Page:Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje - The Achehnese Vol II. - tr. Arthur Warren Swete O'Sullivan (1906).djvu/22

 Achehnese works enumerated in the next chapter) serves simply to make it easy to remember the words most required.

The part played by Malay in Acheh in the acquisition of religious learning is almost the same as that assumed by Javanese in the Sunda country. An Achehnese who desires to learn something beyond the first elements of doctrine and law finds Malay indispensable. Even the few popular manuals in his own tongue bristle with Malay words, while reliable renderings of authoritative Arabic works, which are fairly numerous in Malay, are entirely wanting in Achehnese.

Thus those who, without actually devoting themselves to study, still take pleasure in increasing their religious knowledge so far as time and circumstances allow, learn Malay en passant as they read. This they must do in order to be able to understand even the simplest "kitab." A Malay kitab is a work derived or compiled from Arabic sources; as a rule only the introduction, the conclusion, and a few passing remarks are the work of the "author", the rest being mere translation.

There is a superabundance of Malay kitabs of this description. One, the Çirāt al-mustaqīm, written in Acheh by a non-Achehnese pandit of Arab origin from Gujerat, just about the period of Achch's greatest prosperity, before the middle of the 17$th$ century, is still much in vogue, though later Malay works on the law of Islam have now begun to supersede it.

Not a few Achehnese, whose position demands that they should devote themselves to study, rest content with the perfunctory perusal of some such Malay kitabs, as these suffice to enable them to officiate, say as teungku meunasah or even as kali. But though such may be called leubè or malém, or even além in times and places where there is a scarcity of religious teachers, they are never known as ulama, for this name is reserved for the doctor who can enlighten others on matters connected with the law and religious doctrine with some show of authority.

To be able to lay claim to the title of doctor it is necessary at least to have studied, under competent guidance, some few authoritative Arabic works on law and doctrine. To reach this end the Achehnese employ a method different from that which has since ancient times