How Islam is spread in Indonesia

[pher]

How come Bali is still about 85 % Hindu ?

they need to keep in that way to attract tourists, otherwise who will visit ？

 

[nufix]

they need to keep in that way to attract tourists, otherwise who will visit ？

It is not that we want to keep it that way, it is more like Hindu for the people in Bali is rooted deep in their culture and character. The same way why most Indonesian muslims are still holding buddhist or hindu traditions, check jogja for example.
Anyway, you do know that there are also muslim organisations trying to spread Islam in Bali and Monks trying to bring back Hinduism in western Indonesia yes? No? Then it explains your ignorance about how religion and culture work in Indonesia.

 

[1R0N_M4N_XL]

I seen some documentary channel that it was some Chinese general. who spread islam in Indonesia

is it true?

 

[Max]

very nice share @Indos..

 

[kaka404]

off-topic:

I am fully aware of what you people are capable of, keeping burning churchs again and again. Dont tell me that is a rare case.

there are cases where house of worship where burn, like churches or mosques. but please don't think that "we" as a whole did those horrible things. that was done by groups of thugs and terrorist. in many cases where the police are able to track down the perpetrator, they were punished according to law.
ps: please don't divert the conversation.
on-topic:
yes there are some areas in this country where Muslim are the minority.

I seen some documentary channel that it was some Chinese general. who spread islam in Indonesia

is it true?

that would also be true. Zheng He's voyages also brought Muslim community to indonesia. the main way on how islam spread in indonesia was by the people from arabic peninsula, india, and also china, who are travelling via sea from and/or toward one another. in many cases they would be sea voyage lead by merchant

 

[third eye]

they need to keep in that way to attract tourists, otherwise who will visit ？

What has religion to do with tourism ?

Tourists go for the beaches , resorts etc & they have little to do with religion.

 

[Indos]

And that is the best form of Dawah. Your own character and behavior is what will attract a person who knows nothing about the teachings of Islam.

Great share sir, so this is one place where we can clearly say sword had nothing to do with the spread of Islam.

Yup, exactly, even this forum can be the platform to do that, our friend (Nihonjin) has also become Muslim after conversing with lot of Muslim friends here.

Thanks. Actually war that happen in the past become early Muslim last effort since Islam cannot be spread peacefully in Persian and Rome (Byantium) Empire.

So as long as the message can be passed into any region and there is freedom of religion in that region, no Muslim can proclaim war to that region using religious reason, thats why this can happen in Indonesia, since our past Kingdoms let the message come and conduct freedom of religion in their area, so Indonesians since old time have already been tolerance.

It is not that we want to keep it that way, it is more like Hindu for the people in Bali is rooted deep in their culture and character. The same way why most Indonesian muslims are still holding buddhist or hindu traditions, check jogja for example.
Anyway, you do know that there are also muslim organisations trying to spread Islam in Bali and Monks trying to bring back Hinduism in western Indonesia yes? No? Then it explains your ignorance about how religion and culture work in Indonesia.

Not most Muslim, but a minority of them, particularly some Javanese, usually the ones living in rural areas and near old kingdom. Many mosque has been built now in rural Central and Eastern part of Java.

I seen some documentary channel that it was some Chinese general. who spread islam in Indonesia

is it true?

Look at my other thread "Muslim Chinese Indonesian"

The first stage is trough Arab (and Persian traders) but there are several stages as many Historian reveal.

It is particularly true for Java, they are not the first and maybe not the biggest factor of Betawi /Sundanese/Javanese Islamization but become another big help of that effort. During 1405 until 1430, Muslim Chinese traders were brought by Muslim Chinese Admiral to Java.

During Ming Dinasty, Muslim Chinese are also considered to help the effort. Ming Dynasty in China is the time where Islam is flourish in China, and they have relationship with South East Asia countries. Indonesia at that time is where the spices come from ( the most valuable trading during that time) which is so needed to preserve food.

 

[Indos]

Barus now symbol of ‘Islam Nusantara’

• Haeril Halim and Apriadi Gunawan
  The Jakarta Post
  

Jakarta/Barus / Sat, March 25, 2017 / 09:09 am

Whether it is historically accurate to say that Barus in Central Tapanuli is ground zero of the civilization of Islam Nusantara (Islam in the Archipelago) is irrelevant to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who came all the way from Jakarta to the remote region in Sumatra to officiate a monument claiming exactly that.

The President, who is struggling to contain the rise of religious fanaticism, was here to send a message: that diversity is the nation’s wealth.

Barus, also known as Fansur, is a place where Islam harmoniously blends with not only local cultures but also influences from other great civilizations. It is the hometown of the legendary 16th century poet and mystic Hamzah Fansuri, who articulated the monist doctrine of wujudiyah.

