By: Nazela Zain

(This article is the minutes of the webinar of Literacy School #2 HMPS Studi Agama-agama, Faculty of Ushuluddin and Islamic Thought Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University, on Saturday, April 17, 2021, with resource person Khairul Fatah *)

There are so many forms of literature, as a result, it is not easy to get a truly satisfying definition of literature. However, with the passage of time and also the times, many definitions of literature have emerged, enriching the definition of literature itself. Therefore, literature will always develop and be dynamic with its development, literature that can accept and in accordance with the development will be appropriate to actualize. If literature is not dynamic, then it is inversely proportional to the purpose of literature itself.

Essentially, literature will never be separated from the grasp of humans. As long as humans have feelings, literature will exist. However, in each era, literature has a different product, style or form. The dynamics of an era become the main determinant in the process of literary development.

Literature is the result of taste that comes from beauty. Meanwhile, literary works are words created by humans that have beauty and aesthetic value. Literature is born from the meaning of life, develops and continues to exist in the human soul. Literature will continue to regenerate intertwined with the development of language. Therefore, the development of literature in a society is a measure of how that society speaks.

Literature is not just a bunch of words. Behind literature, there are many feelings that wash over humans, many meanings of life are implied.

The existence of Literature as a study on campuses and various discussion circles shows that literature is important to society. The songs of the ancestors, such as macapat, kidung-kidung, serat-serat, or others, are something that is passed down from generation to generation. Today's society can get to know its ancestors perhaps through literature. For example, without the tembang ilir-ilir, young people today would know little about Sunan Kalijaga. Literature has become an intermediary and a link between people today and their ancestors.

As academics, sometimes most students are more focused on the subjects that are only taught by lecturers in lectures. So they neglect to learn what literature is or deepen it. Yet as academics, of course we do not escape from literature, such as processing words in a work or speech itself. This is where we must know the meaning of literature, namely language and manners.

Then, if someone asks, can Religious Studies students take part in the literature? The answer is, yes. Of course you can take part. Because in college, literature plays a very important role in actualizing a work of literature. Moreover, Religious Studies has a discourse of studying books from various religions, when it really needs literary sensitivity in revealing stanza after stanza of its meaning.

*) Nazela Zain, Staff of the PSDM Division, HMPS of Religious Studies for the period 2020/2021

*) Khairul Fattah is a student of Religious Studies at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University as well as the president of Kutub. Kutub itself is a community that concentrates on the study and reproduction of literature.