Thursday, October 18 2018, to Saturday, October 20 2018, the Arabic Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada again held a community service program as a form of the tri dharma of higher education. This time, the service program was held in the hamlet of Klampok, Giripurwo, Purwosari, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta. Activities in the form of Arabic language training for worship for the Muslim community in the village.
This activity is centred at the Baiturahiim Mosque which is located in the Klampok hamlet. Apart from Arabic Study Program lecturers, this community service also involved students in its implementation. This is because the students involved have the opportunity to learn to apply the knowledge they have learned so far. In particular, these students were assigned to be tutors to accompany the training participants when giving the material. In addition, they are also involved in the preparation of service material modules.
The selection of locations and forms of community service program activities is based on the results of a survey before the event is held. From the survey results, it is known that Klampok hamlet is a hamlet with a Muslim majority population. From a total of 469 families with a total of 1543 people, 98% are Muslims. However, of the total population, only a few have mastered the ability to use Arabic in their worship, especially those that use loudspeakers such as Friday sermons, reading the imam’s prayer, and the call to prayer.
Given this fact, the community service team of the UGM Arabic Study Program then took the initiative to hold special worship Arabic language training for the call to prayer, Friday sermon and prayer readings for the priest. This is because such forms of worship will certainly be heard by many people, so of course, it will be very beautiful—and rightfully so—if the Arabic pronunciation is carried out according to the rules; properly and correctly and with the right voice and tone.
During the activity, the event started with a friendly meeting between the service team and community leaders and local village officials. Present at the gathering were the village head, village secretary, welfare, head of the village head, as well as the chairman of the takmir of the Baiturahiim Mosque and several representatives of the Klampok hamlet community. The meeting took place from 16.00 to 17.00 WIB. Furthermore, after the congregational Maghrib prayer, the event officially started by starting with a public lecture delivered by Dr Moh. Masruhi, M. Hum. He explained the material about the relationship between Arabic and worship performed by the community. He also advised that the existing obstacles in the form of not learning the Arabic language of worship in writing should not be an excuse for being reluctant to improve themselves during training activities. In addition, he also emphasized that the short duration of the training should be used as well as possible.
After the public lecture, intensive training was then carried out for the next two days. The participants were divided into four major groups, namely the muezzin, imam, preacher and ordinary congregation. The group of muezzins was intensively trained to pronounce the call to prayer. The material provided was in the form of training on the pronunciation of Arabic letters in the call to prayer, breathing exercises so that the call to prayer is not cut off in the middle or ends due to running out of breath, techniques for using a mic in high and low notes and introduction to the basic rhythm of the call to prayer.
The groups of preachers and imams are trained intensively to be able to carry out sermons and lead prayers properly and correctly. The material given to this team was in the form of how to read the opening sermon, choosing verses according to the theme, choosing a prayer at the end of the sermon and training to read Surat al-Fatihah. Meanwhile, groups consisting of the general public are trained to be able to memorize and recite the daily prayers and prayers properly and correctly. During the training, the service team stayed at the residents’ homes and mingled with them. It is hoped that, with this training, Arabic reading in the worship of the local community which was previously only obtained orally from generation to generation, can become better and by Arabic rules, so that reading errors can be avoided.
“Arabic Conversation Learning Method for Arabic Teachers at Islamic Boarding Schools. Darussalam and its surroundings”
Founded in 1929 by K.H. Ahmad Fadlil, Darussalam Islamic Boarding School—Ciamis, West Java—is now 89 years old. The Islamic boarding school which was pioneered from a mosque has now been transformed into a large Islamic boarding school with thousands of students from various regions in Indonesia. Not only providing non-formal education in the form of Islamic boarding schools, the educational institution which was originally called Pesantren Tjidewa continues to develop itself by establishing schools from kindergarten to university level—the Darussalam Islamic Institute (IAID)—as its formal educational institutions at the order to respond to challenges era.
As an institution that teaches Islamic religious knowledge, Darussalam Islamic Boarding School makes Arabic one of the compulsory subjects, even the main one. Arabic is taught from elementary school to college in formal education as well as at all levels of education at its pesantren educational institutions. All students in Islamic boarding schools are required to master Arabic to learn Islamic sciences and the language of daily communication. Thus, the use and teaching of Arabic are not foreign to this pesantren.
However, even so, to continue to improve the quality and ability of the students as well as students and students in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School environment, this pesantren continues to strive to improve the system and personal abilities of its Arabic language teachers. One of the ways he took was by collaborating with the UGM Arabic Study Program. It is also intended to find solutions to the obstacles commonly faced by ustadz/ustadzah in the teaching and learning process that is carried out by them in the Islamic boarding school environment.
For this reason, on July 18-20 2018, in the Community Service (PKM) program, Arabic Study Program, FIB, UGM held an event entitled “Arabic Conversation Learning Method” which is specifically for Arabic language teachers in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School environment. This sweet. This PKM event was attended by approximately thirty-five participants. They are ustadz and ustadzah who teach Arabic in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School environment, both from non-formal Islamic boarding schools and formal educational institutions, from elementary school to university level.
