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influential in the archipelago. Not only   into two groups, namely a’yan tabithah             One exciting and controversial issue is   In 1637 Nuruddin al-Raniri  landed
                                                                                                                                                                                                34
                                   Syamsuddin and even al-Raniri, but also   (consisting of ahadiyah, wahdah,                    Ronggowarsito’s attempt to include his   Second, the wahdah, which means that knowledge
                                   other, anonymous authors composed       wahidiyah) and a’yan kharijah (alam                   concepts of mystical teachings into the   has to bow before the Essence, attributes, and all
                                   many commentaries on this book that     arwah, alam mithal, alam ajsam, alam                  Javanese world view. So ahadiyat in    that exists on the general road (jalan ijmal). This
                                                                                                                                                                        situation is called the Essence of Muhammadiah
                                   was deeply influenced by books written   insan), starting from a situation of total           the “seven emanations”, which is also   (hakikat Muhammadiah). Third, the wahidiah, is
                                   by Ibn ‘Arabi and al-Jili. 28           nothingness, to the highest level of the              called sajaratulyakin, is human nature   like His knowledge on the substance, all attributes
                                                                           most real.                                            called atma; the light of Muhammad     and all existing entities on the particular road (jalan
                                   In a text, which may have been written                                                                                               tafsil). These three emanations are eternal (kadim)
                                   by a pupil of al-Sumatrani,  it is said   After having been introduced, the                   is the “martabat wahdat”, which is     and called the Divine emanations. The fourth
                                                          29
                                                                                                                                                                        emanation is the world of the spirits (alam arwah),
                                   that before anything existed, there was   teachings of “the seven emanations”                 located beneath ahadiyat, i.e. manawa.   namely the domain of all souls associated with a
                                   only God, al-Haqq. From this total and   mentioned above have been very                       And so on. Perhaps, the opinion that   few cases, assembled under the word “kun” (lit.
                                   all-encompassing concept of oneness     influential. The doctrine teaches that the            Ronggowarsito, like his predecessors   be), with no more intermediary. The fifth emanation
                                                                                                                                                                        is the world of resemblance (alam mithal), where
                                   flowed the “martabat wahdat” (lit. unitary   creation process went through several            (Yosodipuro I and II), tried to combine   the spirit of the Prophet Muhammad is divided
                                   emanations), meaning “yang punya esa”   stages and that reality consists of various           Javanese tradition and knowledge with   into countless collections. Each parable has a
                                                                                                                                                                        different meaning and belongs to a spiritual form of
                                                                                                                                                          32
                                   (lit. He who owns oneness). After that   levels within the “essential” emanation              Islamic elements is also true.         community. The sixth emanation is the so-called
                                   came the “martabat wahdiat” (the single   which is also reflected in various religious        Developments in orthodoxy did not      world of bodies (alam ajsam), made from the four
                                   level), meaning “yang esa” (the one),   texts thought to have been written by                 do away with this mystical notion. The   elementss fire, air, water, and soil from which
                                                                                                                                                                        originate organic elements, like animals, plants,
                                   from which emanated “alam arwah”        the West Javanese legendary scholar,                  great 19  century Patani, Sheikh Abdul   humans, and jinns. These animate objects are still
                                                                                                                                        th
                                   (the nature of spirits), “alam mithal” (the   Sheikh Haji Abdul Rauf, who was   30            Kadir Abdul Rahim Patani, is a clear   under the word “kun”. The seventh emanation is
                                                                                                                                                                        that of perfect man, thus called because it contains
                                                                           supposedly one of Singkel’s disciples.
                                   nature of resemblance), “alam ajsam     In fact, also in a more literary and                  example. Although in his writings he   all emanations both physical and spiritual ---the
                                   (physical nature), and finally “alam insan   sophisticated style and using different          made references to Nuruddin al-Raniri,   eternal such as the Ahadiah, which also includes
                                   (human nature). Using other categories,   terminology, this teaching reveals itself in        he wrote his book in an atmosphere of   the Wahdah and Wahidiyah. This essence is
                                                                                                                                                                        called a‘yan thabitah (fixed objects), which are still
                                   the emanations of reality were divided   the Wirid Hidayat Jati said to have been             “emanation”. 33                        subjugated to Divine Knowledge, while the next
                                   28). And indeed, according to Carey (1975) this   written by the very famous poet of the      books, either on literature, history, or ethics,   four emanations are called a‘yan kharijiah, i.e. the
                                                                                                                                                                        expelled objects, which are only reflections of the
                                   book was studied by small groups of aristocrats                       31                      Ronggowarsito was always quoted in crisis   fixed objects. Javanese mysticism as discussed by
                                   in the palace. Raden Ayu Danukusumo, who was   Surakarta palace, Ronggowarsito.               situations, especially his Kalatida.   Zoetmulder (1990: 115-136) uses the same system,
                                   born around 1771, was married to a descendant of   30.  Santrie, 1987. This ulama is one of the   32.  Simuh, 1987.                  except that his attention is mainly focussed on a
                                   the family of Danurejo, the family of the governor   Javanese “holy men” Rinkes discussed in his                                     discussion of the first three emanations, which are
                                   who entertained close relations with santri families.   unfinished series of writings (Rinkes, 1912).   33.  Sheikh Kadir Patani (died 1864) was a member   within “divinity”.
                                   In two separated chronicles it is mentioned that the                                          of the Syattariah Sufi order – thus a follower of
                                   Tuhfa, in addition Pangeran Diponegoro studied   31.  Raden Ngabehi Ronggowarsito (1802-1873)   Sheikh Abdur Rauf al-Singkili. On his writings   34.  Nur al Din Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Hasan ibn
                                   also other books on Islamic mysticism and law, and   is generally considered the last court-poet of   about “the seven emanations”, Hasan (1980: 56-  Muhammad or better known as Nuruddin al-Raniri
                                   the history of the prophet Muhammad.    the Javanese tradition. Like his predecessors,        57) explains:                          was born in Ranir, an old port city in Gujarat near
                                                                                                                                                                        Surat, India. His date of birth is unknown. He was
                                                                                                                                 “Abdul Kadir presented the ‘seven emanations’
                                                                           Yosodipuro I and Yosodipuro II (about Yosodipuro,
                                   28.  On Ibn ‘Arabi see Kautsar Azhari Noer’s   see Soebandi, 1969) he studied Islam (in       system in an understandable and straighforward   of Arab al-Hamid aristocratic descent, one of
                                   dissertation, published in 1995.        Pesantren Tegalsari, Ponorogo) besides the            style. The seven emanations are the ahadiyah,   the Quraish tribes. In 1620 or 1621 he made the
                                   29.  Jones, 1957.                       Javanese literary tradition. Writing many             which is the essence of the key of His Essence.   pilgrimage. His uncle had taught in Aceh twice

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