On Friday, Jokowi officiated the Islam Nusantara Monument in the region as the ground zero of Islamic civilization in Indonesia, even though many scholars believe that Indonesian Islam began in Samudra Pasai, which is located in northern Aceh.

The President acknowledged the rich history of Barus.

“Today, I visited the Mahligai graveyard where many traders from the Middle East were buried. They are known as awliya [saints] who brought Islam to Indonesia through Barus.”

The President said he had known for years that the history of Barus, which means camphor, was recorded in ancient Egyptian manuscripts as camphor was used to preserve mummies.

Barus exported camphor to the Middle East in the past. One can thus find a number of historical sites like huge graveyards, gravestones that have ancient Persian writing and other historical artifacts in Barus.

(Read also: Jokowi to inaugurate center of Islam of the Archipelago)

In his remark, Jokowi said Indonesia was a pluralistic nation with 714 tribes, such as Asmat, Badui, Batak, Betawi, Bugis, Gayo, Sasak and Sunda, in 315 regencies and cities across the country. “This diversity is a treasure that we must be thankful for as in one region alone there are various types of greetings.”

North Sumatra Governor Tengku Erry Nuradi said that French archeologists found that from the ninth until the 12 century Barus was a trade center where Batak, Javanese, Arab and Tamil traders mixed with each other. “The main commodities at that time were spices and camphor,” Tengku said.

The form of Islam developed in Barus best represents the version of Islam Nusantara, Fuad Jabali, a historian from the Jakarta State Islamic University (UIN), said. Islam Nusantara is characterized by its inclusivity and in Barus the international aspects of Islam blends peacefully with local traditions.

“It must be symbolically understood that Jokowi acknowledges that the kind of Islam that Indonesia needs is an Islam that embraces differences. Islam Nusantara is an Islam that celebrates the diversity of local traditions and global traditions as shown by Barus in the past,” Fuad said.

The country’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), supported Jokowi’s move, saying it could counter the narrative of Islam espoused by extremist groups. “The most important point the President wants to make is that Islam and culture cannot be separated in Indonesia. Islam and nationalism, Islam and tolerance for diversity as well as Islam and history cannot be separated,” NU deputy secretary-general Imam Pituduh said.

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/03/25/barus-now-symbol-of-islam-nusantara.html

 

[Indos]

 

[Indos]

How Islam came to dominate Indonesia

Saad Hasan

25 Aug 2020



Unlike other parts of the world, Islam spread in Southeast Asia without a major conquest.

It came on ships and boats. It travelled with spices and silk. Swords remained in the scabbards, there was hardly any bloodshed. The benefit of aligning with rising Muslim powers was obvious, but sufis played an important role too.

Indonesia became the world’s largest Muslim country over a period spanning centuries, yet experts are still undecided on how it actually came about.

Looking back at the Islamic roots of the vast archipelago, which straddles the Indian and Pacific oceans, it has attained significance despite the ongoing debate about whether Indonesians are moving away from their so-called pluralistic version of Islam.

What is interesting about how the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad spread in Southeast Asia, says historian Dr Carool Kersten, is that it did not involve a conquest, and that it happened gradually and surprisingly very late.

“First evidences of the local people converting to Islam in present-day Indonesia does not date further than the 13th century. That’s when we find ground archelogical evidence namely tombstones of sultans with Arab names, which demonstrate that local leaders have embraced Islam,” he tells TRT World.

Muslim forces began venturing out of the Arab lands in the 8th century - they were in control of Spain by the 720s and the famed young military commander, Muhammad Bin Qasim, had just invaded Sindh and Multan, in what is now Pakistan, a few years earlier.

In Indonesia, Islam spread peacefully unlike in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, where it came under its sway as a result of Arab conquests, says Dr. Kersten, who teaches at Kings College London and authored A history of Islam in Indonesia.

A 13th century tombstone of a local ruler, Sultan Malik al Salih, found in Sumatra, is often cited as a historical marker for when Islam started to make inroads in the region.

A picture of Sultan Malik al Saleh's headstone. (Salih, who controlled a principality in the northernmost Indonesian island of Sumatra, had converted to Islam.)

“The fact that he adopted an Arab title and called himself a Sultan rather than a Raja, which is a Sanskrit word for a ruler, is the first compelling evidence that someone from the Southeast Asia decided to embrace Islam and his population followed suit,” says Dr. Kersten.

What has really baffled historians and archeologists is his tombstone, which is designed with the motifs and patterns of what you can find in the Indian state of Gujarat.

What changed in the 13th century?
Gujarat is known for risk-taking traders and businessmen who would not have hesitated in travelling to far-off regions to find a livelihood. Among them were many Muslims.

Trade routes have been instrumental to the spread of Islam. For instance, there’s a large community of Hadrami Arabs from Yemen in Indonesia.

