Merawat Ilmu di Muara Enim: Sejarah Transmisi Pengetahuan Islam melalui Tradisi Pengajian, Langgar, dan Madrasah

Abstract

The tradition of Islamic scholarship in the rural areas of South Sumatra, including Muara Enim, has developed through informal and semi-formal educational pathways passed down across generations. This article aims to trace the history of the transmission of Islamic knowledge in Muara Enim through three main institutions: pengajian (religious study circles), langgar (small prayer houses used for basic religious education), and madrasah (formal Islamic schools), and to explain how these three institutions are interrelated in shaping a local chain of scholarship. The study employs a historical research method with a descriptive-analytical approach, drawing on oral sources, local archives, and literature on the history of Islamic education in South Sumatra. The findings show that pengajian served as the initial gateway for learning the Qur'an and basic religious teachings within families and mosques, langgar functioned as a center for cultivating worship practices and moral character among children and adolescents, while madrasah emerged as a more systematic formalization of the religious curriculum. These three institutions together formed a pattern of ulama regeneration and a chain of religious authority (sanad) that preserved the continuity of Islamic teaching amid social change. This study affirms that preserving the tradition of pengajian, langgar, and madrasah is an essential part of sustaining local Islamic education in Muara Enim.