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understanding of mystical gnosis Syair Perahu, Bahrunnisa, Syair Dagang, Hamzah Fansuri’s poetry although Thoughts of Indonesian Islam
(makrifat). 5 Syair Si Burung Pingai and many others. no written evidence has been found
Hamzah’s second book, Asrar al- However, some scholars have been that indicate that he knew Hamzah After Hamzah Fansuri and Shamsuddin
al-Sumatra’i, from the beginning of the
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‘arifin, is a prose commentary on his reluctant to attribute these works to personally. th
mystical poems arranged by Hamzah Hamzah Fansuri, since the evidence for Unlike Hamzah, Shamsuddin not only 17 century, the constellation of Islamic
himself, included in the midst of his this supposition remains weak. wrotehis mystic-theosophical thoughts scholarship was both clearer and there
explanation. The writing process of The typically mystical way of thinking in Malay, but also in Arabic. This is an were decisively more social relations
the longest among Hamzah’s works like that of Hamzah Fansuri continued indication of his superior intellectual between religious intellectuals and
may have been inspired by Ahmad to exist in a member of the next capacity compared to contemporary between the Malay-Indonesian Islamic
al-Ghazali’s Sawanih, Ibn ‘Arabi’s generationof Acehnese ‘ulama, Acehnese ‘ulama. In fact, he was a world and other Islamic places, especially
Tarjuman al-ashwaq, ‘Iraqi’s Lama‘at, Shamsuddin al-Sumatra’i (1550?-1630) native Acehnese ‘alim who was highly Mecca and Medina (Haramayn). The
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and ‘Abdurrahman al-Jāmi’s Lawā’ih. who was also famous for being the competent in religious knowledge. intimate relations between these two
Comparing this work with the other two Shaykh al-Islam, the Palace supreme Shamsuddin’s mystical ideas on Islamic regions encouraged intellectual
treatises , Abdul Hadi noted that the ‘alim during the reigns of three Sultans, profound mystical gnosis are especially traditions marked by closemaster-disciple
Asrār al-‘arifin is the most distinguished i.e. ‘Alauddin Ri’ayat Shah (1588-1604), manifest in one of his masterpieces in relationshipsbetween Malay-Indonesian
and original of Hamzah’s books. 6 ‘Ali Ri‘ayat Shah (1604-7) andIskandar Arabic, Jawhar al-Haqā’iq, in which he ‘ulamaand those of the Haramayn that
continued to play its role as the center of
By contrast, al-Muntahi is Hamzah’s Muda (1607-36)had the closest explained his deep understanding of Islamic learning. 10
shortest prose work though its substance relationship with him. Observing his existential monism by way of underlining
is dense and profound. Drewes and works, it is clear that Shamsuddin knew the importance of tawhid, in addition Several Malay-Indonesian ‘ulama
Brakel (1986:12) concluded that al- 7. His background was barely unknown, but his to his interpretation of the divine finest extended their Islamic knowledge in
Muntahi consists of collections of name simply appeared to be installed “Shaykh namesbased on the expression la the Haramayn. They were known as
Qur’anic verses, prophetic traditions, al-Islam” in court at the beginning of the reign ilaha illallah. Several other works members of the Jama’at al-Jawiyin (the
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of Sultan ‘Alauddin Ri’ayat Shah up to the two
mystical poetry, and ecstatic utterances following rulers. Paying attention to his works, it is Shamsuddin wrotein Arabic include Javanese community) in Mecca. They
by Sufis, all of which are employed to very clear that he knew and was influenced as well Mir’at al-muhaqqiqin, Kitab al-Khirqah, include Nuruddin al-Raniri (d. 1658),
explain the spiritual meaning of the by the notions of Hamzah Fansuri, even though Nur al-Daqā’iq, and Tanbīh al-Tullāb. His ‘Abdurrauf bin Ali al-Jawi al-Fansuri
there was no evidence that he had ever met him
hadith statement, “a man who knows (See Anthony Johns, “Reflections on the Mysticism works in Malay include Anwar al-Daqā’iq, (1615-1693), and Muhammad Yusuf
th
himself, will know his Lord”. of Shams al-Din al-Sumatra’i (1950?-1630)” in Bayan al-Qulub, Da’irat al-Wujud, Haqq al-Makasari (1629-1699) for the 17
Jan van der Putten and Mary Kilcline Cody (Eds.) century; Abdussamad al-Palimbani,
In addition to these treatises, Hamzah Lots Times and Untold Tales from the Malay World al-Yaqin, Sharh al-Ruba‘i, Mir’āt al-Iman Arshad al-Banjari (1710-1812), and
Fansuri’s mystical thoughts may also be (Singapore, NUS Press, 2009” 148-163). This a part from many others. th
article was then republished for greater readers
found incollections of poetry such as his in Studia Islamika vol. 18 no. 2(2011), p. 227-248. The Global Network of Islamic Daud al-Fatani (d. 1847) in the 18
See also Peter Riddell, Islam and the Malay- 10. On this see Azyumardi Azra, Jaringan Ulama
5. Hadi 2001: 147. Indonesian World: Transmission and Responses 8. Johns (2009: 150). Timur Tengah dan Kepulauan Nusantara Abad
6. Hadi (2001: 152). (Singapore: Horizon Books, 2001), p. 110-115. 9. Johns (2009: 153). XVII dan XVIII (Bandung: Mizan, 2 reprint, 1994).
nd

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