Muslims from China have also left an imprint. The 15th century Muslim Chinese admiral, Cheng Ho, is often credited for helping spread Islam in the Indonesian island of Java.

“It’s always been very tempting to assume that it were the traders who brought Islam. But you need to be careful here. Trade routes were maybe used as conduits but traders are businessmen, they are not propogaters or missionaries of religion,” says Dr. Kersten.

An alternative theory suggests that people belonging to the sufi orders might have travelled the same routes and helped spread Islam in the region. The Islam Tradisional — practised in the region — is closer to the mystic Barelvi sect prevalent in Pakistan and India.

Indonesians and Malays enjoyed trade links with the Arabs and Persians even before the advent of Islam. The answer to why it gained a foothold in Southeast Asia relatively late, might be found in the economics of the region.

An overwhelming majority of Indonesia's population of 267 million people is Muslim. (AP)

Surrounded by water, Indonesia, which comprises thousands of islands, did not have the best land for cultivation and its inhabitants relied mainly on sea trade. They felt threatened by Hindu empires in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand who had prospered on the back of their vast river plains that were suitable for growing rice.

“The people in Indonesia no longer wanted to pay tribute to Hindu and Buddhist rulers from the mainland. And so they looked for political allies in the Middle East and Africa,” says Dr. Kersten.

A tight hierarchical governing structure, where a ruler had the last word on important matters, might have helped speed up the conversion of the local population without too many skirmishes, experts say.

“Unlike the Mughals in much of India who appointed nizams, amirs and maharajas to do the ruling for them, a king in Southeast Asia was the center of power and wielded significant influence,” Nawab Osman, a Singapore-based Southeast Asia researcher, tells TRT World.

Besides taking up the role of a religious leader with the practice of building mosques next to their palaces, these new Muslim rulers also began to look towards the Ottomans for an alliance, he says.

After Constantinople’s conquest in the mid-15th century, Muslims controlled the international maritime routes and a lot of Indonesian rajas saw it as a mark of prestige and opportunity to be part of such a network should they have converted to Islam.

As Islam became a prominent reglion in parts of Souteast Asia, the local imams woud recite the Friday prayers not just in the name of the local king but also the Ottoman caliph, says Osman.

Orientalist misconceptions
Puppetry also helped spread Islam in Indonesia, where 90 percent of the population is now Muslim.
Like in South Asia, society has traditionally used puppet theatre and effigies to tell heroic tales of the Hindu scriptures such as the Ramayana.

“Puppet shows are a big part of Indonesian culture. So what the Muslim scholars did was they changed the characters of Ramayana to Muslim figures — showing the companions of the Prophet and so on. That was a very effective way for people to convert to Islam.”

Giant puppets called "ondel-ondel" are an important part of Indonesia's culture. (AP Archive)

But in the Indonesian history written primarily under Dutch colonial rule, which lasted between the 1800s and mid-1900s, such cultural appropriation of symbols was given a different meaning.

“So if you look at the orientalist writings from that period, it would seem that Muslims don’t practise Islam and continue to adhere to certain elements of Hindu belief. That’s quite untrue. Muslims would never do certain things such as worshiping a deity,” says Osman.

And Indonesian Muslims were not just passive receivers of the Islamic teachings. They actively participated in its attainment.

“Spread of Islam in Indonesia was a hybrid process. There was no one moment of conversion - it was a much more fluid system where locals did not give up all their practices and beliefs in one go,” says Dr. Kersten.

Once Islam was established, Indonesian Muslims travelled to Muslim learning centres around the world. The scholars were well versed in Arabic, Persian and vigorously sought Islamic knowledge, he says.
“Islam shouldn’t be seen as something varnished on the Southasian culture. These people were an integral part of the Muslim world.”

Reverse Islamisation
In recent years, Indonesia’s religious groups have come under the spotlight amid concerns that hardliners have started to dominate political discourse.

Jakarta’s 2017 gubernatorial race, in which a Christian of Chinese descent was defeated after a backlash from religious groups, is often cited as an example of rising intolerance.

Osman sees a problem when the current debate is framed around the question of whether ‘Islamists’ are on the rise - a narrative which, he says, was sparked after a strong showing of Islamic groups in the 1999 national elections.

Former Indonesian dictator Suharto, who ruled the country for 31 years between 1967 and 1998, enforced curbs on Muslim political groups and tried to reduce the role of religion in affairs of the state.

That does not mean that groups such as Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah have acquired millions of followers only after Suharto’s removal. Even in the previous openly contested election of 1955, Islamic groups had garnered some 40-45 percent of votes, says Osman.

These days even the moderate groups, such as NU, feel they are under threat from what they see as a creeping Arabisation of the Indonesian strain of religion — dubbed as Islam Nusantara.

“Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama both have been arguing that moderate Islam is under threat from the Salafis, Hizb ut Tehrir and the Muslim Brotherhood types.

“But I think what has happened over the years is that there’s been a rupturing within the ranks of the traditionalist muslim groups and some of their own members have started taking a harder Islamic position.

Source: TRT World

How Islam came to dominate Indonesia

Unlike other parts of the world, Islam spread in Southeast Asia without a major conquest.

www.trtworld.com

 

[Indos]

Surrounded by water, Indonesia, which comprises thousands of islands, did not have the best land for cultivation and its inhabitants relied mainly on sea trade. They felt threatened by Hindu empires in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand who had prospered on the back of their vast river plains that were suitable for growing rice.

“The people in Indonesia no longer wanted to pay tribute to Hindu and Buddhist rulers from the mainland. And so they looked for political allies in the Middle East and Africa,” says Dr. Kersten.

This part is very wrong since Indonesia land is very fertile and has been famous as a source of spices and Indonesia agricultural industry are very big where this year alone we dont need to import any rice, unlike Malaysia and Philippine who imported many rice.

No, there is no record that Indonesia pay tribute to rulers in Thailand or Cambodia (Kmer empire) and kingdom in Indonesia itself are considered the biggest in South East Asia with Srivijaya and Majapahit empires. Even one kingdom in Java can expel Mongol invasion under Yuan Dynasty.

A tight hierarchical governing structure, where a ruler had the last word on important matters, might have helped speed up the conversion of the local population without too many skirmishes, experts say.

“Unlike the Mughals in much of India who appointed nizams, amirs and maharajas to do the ruling for them, a king in Southeast Asia was the center of power and wielded significant influence,” Nawab Osman, a Singapore-based Southeast Asia researcher, tells TRT World.

Besides taking up the role of a religious leader with the practice of building mosques next to their palaces, these new Muslim rulers also began to look towards the Ottomans for an alliance, he says.

After Constantinople’s conquest in the mid-15th century, Muslims controlled the international maritime routes and a lot of Indonesian rajas saw it as a mark of prestige and opportunity to be part of such a network should they have converted to Islam.

As Islam became a prominent reglion in parts of Souteast Asia, the local imams woud recite the Friday prayers not just in the name of the local king but also the Ottoman caliph, says Osman.

How Islam came to dominate Indonesia

Unlike other parts of the world, Islam spread in Southeast Asia without a major conquest.

www.trtworld.com

I dont think this part is true since both Hindu and Budha in the past can live peacefully in Indonesia so religious freedom was exist in ancient Indonesia. I would suggest before several Sultanates exist in Indonesia, local population have already embraced Islam. Sultanates in Indonesia emerge from the new power, challenging previous Hindu/Buddha kingdoms.

 

[peagle]

Islam in Indonesia
Contributed by Prof. Dr. Nazeer Ahmed, PhD

The introduction of Islam into the Archipelago may be divided into three phases: (1) the first phase extending from the Hijra (622) to 1100 (2) the second phase covering the period 1100 to 1500 and (3) the third phase extending from 1500 to modern times.

The first phase was a product of commercial contacts between the maritime regions of the Indian Ocean. Trade between West Asia and East Asia predates the Islamic period. Merchants from Yemen and the Persian Gulf followed the monsoons to the coast of Malabar and from there to the islands of Sri Lanka, Java and Sumatra. This trade mushroomed with the onset of Islam. The powerful Abbasids in Baghdad especially encouraged global trade. To the west, trade caravans traversed the Sahara through West Africa deep into what is today Ghana and Nigeria.

To the east, the Silk Road to China was brisk with activity. Sea borne trade was not far behind. Muslim merchants, both Arab and Persian, plied the Indian Ocean and captured the bulk of the trade with India, East Africa, Indonesia and China. Colonies of merchants grew up in Gujrat, Malabar, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Canton and all along the East African coast. Al Masudi records that in 877, during the reign of the Tang emperor Hi-Tsung, there was a colony of almost 200,000 Muslims in Canton, China. A peasant rebellion in 887 forced these Muslims to flee and settle at Kheda on the west coast of Malaya. The merchant colonies along the rim of the Indian Ocean grew in size and prosperity between the years 750 and 1100.

Impressed by the honesty and integrity of these merchants, a large number of Malays accepted Islam. Intermarriage also played a part in conversions, as happened in Malabar and Sumatra. The immigrants did not force their own customs and culture on the local populations. Instead, they adopted the local culture while introducing the doctrine of Tawhid and the requirements of the Shariah. The Arabs were always a small minority among the Malays but they enjoyed a privileged position in society. They spoke the language of the Qur’an and had a reputation for piety and steadfastness. They were sought after as ideal spouses. Even the rajas and the sultans considered it an honor to have an Arab marry within the family and those with Arab blood were honored as Sayyids, descendants of the Prophet’s family.

