Nahdliyin Evaluate PBNU Leadership by Dissecting Grammar of Munas-Konbes Speech
Evaluations and scrutiny regarding the core management of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) continue to emerge from grassroots members (nahdliyin). One critical note following the Munas-Konbes NU agenda in Bangkalan comes from a local cleric and NU cadre, HRM Khalilur R Abdullah Sahlawiy, who analysed the grammatical aspects and accuracy of citations in the organisation’s official speech.
Khalilur explained that, as part of the pesantren intellectual tradition closely linked to the study of ‘kitab kuning’ (classical Islamic texts), the accuracy of Arabic text pronunciation (rules of nahwu and sharaf) is an important benchmark in religious academic forums. Based on his review of the live broadcast, he provided corrective notes regarding the sermon delivered by the Rais Aam of PBNU, KH Miftahul Akhyar.
“This writing and analysis are part of a historical record so that nahdliyin members can clearly assess the quality of the leadership figures needed to move PBU forward,” Khalilur stated in a written statement on Sunday (28/6/2026).
Khalilur highlighted the material regarding a hadith citation concerning the prosperity of a nation read by the Rais Aam. He identified that the text originated from the book Nasihatul Muluk by Imam Al-Ghazali, but expressed regret that the original source was not mentioned throughout the speech.
In addition to the citation issue, a fundamental error highlighted was the incorrect pronunciation of the Hijri year at the beginning of the speech. While intending to mention the year 1448 Hijri, the Arabic sentence structure uttered actually meant 14,048 Hijri (arba‘ata ’asyar alfan wa tsamaniyah wa arba‘in). According to the rules of ’Adad in the Alfiyah Ibn Malik text, the grammatically correct way to mention the year in Arabic should be tsamaniyah wa arba‘in wa arba‘imi’ah wa alf (starting from units or thousands in sequence).
Furthermore, Khalilur detailed six points of technical error occurring while the Rais Aam read the prepared draft manuscript. These errors included four mistakes in vowel placement (harakat) and two errors in word pronunciation.
Regarding the vowel errors, the first occurred when the Rais Aam pronounced the phrase ‘bi badzlil was‘i’ which should have been ‘badzlul wus‘i’, a very popular phrase in usul fiqh literature regarding ijtihad. Second, the pronunciation of the sentence ‘wa mulkuhum azmat’ was deemed inaccurate; the correct form based on the context of leadership meaning is ‘wa mallakahum azimmat’.
Thirdly, the placement of the vowel on the word ‘jaizun’ was deemed to violate nahwu rules as a second object (maf’ul tsani), which should have been pronounced ‘jaizan’. Fourth, there was a morphological error (sharaf) in the pronunciation of ‘an anhi’, which should have been ‘aninha’ as it is derived from a basic verb (fi’il mujarrad).
Meanwhile, regarding word pronunciation, Khalilur found two errors deemed capable of altering the original meaning of the text from the book Nasihatul Muluk. These errors included the reading of the phrase ‘li fadh lil ‘ibad’ which should have been ‘li hifzhil ‘ibad’ in the context of protecting the welfare of the Ummah, and the pronunciation of ‘bis sawiyyah’ which should have been ‘al-umur al-sirriyyah’.
Khalilur assessed that this series of technical linguistic errors serves as an important indicator of the need for high precision for the individual holding the highest authority in the Syuriah Council of PBNU. This is especially pertinent as the role of Rais Aam represents the highest representation of religious scholarship and the preservation of Islamic scientific tradition in the Nusantara.