KONTRIBUSI KH. ACENG ZAKARIA DALAM PENDIDIKAN ISLAM DI PESANTREN PERSIS (1982-2022)

Abstract

This study examines KH. Aceng Zakaria's contribution to the development of Islamic education in the Persatuan Islam (Persis) Islamic boarding school environment during the period 1982–2022. KH. Aceng's contribution of KH. Aceng is manifested through the production of scholarly works that form the epistemological foundation of the pesantren. Works such as Al-Hidāyah fī Masā’il Fiqhiyyah Muta‘āriḍah, Al-Mabādi’ fī ‘Ilm Muṣṭalaḥ al-Ḥadīṡ, and Al-Asāsī fī ‘Ilm al-Farā’iḍ affirm an academic orientation based on arguments, comparative analysis, and the systematic presentation of fiqh, hadith, and muamalah material. At this stage, KH. Aceng contributed to the development of a textual-critical reasoning pattern that later became the epistemological identity of the Persis Islamic Boarding School, while also providing a reference tool that strengthened the basic curriculum in various Persis educational institutions. KH. Aceng's contribution developed into the stage of institutional implementation, marked by the use of more than fifty of his works as official teaching materials in Persis Islamic boarding schools such as Persis 99 Rancabango, Persis 106 Al-Falah Kopo, and Persis 34 Cibegol. Works such as Al-Muyassar fī ‘Ilm al-Naḥwi, Belajar Nahwu Sistem 40 Jam, Ilmu al-Tauhid, and Hadyu ar-Rasūl became the main instruments in teaching Arabic, fiqh, and aqidah. This cross-generational implementation shows that KH. Aceng not only played a role as a prolific scholar and writer, but also as an architect of learning methodologies that combined turāth tradition with a modern and applicable tajdīd approach. This research uses the historical method with heuristic stages, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. Data was obtained through a literature study of more than 120 works by KH. Aceng, documentation from the Ibn Azka Press publisher, as well as interviews with family members, alumni, and teachers at the Persis. The findings of this research confirm that KH. Aceng Zakaria's contributions over four decades had a significant impact on strengthening the curriculum, intellectual traditions, and educational structure of Persis, thereby shaping a generation of students who are scientific, moral, and adaptive to the challenges of the times.