The Contribution of Tafsīr Marāḥ Labīd to the Corpus of Nusantara Exegesis and Arabic Language Education

Abstract

Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani’s Marāḥ Labīd is a significant work within the tradition of Quranic exegesis in the Nusantara region While previous studies have focused on its exegetical methodology and intellectual sources, its potential for Arabic language education remains in need of further research and exploration. This study examines the historical and methodological significance of the exegesis and investigates its potential as an authentic resource for learning Modern Standard Arabic. Employing a qualitative methodology based on desk research, the study applies content analysis to the original text and relevant scholarly literature, examining it through historical, exegetical, linguistic, and pedagogical lenses. The findings highlight how the exegesis bridges classical Sunni interpretive traditions with the intellectual context of the Malay-Indonesian world, integrating transmitted and rational modes of interpretation while presenting perspectives rooted in jurisprudence, theology, Sufism, and linguistics. Furthermore, its syntactic structures, morphological patterns, lexical explanations, and rhetorical features provide rich, valuable material for developing advanced reading comprehension and grammatical analysis skills, as well as for enriching one's linguistic repertoire. This study adds a new dimension to existing research by presenting the Marāḥ Labīd exegesis as a significant exegetical work within the Nusantara region and a promising traditional resource for Arabic language instruction in Pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) and Islamic higher education institutions.