NU Figure Evaluates Grammar of PBNU Munas-Konbes Speeches

A young Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) figure, HRM Khalilur R Abdullah Sahlawiy, known as Gus Lilur, has provided an evaluation of the grammatical aspects and quotation accuracy of official speeches following the NU National Conference and Grand Conference (Munas-Konbes). He believes that pesantren intellectuals should serve as a benchmark in religious matters, given that many pesantren traditions are closely tied to the study of classical Islamic texts and the accurate pronunciation of Arabic texts according to the rules of nahwu and sharaf. Based on his review of the live broadcast, Gus Lilur offered corrective notes on the sermon delivered by PBNU Rais Aam, KH Miftahul Akhyar. ‘This writing and analysis is part of a historical record so that nahdliyin members can clearly assess the quality of leadership figures needed to take PBNU forward,’ Khalilur said in a written statement on Sunday, 28 June 2026. He highlighted the Hadith quotation regarding a nation’s prosperity recited by the Rais Aam. He identified the text as originating from the book Nasihatul Muluk by Imam Al-Ghazali but expressed regret that the original source was not mentioned during the speech. Beyond the issue of referencing, a fundamental error highlighted was the mispronunciation of the Hijri year at the beginning of the speech. When intending to mention the year 1448 Hijri, the uttered Arabic sentence structure actually meant 14,048 Hijri. According to the rules of ‘Adad science in the Alfiyah Ibn Malik text, the grammatically correct Arabic phrasing for the year should begin from the units or proceed sequentially from the thousands. He further explained that there were six technical errors made by the Rais Aam when reading the prepared draft script. These errors were identified as four mistakes in the placement of vowel markings and two mistakes in word pronunciation. Regarding the vowel errors, the first occurred when the Rais Aam pronounced the phrase ’bi badzlil was‘i’, which should correctly be read as ‘badzlul wus‘i’, a popular phrase in usul fiqh literature on ijtihad. The second was the pronunciation of ‘wa mulkuhum azmat’, where the correct form, based on the context of leadership, is ‘wa mallakahum azimmat’.