Qur'anic Interpretation in the Form of Sundanese Poetry: K.H. Ahmad Dimyati's Interpretation of Q.S. al-A'lá/87

Abstract

This article focuses on Quranic interpretation in the form of Sundanese poetry or Sundanese nadoman. The object is Kitāb al-Tabyīn al-Ajlá wa al-Ahlá fī Tafsīr Sūrah al-A'lá written by K.H. Ahmad Dimyati (1886-1946) a famous scholar from the Sukamiskin Islamic Boarding School (Pesantren) in Bandung. This book is a tafsir of surah al-A'la (Q.87: 1-19) in Sundanese with pegon style letters. Compared to Qur'anic translations, poeticized forms of interpretation are not widely practiced in Indonesia, given their attachment to strict poetic rules, such as the number of chants, syllables, and the final rhyme in each chant. However, for Ahmad Dimyati, this type of composition was chosen because, in addition to being popular, the lyrics are also concise, easy to read, and the song is pleasant to hear. This form of pupujian poetry is generally sung in mosques waiting for prayer time to arrive. This study shows that the use of pupujian poetry in interpretation adds to the diversity of interpretation literature in West Java. The provisions of the pupujian rules make it unfree to use extensive and analytical explanations. As a poetry-like composition, this type of Qur'anic interpretation contributes not only to the teaching of the Qur'ān but also to the development of Qur'ānic studies that adapt the poetic form of poetry to the Sundanese literary tradition