This period marked the zenith of classical Islamic civilization. It was during the 8th and 9th centuries that the major schools of Fiqh evolved in Madina and Kufa. The Islam that was carried by the Arab and Persian merchants had a heavy content of Shariah and Fiqh. Early Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia reflected the intellectual currents in West Asia, although the region was outside the political military circle of the Abbasid Empire. The institution of the hajj played an important part in these developments. Most of the Arabs followed the Shafi’i and Maliki Schools that were the dominant schools in Madina and Damascus. Consequently, these were the schools of Fiqh brought back by the hajjis into Indonesia and Malaysia.

Circa 1100, the Islamic world went through a profound transformation. Al Gazzali (d. 1111), through the force and eloquence of his writings, dealt a severe blow to the study of philosophy and gave tasawwuf a respectable place in Islamic learning. Before 1100, Islamic civilization was extrovert and empirical, with a heavy emphasis on Shariah and Fiqh. After 1100, Islamic civilization turned inwards, focused more on the spirit than on philosophy and the physical sciences. Tasawwuf emerged as the dominant force in Islamic teachings. Major Sufi orders, which were to change the spiritual landscape of Asia and Africa, sprang up in Baghdad (Abdul Qader Jeelani, d. 1166), Delhi (Khwaja Moeenuddin Chishti, d. 1236), Konya, Turkey (Jalaluddin Rumi, d. 1273) and Cairo (al Shadhuli, d. 1258). The content as well as the thrust of Islamic civilization changed. The Archipelago, like India, felt the impact of this transformation.

It was during the period 1100 to 1500 that Islam spread widely in Indonesia and Malaya. It was a spiritual Islam, focused more on the soul than on ritual, that found a home in the islands much as was the case in India. The spread of Islam in the Archipelago followed a geographical progression over a period of 400 years (1100 to 1500) starting with Sumatra, followed by Java, Malaya, Borneo, Sulu (Mindanao), Sulawesi and Luzon (Manila).

Shaykh Abdullah Arif, a scholar from Arabia, introduced Islam into Sumatra around the year 1100. One of his disciples, Shaykh Burhan Shah, carried on dawah work throughout northern Sumatra. The first ruler of northern Sumatra to accept Islam was Johan Shah (1204), but it was during the reign of Sultan Malik al Saleh (d. 1297) that Islam received a major boost. Commercial contacts had introduced the faith to the coasts of Sumatra and Java as well as the western coast of Malaya and the eastern shores of Vietnam in the previous centuries.

Sufi orders appeared and spread the faith throughout Sumatra during the 14th century. The city of Pasai became a center of learning. Ibn Batuta visited Pasai in 1345 and found its ruler, Sultan Malik al Zahir to be a pious man, a patron of scholars and an enthusiastic propagator of the faith. Malik al Zahir was a grandson of Malik al Saleh. In 1396, Parameswara, a prince from the Java, fled to Malacca. He married a daughter of the Sultan of Pasai, accepted Islam and changed his name to Sultan Iskander Shah (1406). It was this prince who introduced Islam into Malaya.

Pasai and Malacca became centers of tasawwuf, radiating their spiritual teachings to the interior areas. Malacca became the beacon of Islam for the region. The important commercial center of Kedah became Muslim by 1474. During this period-the 13th and 14th centuries-the Muslim world was reeling from Mongol and Tatar invasions. Many of the ulema, Sufi shaykhs and merchants fleeing this destruction found refuge in Delhi. As persecution of the Sufis increased at the court of Muhammed bin Tughlaq of Delhi (circa 1335), many of them migrated further east to the Archipelago.

Tasawwuf had become so widespread in the Islamic world that many of the merchants and travelers themselves belonged to Sufi tareeqas. These migrations further stimulated religious scholarship in the islands and provided an impetus for the rise of great Sufi shaykhs among the Malays themselves. It was these shaykhs, sons of the soil, who spearheaded the propagation of the Islamic faith in their homeland.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, Java was the seat of the powerful Hindu kingdom of Majapahit, centered on the modern city of Jakarta. Agriculture and the spice trade were the mainstays of this kingdom. Majapahit dominated the island of Java and its commerce. Lesser rajas and local chiefs who controlled local ports paid tribute to the ruler of Majapahit. As commerce between the Archipelago and the Muslim world increased, many of these local rajas and chiefs found it more advantageous to forge closer ties with Muslim India and West Asia than with the Majapahit court.

