Intellectual Legacy of Sheikh Yusuf al-Makassari to be Published in Book Form Soon
Culture Minister Fadli Zon stated that at least 23 works by Sheikh Yusuf have been identified in previous Manassa research. The National Library of the Republic of Indonesia holds three important manuscript bundles coded A 45, A 101, and A 108, containing collections of texts attributed to Sheikh Yusuf and possessing special historical value as they originate from the Banten Sultanate’s palace library.
“Therefore, the compilation of this book will focus on those three manuscripts,” said Fadli Zon in a written statement on Saturday (1/5/2026).
According to him, this project is part of efforts to preserve Nusantara manuscripts while strengthening Indonesia’s cultural diplomacy. Therefore, he emphasised the importance of accelerating the work so that the results can be launched at a strategic moment this year.
Fadli Zon also highlighted the importance of the publication’s content. In addition, for the presentation of the texts, he directed that the original texts in Arabic be retained alongside translations into Indonesian to facilitate readers.
“The texts do not need to be vocalised. However, the option of translation into English remains open as a development for this book in the future. If there is an English version, I think it will receive a good response there (South Africa), while also expanding the international reach of those works,” he explained.
Scientifically, in addition to reflecting his Sufi thought, Sheikh Yusuf’s works also have relevance in the context of diaspora and cultural diplomacy, particularly in historical connections with South Africa and the Nusantara ulama network. The ultimate goal of compiling these works includes utilising Sheikh Yusuf’s works in education and research, strengthening Indonesia’s cultural diplomacy, and preserving national manuscripts.
He stated that this collaboration is also intended to systematically carry out the editing and publication of critical editions of Sheikh Yusuf’s works. In addition, through this programme, it is hoped to cover the identification and verification of manuscripts in the National Library collection, the compilation of critical editions based on philological methods, the production of high-quality scientific publications, the provision of open access, and the dissemination of Sheikh Yusuf’s works to the public.
“Through this initiative, the Ministry of Culture seeks to strengthen the preservation, study, and dissemination of Nusantara’s intellectual heritage, while also opening wider access to Sheikh Yusuf’s important works for the national and international community. In addition, through this programme, it is hoped to become a strategic step to strengthen the ecosystem for the preservation and utilisation of manuscripts as part of the national cultural wealth,” he said.
Meanwhile, Manassa General Chairman Agus Iswanto stated that in addition to the 23 works in those three manuscripts, there are five related manuscripts still stored in Leiden. According to him, of the five manuscripts in Leiden, two are available in digital format, while the other three require an official request to the Leiden Library/UBL and KITLV.
“Therefore, we hope that the Ministry of Culture can further coordinate with the Leiden Library to enable the digitisation of the next three manuscripts, as well as conduct comparative studies on those manuscript variants,” he concluded.
As additional information, those accompanying the Culture Minister on this occasion included the Minister’s Special Staff for Law and Cultural Policy, Masyitoh Annisa Ramadhani Alkatiri; Director of Cultural Values Empowerment and Intellectual Wealth Facilitation, I Made Dharma Suteja; Secretary of the Directorate General of Cultural Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cooperation, Undri; Manassa Secretary, Aditia Gunawan; along with other Manassa officials.