This community service program is manifested in three main activities. First, the delivery of a public lecture with the theme “Development of the Latest Arabic Language”. This public lecture will be held on Wednesday, July 18 2018, starting at 19.30-21.30 WIB. This activity took place in the auditorium of the Darussalam Islamic Institute. The speakers at this event were Prof. Dr Syamsul Hadi, S.U., M.A. a professor of the Arabic Study Program, FIB, UGM.
This public lecture reviews the changes that have occurred in the field of Arabic by the situation and changes in the speaking community—the Arab community. Clearly, Prof. Dr Syamsul Hadi explained the history of the formulation of Arabic grammar to the early period of compiling Arabic dictionaries and the characters involved in it. A deeper discussion of the emergence of several schools in the writing of a dictionary is also inseparable from the explanation. Likewise, regarding the use of digital dictionary programs or applications that are rampant lately. In the case of this digital dictionary, he criticizes the educational value and the level of accuracy of the application’s work. In addition, he also conveyed his views on the potential for developing digital dictionary applications.
Second, identify the obstacles to teaching Arabic. This activity was held at the IAID auditorium on Thursday, July 19 2018, from 08.00-10.00 WIB. This activity is intended to identify obstacles or difficulties commonly encountered by ustadz and ustadzah who teach Arabic subjects in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School environment when they teach. This activity begins with an explanation of the importance of an educator’s sensitivity to the condition of his students. By having sensitivity, an educator will be able to know what things are needed so that the teaching of the Arabic language he does goes well and gets maximum results. It is also with this sensitivity that an educator will know various obstacles that have the potential to hinder the learning process he is holding.
To identify various obstacles in teaching Arabic, the participants were then grouped according to certain criteria. This group division is important considering the problems faced by an Arabic teacher will be different at each level of education where he teaches. They then discussed in their respective groups to explore the various problems they faced. After completion, each group will present the results of their discussion in front of the entire group. From the results of the presentation of each group, it appears that the biggest obstacle often faced by Arabic language teachers in the pesantren environment is the problem in the area of spoken Arabic, especially conversation. Therefore, the next activity—namely the third activity—that was carried out was training in the conversational learning method.
The conversational learning method training activity conducted by the lecturers of the UGM Arabic Study Program for Arabic language teachers at the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School includes several techniques. Among these techniques are imitation techniques, picture reading techniques, recalling techniques, game techniques, drill techniques, singing techniques, role techniques, storytelling techniques, and presentation techniques. It is hoped that after the Arabic language teachers know and understand these techniques, the problems of learning Arabic that they encounter can be overcome so that students and students will feel the ease and have a pleasant atmosphere in learning Arabic.
Located in building A, room 206, the participants of community service majoring in the Arabic Study Program were engrossed in the presentation of material from the speakers. The first speaker was Maulin Ni’am, S.Sos. With the topic of public speaking: as a provision for students to empower the community, Maulin Ni’am conveyed how to become a good public speaker, especially in the Community Service Program. Various appreciations in the form of questions to the speakers also enlivened the first material.
The second material is the “true and interesting sermon” delivered by Dr Amir Ma’ruf, as someone who has researched sermons and also someone who has practised sermons, Dr Amir, can provide a clear explanation of the sermon and also make it interesting for the sermon material at the continuation of the event to be practised.
The last material is “Good TPA Management” for this material Muhammad Farih, S.S who is a competent TPA teacher gives material in a relaxed dialogue, many participants then express their problems related to matters related to TPA because many participants are already involved in the landfill world.
The event then continued with the practice of sermons and the management of the TPA which was attended by the participants with great enthusiasm.
Dr. Hajriyanto Y. Thohari is an alumnus of Arabic Literature Study Program in 1985. Even though he is based on literature, his career is more prominent in the political field. Currently, he is the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in an Arab country, Lebanon. Apart from being active in politics, he is also a Muhammadiyah cadre who is known to be critical. Born in Karanganyar, on June 26, 1960, he was Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly for the period 2009–2014 from the Golkar Party.
According to the impression of Dr Amir Ma’ruf, the current Head of the Arabic Literature Study Program who became a scholar of his older generation when he studied Arabic Literature, Mr Hajriyanto has a simple communication style and has good lobbying skills. He also has a sharp sensitivity and critical power in responding to a thing or phenomenon with the privilege of assessing that everything is not always black and white; wrong right.
If according to Dr Hindun, a classmate of his, since he was a student, Pak Hajriyanto was indeed a ‘talking very talker’ person, a cool orator, even being dubbed a copy of Pak Ali Murtopo or Pak Harmoko, two national politicians who are famous for ‘talking a lot as well. He was once a lecturer at Diponegoro University (UNDIP) Semarang, but it seems that the profession does not accommodate his talents and interests. Subsequently, he was active in the Muhammadiyah religious organization and became the chairman of PP Muhammadiyah.
Another testimony from Abdul Jawat, M. Hum. who stated that Pak Hajriyanto likes to collect novels from world writers, maybe even more than political books. For Pak Hajriyanto, novels provide inspiration and inspiration for the political problems he faces. “Politics is my daily food and novels provide solutions.”