As political ties with the central political power weakened, a local power vacuum was created. Islam was the beneficiary of this political vacuum. One by one, the local rajas and chiefs accepted Islam. Conversion brought with it a sense of belonging to a larger international brotherhood as well as significant advantages in commerce and trade. In due time, the Majapahit court itself came under Islamic influence. By 1450, Islam was the dominant religion at the court.

In 1451, Shaykh Rahmat, a sage who had made his center near the modern city of Surabaya, converted the Majapahit ruler, Raja Kertawijaya, to Islam. By 1475, Majapahit had changed its character to a Muslim sultanate, although the kingdom itself survived until 1515. Thus the spread of Islam in Java was different from what is a norm in history, wherein the conversion of a powerful ruler as a powerful incentive for the subjects to follow suit. In the islands, it was the people who converted first, with the king following suit. Among the Sufi shaykhs most revered by Javanese in this transformation were Shaykh Ishaq of Pasai, Sunan Bonang, Sunan Ampel, Sunan Giri, Sunan Dirijat and Khalifa Hussain.

Yet another element in the introduction of Islam was the issue of legitimacy of rule. Throughout history, there has been a strong current of opinion among Muslims that a ruler must be from the family of the Prophet. By the 14th century, when Islam had spread throughout Java and Sumatra, this belief in the legitimacy of rule by kinship with the Prophet was widely accepted by the Malay people. Consequently, the newly converted rulers sought marriage ties with the Sayyids and Sheriffs, who were Arab immigrants from Mecca and Madina.

The progeny of these marriages could rightfully claim their lineage both from the ruling dynasties of the islands and the family of the Prophet. The kingdom of Majapahit was no exception to this longing for legitimacy. As more and more Javanese accepted Islam, the rulers of Majapahit had to bow to the will of the people, accept Islam and fulfill the requirements of legitimacy as accepted by the general population.

Shaykh Awliya Karim al Maqdum, who moved from Malacca to Mindanao in 1380, introduced Islam into the southern Philippines. His disciple Syed Abu Bakr carried on his work. In 1475, Sharif Muhammed Kabungsuan, moved from Malacca to Mindanao, where he worked tirelessly to introduce the faith. Further north, in the areas around the modern city of Manila, Sufi shaykhs carried on dawah (invitation to the faith) work. The Spanish forcibly converted these areas to Christianity when they conquered the Philippines (1564). The southern region of Sumatra was Islamized in the latter part of the 15th century. The islands of the Celebes and the western regions of New Guinea also embraced Islam around 1495 through the work of Shaykh Putah.

Islam spread like a beacon, carried from island to island, for almost four hundred years. Each time the inhabitants of an island accepted Islam, they themselves became the standard bearers of the new faith and worked hard to convert others. By the time the Portuguese and the Spanish arrived on the scene in the 16th century (1512 onwards), the entire Archipelago was either under the sway of Islam or on its way to becoming Muslim.

Islam is not just a dogma and a collection of rituals. It is a total worldview that embraces the intellect as well as the spirit. It is a paradigm shift that transforms individuals, societies and civilizations, reshaping their horizons and remolding them in a global framework. And so it was in the archepelago.

The introduction of tasawwuf into the Archipelago sparked intense intellectual activity among the Malays, much as it had done earlier in Central Asia, Persia, India, Egypt and North Africa. Debates and discussions on the spiritual aspects of tasawwuf produced some of the most sublime literature in the Malay language. Shaykh Hamza al Fansuri, who lived in Acheh (northern Sumatra) during the reign of Riyat Shah (1589-1604), is the best known of the Sufi poets of the era. The Malays were as intensely involved with discussions about Wahdat al Wajud (Unity of Existence) as was the rest of the Islamic world at that time. The greatest exponent of this school of tasawwuf in the Malay language was Nuruddin al Raniri (d. 1666) of the Qadariya order.

It was about this time that the Qur’an was translated into the Malay language by Shaykh Abdul Rauf al Sinkili (d. 1693) of the Shattaria order. It is also noteworthy that Acheh (northern Sumatra) produced a succession of four Muslim queens (1641-1699) starting with Sultana Tajul Alam Safiyyatuddin Shah (1641-1675). These women monarchs ruled with distinction over most of the islands of Sumatra and parts of Java and brought pride and honor to the womanhood of Islam.

During the second phase of Islamic penetration, immigration from India to the Archipelago increased. These migrations were helped by the growth of trade in the Indian Ocean and the pivoted role of Malabar, Gujrat and Bengal in this trade. Muslim Indians joined the ranks of the Arabs and Persians as merchants in East Asia. When Malik Kafur, a general of Emperor Alauddin Khilji of Delhi, captured southern India (1300-1320), Islam was introduced into the Deccan Plateau of India.

