PROF. DR. KH. SAID AQIL SIRADJ, A STUDENT OF EXCELENCE, MORE THAN JUST WORTHY OF BEING RAIS A’AM PBNU
By: H. Adlan Daie
Political analyst/former NU West Java administrator (2010-2021)
Prof. Dr. KH. Said Aqil Sirodj, the head of the “Al Tsaqofah” Islamic boarding school in Jakarta, with a lineage of Pesantren Khas Kempek Cirebon, West Java, is a santri of “par excellence,” a santri fully performing at their best in the public sphere.
He is a good santri in Dr. Adlan Daie’s cultural definition. Zamahsyari Dhofir, author of the book “Pesantren Tradition” (1982), and santri in the construction of Clifford Geertz’s political anthropology, author of the book “The Religion Off Java” (Indonesian edition titled “Santri, Priyayi, and Abangan”).
He is more than worthy of being appointed as the Supreme Leader of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) at the 35th NU Congress in early 2027. This is certainly not merely because he served as the General Chairman (Tanfidziyah) of the PBNU for two terms (2010-2021).
His mastery of “Alkutubul Mu’tabaroh,” the authoritative text in the reference treasury of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah (the Sunni Muslim scholars), “la raiba fih,” is beyond doubt. He memorizes the levels of the text, including “matan,” “syarah,” and “hasiyah,” along with the number of volumes and the years of birth and death of their authors.
KH. Said Aqil Sirodj is inseparable from the figure of Gus Dur, an iconic and historic figure in NU, who paved the way for the intellectual growth of the younger generation of NU in the 1980s, shaping the socio-political and religious landscape at the national level. KH. Said Aqil Siradj was one of NU’s prominent and controversial intellectuals, emulating Gus Dur’s controversialism.
He acknowledged that as a student of Gus Dur, the students did not study the “sorogan” (Islamic text) directly from Gus Dur, as is the tradition in Islamic boarding schools, but rather learned “Ilmu Ahwal” (knowledge of the Qur’an), the science of understanding the sociology of the community, the strategic environment, geopolitics, and cultural behavior of NU members, due to the intensity of their close daily interactions over a long period of time.
Gus Dur and KH Said were steadfast in their principle of placing NU under their leadership in a “tawashut” position, at the center of relations between the state and the political balance between the people and the state (power). Although Gus Dur was more “tactical” and sophisticated, while “jlimet” (complicated), while KH Said was more “Pantura” (North Coast), “tokmol” (toxic), making him appear more “hardcore” and penetrating in the national public sphere.
Gus Dur and KH Said were neither afflicted with “elitist syndrome.” Although their positions as PBNU chairmen were not confined to the elite circles of high-ranking officials, businessmen, etc., both of them, in their positions as PBNU chairmen, maintained a high level of engagement, consistently attending religious gatherings at small prayer rooms in cramped villages, sometimes on damaged, muddy roads, etc.
KH Said’s concept of “Islam Nusantara” was a systemic continuation of Gus Dur’s “Indigenization of Islam” concept, and even a continuation of the Islamic perspective of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) on state relations. In another article, “NU’s National Political Charity,” the author documented NU’s decisions regarding the construction of Islam in state relations since the NU Congress in Banjarmasin in 1936, before Indonesia’s independence.
The rise of Gus Dur and KH Said to the position of General Chairperson of the PBNU in their respective eras is clearly different, but the interesting differences reveal the strength of their characters and typologies.
Gus Dur was elected Chairman of the PBNU not only because of his unmatched “bloodline” or “NU-ness,” both through his father’s and mother’s lines, directly connected to NU’s founder, Gus Dur’s grandfather, but also because of Gus Dur’s sophistication, expertise, and political skills.
KH Said was not as sophisticated as Gus Dur in political skills, but his extensive knowledge of the yellow books paved the way for KH Said to climb, climb, and peak within the highest NU structure, namely becoming Chairman of the PBNU.
In all fairness, KH Said’s organizational career within the NU’s organic structure was further supported by his extensive mastery of Islamic knowledge and sophisticated contextualization, which presented NU with contemporary challenges.
That is the power of “par excellence” as a strong and influential figure, making his appointment as Chairman of the PBNU more a matter of organizational necessity than of sophisticated “political play.”
From this perspective, the author interprets the expectations of NU members for KH Said Aqil Sirodj, not merely as more than worthy of becoming the PBNU’s Supreme Leader at the 35th NU Congress in early 2027, but as a truly necessary requirement for NU, currently the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, to have KH Said in the position of Supreme Leader.
His breadth of knowledge, maturity of personality, and extensive experience since the 1980s, serving in PBNU and serving as its two-term General Chairman, make him “complete” in terms of scholarship, the PBNU’s organizational needs, and his insight into social dynamics.
If destiny allows him to be elected as the Supreme Leader of the Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), he will not only be the first PBNU General Chairperson to achieve this position in NU’s long history as an Islamic organization.
More than that, the PBNU will also become a “knowledge council” where the dynamics of Islam and national challenges are explored more articulately and for the benefit of the nation, state, and society as a whole.
May KH Said Aqil Sirodj always be healthy, blessed, beneficial, and prosperous. Amen. (Mhs)**
Indramayu, September 25, 2025
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