PBNU Rais Aam Lauds Kiai Cholil's Pesantren Cendekia Amanah
Rais Aam of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU), KH Miftachul Akhyar, has praised the development of Pesantren Cendekia Amanah in Depok, West Java, which is led by Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), KH M Cholil Nafis.
The praise was delivered by Kiai Miftach after opening the NU’s 35th Pre-Muktamar Bahtsul Masail forum held at Pesantren Cendekia Amanah, Depok, on Saturday (8/8/2026).
When asked by journalists about his prayers and hopes for the pesantren’s continuity, Kiai Miftach responded with the characteristic humour of NU kiai. He assessed that Pesantren Cendekia Amanah’s development has already been remarkably rapid, even without special prayers. “Goodness, this pesantren has already developed so rapidly without prayers. If it were prayed for, all the others would be finished!” said Kiai Miftach.
According to Kiai Miftach, the rapid construction and management of Pesantren Cendekia Amanah is something that deserves appreciation. He even described the development as a form of spiritual blessing in itself.
The presence of Pesantren Cendekia Amanah, he continued, also strengthens the Islamic education ecosystem in the Depok area and its surroundings. The pesantren is considered to have facilities and an academic environment that support the development of Islamic scholarship. “This is already extraordinary,” said Kiai Miftach.
PBNU’s trust in making Pesantren Cendekia Amanah the host of the NU’s 35th Pre-Muktamar Bahtsul Masail is also an indicator of the pesantren’s readiness. The forum brings together ulama and kiai to discuss various religious and social issues in depth.
Through the Bahtsul Masail forum, the intellectual tradition of pesantren is also directed towards answering actual problems developing in society. Therefore, the holding of the Pre-Muktamar Bahtsul Masail forum at Pesantren Cendekia Amanah also demonstrates the pesantren’s role in maintaining the tradition of scholarship and religious decision-making within NU.