from Mecca for the people of Banten, especially the Pandeglang and Lebak areas. Its presence cures the thirst for knowledge and religion from its direct source, namely Haramain.

Expertise in the field of qira'at which is owned by female clerics from Banten, is also passed on to their offspring. In fact, almost all the descendants of Nyi Hj. Arnah, both in Banten, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and in Bogor, excels in teaching science about how to read the Qur'an. And the scientific Sanad is still being given to students who are learning qira'at  to the children of Nyi Arnah. And hundreds of his students, especially from among women , spread across the archipelago.

The figure of this female cleric from Banten died in Jeddah, precisely on her way back to her homeland. He was then buried in a public cemetery complex in Jeddah. Even though her body is dead, the people of Banten still have a strong record of the struggles and services of this female cleric from Banten.

The Scholars of Nyi Hj. Arnah is proof that equality of women and men in science is very possible. Because in the Islamic tradition itself it is stated that equality can be obtained by anyone, both men and women. Therefore, women and men should usually complement each other ( partnership ) in terms of intellectual and scientific development.

This is because women have the same capacity as men in terms of intellect and role in educating the nation's generation. Therefore, women are called the pillars of the state. As proof that women have a strategic role in religious and national life. In fact, taking care of one woman is like taking care of the whole world. Because it is through her womb that future generations are born.