The Vernacularization of Tauhid in Raden Nitihardjo’s Serat Pitutur: A Semantic analysis of variations in the Names of God

Abstrak

This study examines the variations of divine names in Serat Pitutur Raden Nitihardjo as a form of the vernacularization of tawhid in Javanese-Islamic literature. The manuscript employs not only the term Allah but also Javanese and Old Javanese expressions, including Gusti, Pangeran, Hyang, Hyang Agung, Hyang Manon, Hyang Suksma, Hyang Widi, Widi, and Dat. This qualitative study uses a philological-semantic approach. The primary data consist of thirty occurrences of divine names identified in the manuscript’s transliteration. The data were classified according to lexical form, textual context, and theological function. The findings suggest that, within the textual contexts examined, the variation of divine names is better understood as a vernacular articulation of tawhid than as evidence of doctrinal syncretism. Rather, the terms are consistently situated within Islamic teachings, including the pillars of faith, the prophethood of Muhammad, prayer, repentance, reward and punishment, the Day of Judgment, heaven, and human accountability in the hereafter. The terms Allah and Dat primarily emphasize divine unity and sovereignty; Gusti and Pangeran articulate the relationship between servant and Lord; while the Hyang and Widi expressions function as local linguistic media for expressing divine majesty, omniscience, assistance, and transcendence. Therefore, Serat Pitutur Raden Nitihardjo demonstrates how Javanese functioned as an important medium for articulating Islamic monotheism within a local linguistic horizon.