Initially, Mama Gentur learned religious knowledge from his father when he was young. His father, Syekh Mama Idris, was the caretaker of the Gentur pesantren in Cianjur. According to a story from Syekh Ahmad Eumed (Mama Cimasuk, Garut) bin Syekh Muhammad Rusdi (Mama Haur Koneng, Garut), Mama Gentur once wanted to pursue great knowledge but was unsure whom to study under.
Then, Mama Gentur went on a pilgrimage to the grave of Habib Husain bin Abu Bakar Alaydrus, also known as the Saint from Luar Batang, Jakarta. There, Mama Gentur recited the selawat nariah 4444 times and completed it 44 times within 8 months. Later, Mama Gentur dreamed of meeting the Saint from Luar Batang. In his dream, Mama Gentur was directed by the saint to seek knowledge in the Garut region. This dream marked the beginning of Mama Gentur’s educational journey from one pesantren to another. The first pesantren he aimed for was Pesantren Keresek, Garut.
However, Mama Gentur only stayed one night at Pesantren Keresek. Because, directed by Mama Keresek, he was advised to seek knowledge at Pesantren Bojong and study under Mama Ajengan Muhammad Adzro’i. At Pesantren Bojong, within 40 days, Mama Gentur had already memorized books such as Yaqulu (Nazom Masqud in neurology), Kailany (neurology), Amrithy (grammar), Alfiah Ibn Malik (grammar and neurology), Samarqondhy (rhetoric), and Jauharul Maknun (meaning, rhetoric, and prosody). At that time, Mama Gentur was only 17 years old.
After completing his education at Pesantren Bojong, his quest for knowledge did not end there. Mama Gentur continued his journey to Pesantren Gudang. He studied there for nine years. Then, Mama Gentur went to Mecca and studied at the Syekh Hasbullah pesantren.
In Mecca, Mama Gentur only stayed for three years. Because, according to Syekh Hasbullah, Mama Gentur or Mama Syatibhi was deemed unfit to study under him due to his (Syekh Hasbullah’s) knowledge being far inferior to Mama Syatibhi’s.
From Mecca, Mama Gentur or Syekh Syatibhi continued his journey to Egypt. However, Egyptian scholars said the same thing as Syekh Hasbullah, that “there is no longer a teacher for Ahmad Syatibhi (Mama Gentur).” Finally, Mama Syatibhi or Mama Gentur returned to Cianjur and studied at the pesantren in Bunikasih, under the leadership of Syekh Shoheh Bunikasih.
The Teacher of Scholars
With the knowledge acquired and his moral integrity, Mama Gentur succeeded in nurturing his students into great scholars who had a significant influence on the struggle for independence and the spread of Islam in West Java, as well as the establishment of formal and informal educational institutions such as pesantrens in the Sundanese region.