Page 255 - INDONESIA ISLAMIC CULTURE

th
The Walio stone is a Thus, in the 18 century, Palembang
heritage of the Buton played an important role in the
Sultanate. Before a development of Islam in the Indonesia
sultan or a king was archipelago. In this century, Palembang
inaugurated, this produced many leading scholars who
location was used to wrote influential works that would in
beat the drum. part determine the intellectual and
social discourse of Islam in Indonesia.
Source: Directorate of
History and Cultural This is evident from the fact that the
Values, Ministry of works authored by religious scholars
Education and Culture from Palembang ---and also the works
of the Republic of of the Banjar scholar in Kalimantan---
Indonesia. have been reprinted numerous times.
Thus, these religious works became the
sources of the Muslims’ formation of
knowledge and their religious attitude.
These works were read not only by
Malay-Indonesian Muslims, but also by
non-Malay Muslims in other regions in
Indonesia. Therefore, the works of these
Palembang scholars strengthened the
spread of the use of Malay more widely
in Indonesia.
Entering the 19 century, the
th
development of Islam and the Malay
language came to be centered in Riau,
precisely in the island of Penyengat, the
center of the Riau-Lingga Kingdom in the
19 century. The most prominent figure
53
th
who contributed to the development of
the social-intellectual discourse and
political Islam in Malayis Raja Ali Haji
(1808-1873) who wrote many influential
246 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives
works, especially with regards to the
development of Malay culture. Above
all, Raja Ali Haji had a strong interest in
linguistics. This is evident from his work,
Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa (Book of
Language Knowledge). Although he did
not finish the work---possibly because
he died before having been able to do
so— the Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa is
strong evidence of Raja Ali Haji’s desire
to promote the use of Malay. Raja Ali Haji
declared that his work was wanted as a
guide for those who intended to increase
their knowledge of language, religion,
and the right customs. Raja Ali Haji’s
interest in these areas can also be seen
from the letters he wrote to officials in the
colonial government, especially Roorda
van Eysinga and A.F. von de Wall, two
Dutch scholar who were very interested
in language and culture. This work was
lithographed in 1857 with the support of
Von de Wall (1807-73) and his German
companions who composed a Dutch-
Malay dictionary, and for whom Raja
Ali Haji played the role as informer and
54
assistant.
The discussion in the Kitab Pengetahuan
Bahasa is divided into two main parts.
The first consists of a discussion of
seven words that start with an alif, i.e.
Allah, Al-Nabi, Ashab, Akhbar, Al-
Insan Al-Awali and Al-Akhirat. In this
section, Raja Ali Haji offers a relatively of Important Duties), and Intizam Wazaif
detailed and systematic description al-Malik (Systematic Regulation on
of these religious concepts (and their the King’s Duties). The third text is an
history), so that the first part of the important work especially with regards
Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa resembles to the history and politics of the Malay
a religious textmore than a book onthe kingdoms. In the Tuhfat al-Nafis he
Malay language. In the second part, explained the history of the Malay
though it has the same tendency as
kingdom of Johor at length, especially
the first part, Raja Ali Haji presents the political behavior of its Kings. For
discussions clearly meant as a Raja Ali Haji, the greatness of Malay
dictionary. It is organized systematically Johor in the past was an example to be
and starts with words that start with alif, emulated by the rulers of his time whom
‘ba’, ‘ta’, ‘nya’, ‘jim’, and ‘ca’. The book is he judged to have deviated from the
made up of eighty-seven chapters and norms of Islam.
contains 1,687 entries. His Kamus Logat
55
Johor Pahang Riau Lingga (Dictionary of If the Tuhfat resembles Malay
Johor Pahang Riau Lingga Dialects),to historiography, the Thamarat and Intizam
be a basic tool in the reconstruction of contain the political principles the kings
words that had been miskaenly used and the political elites of the realm
became of the users could not refer to should adopt as their guiding sources. In
the original sources. 56 both works, Raja Ali Haji promoted the
It should be emphasized however that Malay kingdom’s political way of thinking
Raja Ali Haji’sthoughts about language which he formulated based on the past
experiences of the kingdom he had
revolved around the efforts of restoring described in the Tuhfat. The Thamarat
Malay culture. He had witnessed the contains advice and instructions for the
political and economic problems that had rulers so that in exercising their power
hit the kingdom and saw the fundamental they might learn from the stories of
changes that had been taken place in earlier Malay rulers.
the Malay world. His Buku Pengetahuan
Bahasa was meant to be used for Malay At a closer inspection, one can see that
cultural revitalization. His other important see that Raja Ali Haji in his book trie to
works are the Tuhfat al-Nafis (Precious revive the kingdom’s political system,
Gift), Thamarat al-Muhimmah (Rewards which had already been well established
Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 247