Page 23 - INDONESIAN ISLAMIC CULTURE

Islamic territory and the pleasure he had in discussing with scholars. We
may understand the story in the sense that Samudera-Pasai was visited
by large numbers of religious scholars. At the time, however, Majapahit,
as reported in the Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai, arrived as conqueror but later
forged ties of friendship. As told in the Hikayat Banjar the daughter of the
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king of Pasai was married to the king of Majapahit, and her brother who
came to visit her was welcomed by the king and allowed to settle; both
played a role in the Islamization process of the region. The Sejarah Melayu
tells how important Pasai had been in the development of Islam in the
archipelago. It also includes the thrilling episode of the Portuguese attack
against Malacca. It was told that when the army rested at night, Sultan
Ahmad proposed a reading of the Hikayat Amir Hamzah, but the army rather
liked to listen to the Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah. 21
This little episode is an important historical fact. Apparently, before the
fall of Malacca, Persian texts had started to be translated into Malay.
Therefore, Islamic cosmopolitanism had also started to enter the cultural
life of the Malay world. From historical sources we know precisely that
towards the end of the 15 century, the Malay world had been increasingly
th
and intensely involved in the cultural dynamics of the outside world. In
addition to translating Persian texts, Hindu-Javanese literature such as
the Mahabharata and Ramayana were also translated. Because these
translations were highly popular, Nuruddin al-Raniri, the influential cleric at
the palace of Sultan Iskandar Muda, had to remind the people that these
Javanese texts were un-Islamic. Thus, the story of the Five Pandawas had
to be Islamized as well.
Towards the end of the 16 century, Hamzah Fansuri (born in Barus and
th
died in Mecca in 1570) had started the tradition of Islamic fundamental
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thought and literature. Apart from his mystical ideas, his poetry produced
a Malay sense of aesthetic life. It is not exaggerated to say that he is the
pioneer of the Malay literary tradition and Malay thought who will always be
remembered. Among his work is the following poem:
“Know yourself, O the child of jamu
Do not forget your-own self
Knowledge of the essence ought to discern
That made you be known as your existence
20. This episode in J.J. Ras, Hikayat Banjar: A study in Malay Historiography, The Hague,
Martinus Nijhoff, 1968.
21. Sedjarah Melaju, Alkisah Tjeritera jang ketiga puluh empat, 296-298.
22. Claude Guillot dan Ludvik Kalus, “Batu Nisan Hamzah Fansuri” dalam Claude Guillot &
Ludvik Kalus, Inskripsi Islam Tertua di Indonesia, Jakarta: KPG, EFEO, Forum Jakarta-Paris,
2008, 71-100.
14 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives
Hamzah Fansuri’s main concern was the relationship between the Creator
and mankind, His creatures. Many of his poems exude an atmosphere of
reform in social and religious life. He strongly condemned meditation but
he did show what the right efforts were in order to become closer to God.
However, at the highest stage of his philosophical and religious contemplation
he arrived at the concept of existential monism (wahdat al-wujud).
After Hamzah passed away, his disciple Shamsuddin al-Sumatrani, also
wrestled with the problem of the relationship between creatures and
God. But he reminded mankind that “this secret is too difficult and without
directions from a perfect teacher, or if a student is not wise, he will gain
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nothing since lust only [leads to] heterodox unbelief.” Aware of the problem
of this sacred relationship, the Wali Sanga finally sentenced Sheikh Siti
Jenar. The saints accused him of teaching the concept of the “too perplexed
secrets” to the general public. In his Serat Cabolek, Yosodipuro, the
Surakarta court poet, tells us that eventually the Sunan also punished Kiai
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Mutamakin by banishing him to foreign territory. Formulating the court’s
support for orthodoxy, the Serat Cabolek describes how, when arguing with
Ketib Anom, the kyai failed to defend his religious opinions and attitudes.
Before Yosodipuro proved the erroneous foundations of Kiai Mutamakin’s
theological attitude, Ketib Anom and Nuruddin ar-Raniri had already harshly
attacked Hamzah Fansuri’s mystical orientation by going as far as burning
his books. For them, the notion of the wahdatul wujud as promoted by the
mystic poet and his disciple Shamsuddin practically unified the Creator with
His creatures. In Aceh Darussalam, Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607-1636) can
be regarded as the monarch who maintained strict Islamic orthodoxy.
25
Then, after al-Raniri’s speedy departure, Aceh Darussalam entered a
period with a more tolerant atmosphere. It is said that the cleric-poet, who
had written many works including the encyclopedic Bustanus Salatin, had
to leave Aceh Darussalam because he had lost his patron. Under the reign
of Sultan Iskandar Thani (1637-1641) and his religious adviser Sheikh Abdur
Rauf al-Singkili (died 1680), an expert and the first writer on Malay Quranic
interpretation, a more open atmosphere was created while the influence
of the religious thoughts and reflections emanating from Aceh Darussalam
th
remained widespread. In the early 19 century, for instance, the Sirat al
Mustaqim (1634) used by Sheikh al-Banjari as its model. According to him,
al-Raniri’s work was too hard to be understood by laymen.
Because the relationship of mankind and its Creator had become a
23. Teuku Iskandar, “Shamsuddin As-Sumatrani: Tokoh Wujudiyah”, Dewan Bahasa, 9, 5,
1965.
24. Soebardi, The Book of Cabolek: A Critical Edition with Introduction, Translation and Notes;
A Contribution to the Study of the Javanese Mystical Tradition, The Hague ; Nijhoff, 1975.
25. Takashi Ito, “Why did Nuruddin ar-Raniri leave Aceh in 1054 A.H.?”BKI, 134, 1978, 488-
491.
Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 15