Thereafter, many of the migrants from India to Malaya and Indonesia were Tamilian Muslims. After 1335, thanks to the vagaries of Emperor Muhammed bin Tughlaq, India split up into regional powers. Among the more powerful were the kingdoms of Gujrat (1335-1565), Bengal (1340-1575) and the Deccan Sultanates (1336–1650). Merchants, Sufi shaykhs and ulema from Gujrat, Bengal, the Makran coast of Baluchistan and the Deccan made up the ranks of immigrants to the Archipelago. In the 19th and the 20th centuries, when Great Britain controlled both India and Malaya, more Indians traveled to Malaya as soldiers and policemen. Despite these migrations, the Indian Muslims remained a small minority in both Malaya and Indonesia although many Muslim Indo-Pakistanis intermarried with the Malays and became a part of the Islamic amalgam.

In the third phase-1500 to 1950-the consolidation of Islam that had started in the second phase continued. Major strides were made not just in the conversion of people, but also in the evolution of culture and literature. The influence of Islam on the Malay language was profound. In India and Pakistan, the cultural impact of the Turks had resulted in the birth of a new language, Urdu. In Indonesia and Malaysia, the religious impact of the Sufis and the ulema transformed the Malay language. New alphabets were introduced into the Malay language to facilitate the pronunciation of the Qur’an. Arabic and Farsi words enriched the language, expanding its reach to include philosophy, theology, polemics, exposition and the rational sciences, which facilitated the integration of the Malay peoples into the international brotherhood of Islam.

The transcendence of Tawhid replaced the old worldview based on man-made deities. Language itself went through a transformation to accommodate the concepts of Being and the universal community of man. By the 16th century, the Malay language had become the common medium of expression of all the Malay peoples in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, displacing the ancient Javanese language. It also became the medium for the propagation of the new faith throughout the islands.

https://historyofislam.com/contents/the-post-mongol-period/islam-in-indonesia/

Thank you for a very informative post indos, rather then history I am interested about the present.
I have travelled only in northern part of Malaysia about 20 years ago, so my knowledge is limited and have not come across any Indonesians or Malaysians in my social circles. Always meant to travel across rest of Malaysia and Indonesia but it hasn't happened as yet, one day IA.

One of the most beautiful experiences of my life happened on the Malaysian border, I am British raised but was born in Pakistan, when the border guard was checking my passport, he looked very official and when he saw town of birth, he asked, where is that town. I said Pakistan, immediately he stopped checking and closed the passport and handed it back to me, and said "welcome brother", even now recalling this brings a wet tear of joy in my eyes.

I always wonder how attached Malaysians and Indonesians are to the rest of the Muslim world in their world view. Do they feel a part of that community as a society or they in general feel detached? being so far away, individually its very different, i just want to know the feeling in society in general.

And, this new stream of Islamic revivalism in Indonesia, what is the basis of that? this in particular is a very open ended question so feel free to interpret as you wish. Again, thank you for a lovely post. I really learnt something new.

 

[Indos]

Thank you for a very informative post indos, rather then history I am interested about the present.
I have travelled only in northern part of Malaysia about 20 years ago, so my knowledge is limited and have not come across any Indonesians or Malaysians in my social circles. Always meant to travel across rest of Malaysia and Indonesia but it hasn't happened as yet, one day IA.

One of the most beautiful experiences of my life happened on the Malaysian border, I am British raised but was born in Pakistan, when the border guard was checking my passport, he looked very official and when he saw town of birth, he asked, where is that town. I said Pakistan, immediately he stopped checking and closed the passport and handed it back to me, and said "welcome brother", even now recalling this brings a wet tear of joy in my eyes.

I always wonder how attached Malaysians and Indonesians are to the rest of the Muslim world in their world view. Do they feel a part of that community as a society or they in general feel detached? being so far away, individually its very different, i just want to know the feeling in society in general.

Your welcome brother,

Well, I believe Indonesian Muslim feel very close to their brother and sisters in other part of the world. It is because Islam itself teach us like that. It can be seen that despite Pakistan in the past were famous with terrorist bombing but Indonesian in majority still regard Pakistan quite positive, double in percentage than iron brother China. I believe you have seen that Pew Research survey that was conducted during chaos period in Pakistan.

The connection and the feeling of general population that support Palestinian and Rohingya for instant is shown by the support of Jokowi government despite his party is seen as secular force in our politics. Indonesian also protested on Uigyur issue and Delhi riots that force Indonesian foreign minister summoned China and India ambassadors.

And, this new stream of Islamic revivalism in Indonesia, what is the basis of that? this in particular is a very open ended question so feel free to interpret as you wish. Again, thank you for a lovely post. I really learnt something new.

Your welcome brother,

Well I think it is because the falling of Soeharto in 1998 gives more freedom to Islamic organization and their activists to do their Islamization work. Democratization also give Islamic organization like Muhammadiyah and Nahdatul Ulama (NU) more influence over education system for both modern and Islamic schools (madrasah).

