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of the Acehnese kings, and more This text contains the genealogy of the Entering the 18 and 19 centuries,
particularly that of Sultan Iskandar Muda kings of Aceh, starting from its first king,
whose descendants are described in Sultan Johan Shah, who is said”to have
detail. After that, the text continues come from a wind ward in 601 A.H.
with a detailed biography of Sultan There after Sultan Ahmad gained control
Iskandar Muda, starting from his birth, and he was entitled Sultan Ri‘ayat Shah
childhood until his adult life when he in 632 A.H.”This text further illustrates
was appointed as the ruler of Aceh. the continuously changing process
Therefore, although entitled Hikayat of authority until the 34 king, Sultan
th
Aceh (Story of Aceh), this text is mostly Alauddin Muhammad Shah. 50
dedicated to Sultan Iskandar Muda,
Aceh’s greatest ruler. 48 Adat Majlis Raja-Raja
The Adat Majlis Raja-raja (Customs of
Adat Perintah Raja-raja or Kings Assembly) contains the rules and
Mabain al-Salatin
protocols ---referred here as customs
There is not much information about the (adat)--- of various institutions (majlis)
Adat Perintah Raja-raja (Traditions of in the kingdom (i.e. the king’s assembly
Kings’ Commands). Iskandar simply and the army commanders), up to special
49
states that a manuscript entitled Mabain institutions for social-religious affairs:
al-Salatin (the Sultans’ Building) is also the Majlis Tabal (Tabal Council) on the
found in the Turkish court, and in some calculation of the day for performing
ways it reminds one of the Taj as-Salatin. the fast, the Majlis Junjung Duli (Ascent
It apparently aims to offer advice to Council), the Majlis Berangkat Hari Jumat
the authorities on how to manage their (Friday Departure Council), the Majlis
kingdom, such as how to determine Bandar [Aceh] Darussalam (Harbor of
the requirements of an ideal king, his [Aceh] Darussalam Council), and various
attitudes and behavior in relation to other assemblies in the environment of
palace elites, and a number of rules for the Aceh kingdom.
the inhabitants of a kingdom.
Palembang and Riau: The 18
th
Silsilah Raja-raja dalam Negeri and 19 centuries Centers of
th
Aceh Bandar Darussalam Malay Language Development
244 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives
reconciliation between Sufism and the
th
th
the center of the development of Malay Shari‘a for which he adopted many works
moved to Palembang and subsequently by al-Ghazali, as he was the main figure
to Riau. Palembang position in the behind this effort.
development of Islam in the archipelago Another scholar from Palembang is
th
started in the 18 century and was Shihabuddin bin Abdullah Muhammad.
marked by the emergence of a number His works include the Sharh yang Latif
of scholars who wrote works in various atas Mukhtasar Jawharut Tauhid,. in
fields of Islamic knowledge. Supported form of a Malay translation on a review of
by the authorities who encouraged Jawhar al-Tawhid by Ibrahim al-Laqani.
religious-intellectual activities, Another work is a treatise adopting the
Palembang replaced Aceh as the center Risalah fi al-Tawhid by Walli Raslan
of Islamic development as Aceh’s role
had gradually diminished due to internal al-Dimasyqi. Mention also needs to
be made here of Kemas Fachruddin,
conflicts, and then the war against the another Palembang scholar who
Dutch Colonial Government. 51
Abdussamad al-Palimbani is the first contributed significantly to the use of
Malay in religious works (book literature).
scholar whose works needs to be He also translated and adapted a number
discussed. Iskandar a scribes nine of Arabic books into Malay: Zakariya
52
works (books) to al-Palimbani, among al-Ansari’s Fath al-Rahman, Futuh
which the most famous is the Hidayat al-Sham,a translation of Abu Ismail
al-Salikin fi Suluk Maslak al-Muttaqin. al-Basri’s Mukhtasar Futuh al-Sham,
Written in Malay in Mecca (completed in and the Tuhfat al-Zaman,translation of
1788) it is an adaptation of al-Ghazali’s Ibn Shaddad al-Himyari’s Tuhfat al-
Bidayat al-Hidayah. Other works are Zaman fi Dharf al-Yaman. In the list
the Sair al-Salikin ila ‘ibadati Rabb al- of works among ranked among 18
th
‘alamin which is also based on a work by century book literature, one book should
al-Ghazaliand the Lubab Ihya ‘Ulum al- be included. It waswritten by the great
Dinalso written in Malay and completed scholar from Kalimantan, Muhammad
in the holy land of Mecca about ten years Arsyad bin Abdullah al-Banjari. He wrote
after his first book. Inheriting the neo- a very famous book, Sabil al-Muhtadin
Sufi intellectual tradition, al-Palimbani’s li al-tafaqquh fi Amr al-Din, \ about the
works tried to stress the need for a intricacies of the study of Islam.
Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 245