Jakarta, FU Online News — Sufi order manuscripts are not merely repositories of religious teachings; they also record chains of scholarly transmission (sanad) and intellectual networks connecting the Indonesian Archipelago with various centers of Islamic learning. This was highlighted during the public seminar entitled “The Treasures of Sufi Order Manuscripts and Sufi Intellectual Networks in the Indonesian Archipelago,” jointly organized by DREAMSEA PPIM UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and the Faculty of Ushuluddin, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, on Monday (October 5, 2026).

The seminar provided an academic forum for exploring the rich heritage of Sufi order manuscripts while gaining a deeper understanding of the development of Sufi intellectual networks in the Indonesian Archipelago. DREAMSEA is a manuscript digitization program in Southeast Asia managed by PPIM UIN Jakarta in collaboration with CSMC at the University of Hamburg, Germany, with support from Arcadia. The program seeks to preserve manuscripts at risk of deterioration while making them accessible to the wider public.

The event began with remarks by Dean of the Faculty of Ushuluddin, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Prof. Ismatu Ropi, M.A., Ph.D., and Executive Director of PPIM UIN Jakarta, Didin Syafruddin, M.A., Ph.D. In his remarks, Prof. Ismatu Ropi encouraged lecturers and students to utilize DREAMSEA’s digitized collections as academic resources, particularly for the study of Sufism.

The speakers included Prof. Dr. Oman Fathurahman, M.Hum., Principal Investigator of DREAMSEA; Dr. Hj. Wiwi Siti Sajaroh, M.Ag., Lecturer in the Islamic Mysticism Study Program at UIN Jakarta; and Hasib Rosyadi, a researcher and practitioner of Syattariyah manuscripts. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Budi Rahman Hakim, MSW., Lecturer in Islamic Mysticism at UIN Jakarta.

In her presentation, Dr. Hj. Wiwi Siti Sajaroh explained that manuscripts and scholarly chains of transmission from Mecca and Hadramaut reached the Indonesian Archipelago through several channels, including pilgrims, merchants, and religious scholars. She also discussed the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud, which is not only concerned with doctrinal issues but also encompasses metaphysical and environmental ethical dimensions.

Meanwhile, Hasib Rosyadi discussed the existence of manuscripts among the Syattariyah community of the former Mataraman region in East Java. These manuscripts serve as sources of legitimacy, records of teachings, and guides for Sufi order practices. Digitization was considered important to ensure that Syattariyah manuscripts can be discovered and accessed more widely by the public.

Prof. Dr. Oman Fathurahman then examined points of convergence among Sufi orders through Rifa'iyyah manuscripts. He explained that the Rifa'iyyah Order is connected with several other Sufi orders, including Syattariyah, Qadiriyah, Naqsyabandiyah, and Akmaliyah. He also highlighted the role of women in Sufi networks in the Indonesian Archipelago, including Hamidah and Nyi Mas Ayu Halimah in Cirebon.

The seminar underscored the importance of manuscripts as sources for understanding the intellectual journeys and scholarly traditions of Islam in the Indonesian Archipelago. Digitization is a strategic effort to preserve manuscripts while expanding access for researchers, academics, students, and the wider public.

The event concluded with the presentation of souvenirs as a symbol of inter-institutional cooperation. To date, DREAMSEA has preserved approximately half a million pages of manuscripts from various parts of Southeast Asia and made their digitized materials available through an open repository. These efforts are expected to further strengthen research while preserving the intellectual heritage and collective memory of Muslim communities in Southeast Asia.

(PPIM/FU Public Relations)