Ajengan Siroj Garut (1895-1970); Shaykh al Qurra Makkah from Pasundan Forgotten

 

Ajengan Siroj Garut (1895-1970); Shaykh al Qurra Makkah from Pasundan Forgotten

In the row of names Masyayikh al-Qurrâ (Professor of Experts Qira'at al-Qur'an) Masjid al-Haram in Mecca in the first half of the 20th century AD, these are the two names of ajengan originating from Tatar Pasundan, and both from the region Garut, namely Ajengan Siroj Garut (Shaykh Sirâj ibn Muhammad ibn Hasan Qârût) and Ajengan Musaddad Garut (Shaykh Musaddad Qâqût).

The name of Sheikh Siroj Garut is mentioned a lot in the sanad of Qira'ah al-Qur'an scholars who had a career in Mecca, as well as in the historical records of the study of qira'at al-Qur'an and his professors in Mecca in the 20th century AD. Shaykh Siroj's biography is also slightly mentioned on the Makkawi Qiblah al-Dunyâ page.

Sheikh Siroj Garut was born in Mecca in 1313 H (1895 AD) from a Sundanese family from Garut who lived in Mecca. In the reportage of Snouck Hurgronje (Mekka in the Latter Part of the 19th Century), it is stated that the Sundanese were one of the Nusantara (Jâwî) people who mostly settled in Mecca at the end of the 19th century AD.

When he was 13 years old (1908 AD), Siroj went to his ancestral village in Garut and studied at several Islamic boarding schools in Java for several years. It is not stated in which pesantren Siroj set foot. However, referring to historical records, at the beginning of the 20th century AD there were several large pesantren in Tatar Pasundan, such as the Suka Miskin Islamic Boarding School in Bandung, the Cianjur Gentur Islamic Boarding School, the Cikudang Islamic Boarding School, the Cibarusah Islamic Boarding School in Bekasi, the Tanara Banten Islamic Boarding School, the Sempur Islamic Boarding School in Purwakarta, and others. other.

Meanwhile in Java at that time, there were also large Islamic boarding schools such as Babakan Cirebon, Buntet Cirebon, Darat Semarang, Lasem Rembang, Siwalan Panji Sidoarjo, Sugarcane Ireng Jombang, to Bangkalan Madura.

The scholars who care for the pesantren above average have studied and lived in Mecca for a long time, such as Shaykh Jamil Buntet, Shaykh Soleh Darat Semarang, Shaykh Dahlan Abdullah Tremas, Shaykh Abdul Muhith Sidoarjo, Shaykh Baidhowi Ma'shum Lasem, Shaykh Hasyim Asy'ari Jombang , Shaykh Kholil Bangkalan, and others.

So, it is very likely that while he was in the archipelago, studying, and living in the archipelago, Siroj studied at the Islamic boarding schools that had the Nusantara-Haramain intellectual network. And it was in these Islamic boarding schools that Siroj studied various fields of Islamic religious knowledge, ranging from Arabic grammar, jurisprudence (fiqh), theology, interpretation, hadith, and so on.

After several years in the archipelago, Siroj then returned to Mecca and continued his intellectual odyssey there. Siroj is more specific in the field of Qira'ah al-Qur'an. In Makkah he also studied with Masyikh al-Qurrâ in his time, such as Shaykh al-Ghamrâwî, Shaykh Ma'mûn al-Bantanî al-Jâwî, Shaykh Ahmad al-Tîjî.

Shaykh Siroj then obtained a license (ijâzah) to teach Qira'ah Science at Masjid al-Haram and at his residence in the district (hay) al-Qasyâsyiyyah. He was also asked to be a muqrî (singer of the Qur'an) who was officially inaugurated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and regularly recited the Qur'an at Masjid al-Haram every day.

In the year 1369 H (1949 AD), when the Radio Station of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established, Sheikh Siroj was appointed as Muqrî al-Qur'an where his melodious and tart recitation of the Qur'an was recorded and played over and over again. There he was together with Shaykh 'Umar Arba'în, Shaykh Muhammad Nûr Abû al-Khair, Shaykh Zakî al-Daghastânî, and others.

Shaykh Siroj Garut died in Mecca on 26 Rabî al-Awwal in 1390 H (1 June 1970 AD).

In addition to Sheikh Siroj Garut, there are many names of scholars from Tatar Pasundan who had a career in Mecca in the early 20th century AD which were alluded to by several Arabic historical books.