Page 25 - INDONESIAN ISLAMIC CULTURE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

Islamic territory and the pleasure he had in discussing with scholars. We Hamzah Fansuri’s main concern was the relationship between the Creator
may understand the story in the sense that Samudera-Pasai was visited and mankind, His creatures. Many of his poems exude an atmosphere of
by large numbers of religious scholars. At the time, however, Majapahit, reform in social and religious life. He strongly condemned meditation but
as reported in the Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai, arrived as conqueror but later he did show what the right efforts were in order to become closer to God.
forged ties of friendship. As told in the Hikayat Banjar the daughter of the However, at the highest stage of his philosophical and religious contemplation
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king of Pasai was married to the king of Majapahit, and her brother who he arrived at the concept of existential monism (wahdat al-wujud).
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 After Hamzah passed away, his disciple Shamsuddin al-Sumatrani, also
tells how important Pasai had been in the development of Islam in the wrestled with the problem of the relationship between creatures and
archipelago. It also includes the thrilling episode of the Portuguese attack God. But he reminded mankind that “this secret is too difficult and without
against Malacca. It was told that when the army rested at night, Sultan directions from a perfect teacher, or if a student is not wise, he will gain
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Ahmad proposed a reading of the Hikayat Amir Hamzah, but the army rather nothing since lust only [leads to] heterodox unbelief.” Aware of the problem
liked to listen to the Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiah. 21 of this sacred relationship, the Wali Sanga finally sentenced Sheikh Siti
Jenar. The saints accused him of teaching the concept of the “too perplexed
This little episode is an important historical fact. Apparently, before the secrets” to the general public. In his Serat Cabolek, Yosodipuro, the
fall of Malacca, Persian texts had started to be translated into Malay. Surakarta court poet, tells us that eventually the Sunan also punished Kiai
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Therefore, Islamic cosmopolitanism had also started to enter the cultural Mutamakin by banishing him to foreign territory. Formulating the court’s
life of the Malay world. From historical sources we know precisely that support for orthodoxy, the Serat Cabolek describes how, when arguing with
towards the end of the 15 century, the Malay world had been increasingly Ketib Anom, the kyai failed to defend his religious opinions and attitudes.
th
and intensely involved in the cultural dynamics of the outside world. In Before Yosodipuro proved the erroneous foundations of Kiai Mutamakin’s
addition to translating Persian texts, Hindu-Javanese literature such as theological attitude, Ketib Anom and Nuruddin ar-Raniri had already harshly
the Mahabharata and Ramayana were also translated. Because these attacked Hamzah Fansuri’s mystical orientation by going as far as burning
translations were highly popular, Nuruddin al-Raniri, the influential cleric at his books. For them, the notion of the wahdatul wujud as promoted by the
the palace of Sultan Iskandar Muda, had to remind the people that these mystic poet and his disciple Shamsuddin practically unified the Creator with
Javanese texts were un-Islamic. Thus, the story of the Five Pandawas had His creatures. In Aceh Darussalam, Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607-1636) can
to be Islamized as well.
be regarded as the monarch who maintained strict Islamic orthodoxy.
Towards the end of the 16 century, Hamzah Fansuri (born in Barus and 25
th
died in Mecca in 1570) had started the tradition of Islamic fundamental Then, after al-Raniri’s speedy departure, Aceh Darussalam entered a
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thought and literature. Apart from his mystical ideas, his poetry produced period with a more tolerant atmosphere. It is said that the cleric-poet, who
a Malay sense of aesthetic life. It is not exaggerated to say that he is the had written many works including the encyclopedic Bustanus Salatin, had
pioneer of the Malay literary tradition and Malay thought who will always be to leave Aceh Darussalam because he had lost his patron. Under the reign
remembered. Among his work is the following poem: 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
“Know yourself, O the child of jamu interpretation, a more open atmosphere was created while the influence

Do not forget your-own self of the religious thoughts and reflections emanating from Aceh Darussalam
th
remained widespread. In the early 19 century, for instance, the Sirat al
Knowledge of the essence ought to discern Mustaqim (1634) used by Sheikh al-Banjari as its model. According to him,
That made you be known as your existence al-Raniri’s work was too hard to be understood by laymen.
Because the relationship of mankind and its Creator had become a

20. This episode in J.J. Ras, Hikayat Banjar: A study in Malay Historiography, The Hague, 23. Teuku Iskandar, “Shamsuddin As-Sumatrani: Tokoh Wujudiyah”, Dewan Bahasa, 9, 5,
Martinus Nijhoff, 1968. 1965.
21. Sedjarah Melaju, Alkisah Tjeritera jang ketiga puluh empat, 296-298. 24. Soebardi, The Book of Cabolek: A Critical Edition with Introduction, Translation and Notes;
22. Claude Guillot dan Ludvik Kalus, “Batu Nisan Hamzah Fansuri” dalam Claude Guillot & A Contribution to the Study of the Javanese Mystical Tradition, The Hague ; Nijhoff, 1975.
Ludvik Kalus, Inskripsi Islam Tertua di Indonesia, Jakarta: KPG, EFEO, Forum Jakarta-Paris, 25. Takashi Ito, “Why did Nuruddin ar-Raniri leave Aceh in 1054 A.H.?”BKI, 134, 1978, 488-
2008, 71-100. 491.

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