Surau Kabun and the Nearly Forgotten Manuscripts

Minangkabau is synonymous with the surau, which historically functioned not only as a place of worship but also as a centre for education, deliberation, and fostering community social life. At the surau, people studied religious knowledge, held discussions, and sought solutions to various life problems. The scholarly tradition that developed in surau produced many manuscripts as a medium for disseminating and inheriting knowledge. According to Prof. Pramono, surau that house manuscript collections generally have three characteristics: they use a local name, are located on a riverbank, and have a burial complex within the surau grounds. These three features serve as important clues in tracing old surau that still preserve the intellectual heritage of Minangkabau society.

One surau that still retains these traces is Surau Kabun, located in Kenagarian Sungai Tunu Utara, Ranah Pesisir District, Pesisir Selatan Regency. Not many people know that this surau still holds a number of ancient manuscripts in a concerning condition. The ink on some pages has begun to fade, while some of the paper has been torn by age. The surau was founded in 1811 by Syekh Haji Muhammad Tahir. According to his heirs, he studied in Mecca for eight years. Upon returning from Mecca, he established Surau Kabun as a teaching centre for the Naqsyabandiyah Order. What drew the most attention was a manuscript that, according to the heirs, was brought from Mecca and was a gift from Syekh Haji Muhammad Tahir’s teacher. If this information can be verified through further research, the manuscript would hold significant historical value as a trace of Islamic scholarly transmission between Mecca and Minangkabau.

The tradition of learning and teaching at Surau Kabun continues to this day. One piece of evidence is the regular suluk practice held every month of Ramadan. Additionally, every Thursday night, members of the order gather at the surau to perform zikir, attend religious lectures, and deepen their understanding of the order’s teachings. Interestingly, the building used for suluk is separate from the main surau hall. This shows that Surau Kabun still fulfils its function as a centre for learning and spiritual development for the community.

The opportunity to examine the manuscripts at Surau Kabun was still limited. From the many collections stored there, only two manuscripts were viewed. The first manuscript is a book in Arabic script discussing Sufism. The second manuscript is a book of jurisprudence written in Arabic-Malay (Jawi) script. However, the most striking experience occurred when the heir opened a manuscript storage cabinet. It was astonishing to see so many manuscripts still kept inside. Some were in fairly good condition, but many had suffered damage over time. Several pages had begun to tear, the ink was fading, and the paper was becoming increasingly brittle. The sight evoked both admiration and concern, because behind those aged sheets lay an invaluable intellectual heritage.

Leaving Surau Kabun, a valuable lesson was learned: manuscripts are not merely ancient objects stored in a cupboard. Behind each sheet lies a story of the struggles of ulama, the journey of knowledge from Mecca to Minangkabau, and a scholarly tradition passed down for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, time marches on. The ink continues to fade, the paper grows more brittle, and some manuscripts are beginning to be destroyed by age. If we do not start caring now, it is not impossible that this intellectual heritage will be lost before future generations have the chance to study it. Preserving manuscripts is not only the responsibility of the heirs or researchers, but is also our collective responsibility.