Since 1999, all education ministers come from Muhammadiyah while NU gets huge financial support for their madrasah that they have across the nation through Religious ministary, since all of the religious minsiters come from NU. Only in Jokowi second term both Muhammadiyah and NU lost their tradition position as Education Minister and Religious Minister.

There is also influence coming from private television that could be watched freely since 1990, those early private televisions were owned by Soeharto son and daughter and those period was the time where Soeharto turn more Islamic and not surprising that some degree of Islamization also happend through Islamic programs on those television stations own by Soeharto kids.

Many television stations are also still held by Muslim entrepreneurs until now including popular news TV like CNN Indonesia, CNBC Indonesia, Metro TV, and TV ONE, while TV stations which mostly play entertainment are also held by Muslim like Trans TV, TV 7, and ANTV. Even TV station that is owned by Non Muslim like Indosiar also has regular Islamic program like Mama Dedeh (Monday until Friday in the morning) and during Ramadhan they also have Islamic program for Monday until Saturday at night (prime time).

Today as more Indonesian get connected into internet, more Indonesian Muslim learn Islam through Youtube channel and many Indonesian Muslim also regularly post Islamic teaching through FB and WA group.

That is what I think behind the increase of conservatism among Muslim in Indonesia.

 

[peagle]

Your welcome brother,

Well, I believe Indonesian Muslim feel very close to their brother and sisters in other part of the world. It is because Islam itself teach us like that. It can be seen that despite Pakistan in the past were famous with terrorist bombing but Indonesian in majority still regard Pakistan quite positive, double in percentage than iron brother China. I believe you have seen that Pew Research survey that was conducted during chaos period in Pakistan.

The connection and the feeling of general population that support Palestinian and Rohingya for instant is shown by the support of Jokowi government despite his party is seen as secular force in our politics. Indonesian also protested on Uigyur issue and Delhi riots that force Indonesian foreign minister summoned China and India ambassadors.



Your welcome brother,

Well I think it is because the falling of Soeharto in 1998 gives more freedom to Islamic organization and their activists to do their Islamization work. Democratization also give Islamic organization like Muhammadiyah and Nahdatul Ulama (NU) more influence over education system for both modern and Islamic schools (madrasah).

Since 1999, all education ministers come from Muhammadiyah while NU gets huge financial support for their madrasah that they have across the nation through Religious ministary, since all of the religious minsiters come from NU. Only in Jokowi second term both Muhammadiyah and NU lost their tradition position as Education Minister and Religious Minister.

There is also influence coming from private television that could be watched freely since 1990, those early private televisions were owned by Soeharto son and daughter and those period was the time where Soeharto turn more Islamic and not surprising that some degree of Islamization also happend through Islamic programs on those television stations own by Soeharto kids.

Many television stations are also still held by Muslim entrepreneurs until now including popular news TV like CNN Indonesia, CNBC Indonesia, Metro TV, and TV ONE, while TV stations which mostly play entertainment are also held by Muslim like Trans TV, TV 7, and ANTV. Even TV station that is owned by Non Muslim like Indosiar also has regular Islamic program like Mama Dedeh (Monday until Friday in the morning) and during Ramadhan they also have Islamic program for Monday-Saturday at night.

Today as more Indonesian get connected into internet, more Indonesian Muslim learn Islam through Youtube channel and many Indonesian Muslim also regularly post Islamic teaching through FB and WA group.

That is what I think behind the increase of conservatism among Muslim in Indonesia.

Thank you brother for a detailed answer.

Are people aware of the Kashmir problem and suffering of it's people?

I know Indonesia helped Pakistan in one of the wars in 1965 or 1971. We are the two largest Muslim countries in the world, and its such a shame there isn't more cooperation between our two countries.

From the outside, it seems we have a similar outlook on Islam. Although I myself don't practice Islam in the ritualistic sense, but I have a very strong feeling of Muslim nationalism within me.

 

[Indos]

Thank you brother for a detailed answer.

Are people aware of the Kashmir problem and suffering of it's people?

I know Indonesia helped Pakistan in one of the wars in 1965 or 1971. We are the two largest Muslim countries in the world, and its such a shame there isn't more cooperation between our two countries.

From the outside, it seems we have a similar outlook on Islam. Although I myself don't practice Islam in the ritualistic sense, but I have a very strong feeling of Muslim nationalism within me.

Your welcome brother

Well actually Indonesian in general dont know the problem in Kashmir since local news rarely talk about it and honestly I am just aware of the problem after I become an active member of PDF since middle of 2013. Indonesian people mostly know about the suffering that happen with Palestinian, Rohingya, Uigyur.

This is not because Indonesian regard Kashmir less than those people, but merely due to not knowing about the problem.