The Legacy of the Pondok Institution and the Turath Educational System in Sustaining the Manuscript Heritage of the Islamic Civilization in the Malay Archipelago

Abstract

Malay manuscripts contain tasawwur (worldview) related to the belief system, values, philosophy, statecraft, law, traditional medicine, art, weaponry, architecture, and other aspects of the nation's civilization. The institution of lodges and the Turath Islamic study system was very influential in the heyday between the middle of the 18th century and the end of the 19th century and contributed significantly in producing very valuable manuscripts in the Malay Civilization. The pondok institute and the Turath system of study have played a very important role in shaping the Islamic tasawwur (worldview) of the Malay community and ensuring an authentic understanding and practice of Islam. The institution of pondok has also significantly produced Muslim Malay intellectuals who produce religious manuscripts in various fields and have enriched the knowledge treasures of Malay civilization. The sustainability of the institution of pondok and the Turath study system in the mainstream education system needs to be refined so that the wealth of manuscript writing knowledge continues to be relevant in contributing to the Malay civilization of the archipelago.  Therefore, the institution of pondok and the turath study system also need to be ready to make changes in the 21st century so that the legacy of the contribution of the pondok institution and the turath study system to preserving the treasures of manuscript knowledge continues to be relevant in dealing with contemporary challenges.