Earning a Doctorate, UNU Jogja Lecturer Explores Andalusian Classical Poetry

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – A study of an Islamic literary manuscript, Risalah At-Tawabi wa Az-Zawabi by Ibn Shuhaid, became the central focus of research conducted by Nur Hidayah, a lecturer in the Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies (SII) Department at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja).

Through years of research, Nur Hidayah earned her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Yogyakarta. This achievement adds to the growing number of doctoral degree holders among UNU Jogja lecturers, strengthening the academic profile of the private university in Yogyakarta.

In her research, Nur Hidayah—who is also an alumna of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt—examined the background behind Ibn Shuhaid’s poetic compositions in the manuscript. Her dissertation reveals that Risalah At-Tawabi wa Az-Zawabi is not merely a work of imaginative literature, but a text deeply rooted in the turbulent social and political conditions of Andalusia.

The transitional period from the glory of the Umayyad Caliphate to the era of fragmented kingdoms (Muluk al-Tawaif) triggered a crisis of identity, including in the field of literature. This situation influenced Ibn Shuhaid’s own social standing, as he experienced a shift from the elite circles of the court to a more marginal social position.

According to the study, these circumstances encouraged Ibn Shuhaid to use literature as a means of reclaiming intellectual and social recognition. He positioned his poetry alongside that of major Eastern Arab poets as a search for legitimacy and a cultural strategy to demonstrate that Andalusian literature possessed equal quality and sophistication.

Using an intertextual approach, Nur Hidayah found that the comparison of poems within the work was carried out consciously and systematically. Ibn Shuhaid did not merely imitate earlier poets; rather, he engaged in a creative dialogue with previous literary traditions in terms of themes, stylistic expression, and poetic imagery. This reflects an effort to build a bridge between tradition and innovation in Arabic literature.

The research also highlights the imaginative narrative frame of a journey to the world of jinn in Risalah At-Tawabi wa Az-Zawabi as a sophisticated literary device. Through encounters with the jinn companions of renowned poets, Ibn Shuhaid symbolically gains recognition for his poetic ability. The patterns of dialogue, gestures of respect, and the granting of symbolic “authorization” (ijazah) in the story are interpreted as metaphors for literary legitimacy.

More broadly, the dissertation concludes that Ibn Shuhaid’s work represents a form of cultural resistance by Andalusian society against the intellectual and literary dominance of the Arab East. The text asserts Andalusia’s identity not merely as a recipient of tradition, but as an independent and creative center of literary production.

The findings of this research are expected to enrich the study of classical Arabic literature, particularly in understanding the relationship between literary works, cultural identity, and socio-political dynamics. Furthermore, the research strengthens the academic contribution of UNU Jogja lecturers in advancing Islamic studies and the humanities at both national and international levels. [Latifah]