Page 120 - INDONESIAN ISLAMIC CULTURE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

from Isfahan, and Amir al-Dawlasah
110 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives
the vicinity of a mosque, a dayah was (West Sumatra), for example, Tuanku dialogue” in Java, which presupposed The Sultanate of Malacca
from India. Hence, Samudera Pasai established as an educational institution Burhanuddin opened educational separateness, and often tension, during the process of
was recognized as the leading center separate from a mosque, and later, institutions at the coastal town of Ulakan between religious authorities and kings. Islamization. The Strait
of Islamic education, and many people dayahs would specialize on a certain after he had completed his studies in Mataram’s policy, especially after of Malacca has been
came to visit and study Islam, such as field of traditional Islamic knowledge. Aceh under Abd al-Rauf al-Singkili. This Sultan Agung who wanted to turn the a route of bustling
Nur al-Din Ibrahim Mawlana Izra’il, who In this way, Dayah Tafsir for Quranic educational institution became known as Mataram palace into a mono-palace, commercial traffic
later became known as Sunan Gunung interpretation and Dayah Fiqh for Islamic a surau, a Minangkabau term meaning the single power center in Java, was since the 7 /8 century
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Jati,-one of the “nine saints” responsible law, and so on came into being. “place of worship”. In the Malay world, not accompanied by the destruction of connecting the Middle
for the Islamization of Java and for suraus had developed into centers for Islamic educational centers. Pesantrens East, India, the Malay-
the founding of the Islamic empires of It is important to explain as noted by the implementation of Islamic education, increasingly grew into the sources Indonesian archipelago,
Cirebon and Banten. Azyumardi Azra, that teachers in Aceh like meunasah in Aceh. of the Islamic way of life of the local and China.
mostly consisted of Middle Eastern rural communities. Islamic scholars, or
In Samudera Pasai, Islamic education scholars. This accords with the Bustan The Surau of Ulakan occupied an Source: Atlas Sejarah
seems to have been limited to the as-Salatin that recorded the presence important place in the process of the kyais in Javanese, emerged as cultural Indonesia Masa Islam
royal palace, or at least it had not yet of scholars in Aceh who taught various Islamization of the Minangkabau. brokers, in Clifford Geertz’s term, to (Historical Atlas of
been institutionalized into an institution fields of Islamic knowledge: Quran Because of Burhanuddin’s charisma as transmit the universal teachings of Islam Indonesia’s Islamic
designed for that purpose. Only in interpretation, Islamic jurisprudence, the founder of the mosque, and because to the communities in the countryside. Period), 2011.
Aceh, and especially since the reign of Sufism, and so on. These scholars came he was a follower of the Shattariyah Sufi Therefore, over time, pesantrens in Java
Sultan Iskandar Muda, Islamic education to Aceh because it had already been order, Minangkabau tradition recognizes not only functioned as the centers of
was offered in special institutions integrated into the Islamic world (dar Ulakan as the origin of the Islamization in Islamic education they also appeared
called meunasah, rangkang, or dayah. al-Islam) at an international level. Later, the region. Indeed, the Surau of Ulakan to have constructed legitimate reality in
Meunasahs were originally places of Islamic education was entirely conducted played an important role as the center of Islamic terms. Their separation from the
worship, but subsequently they served by local religious scholars who were Islamic education and like Burhanuddin; palace appears to have given the kyais
as venues for the education of Acehnese commonly called teungku, an honorific those who had finished their studied at the freedom in their boarding schools
children where they learnt to recite the title in respect of their higher level of this Surau subsequently established to play other roles than merely that of
Quran. After having been educated in a Islamic knowledge. similar institutions in their home towns, “religious masters” or “pedagogues of
meunasah, students would continue their for instance Surau Tuanku Nan Tuo in Islamic knowledge”. They had a very
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religious education at a higher level in a In the 17 century, Islamic educational Cangking and Surau Pemansiangan. significant role in the process of social
rangkang, which was usually set up near institutions in Aceh were at the basis and cultural formation in rural Java.
a mosque. The highest level of education of the further growth of similar Islamic In Java, pesantren did not fall under Hence, pesantrens became important
was available at a dayah, an Islamic educational institutions in other areas royal control, especially not after agents of Islamization in interior Java,
educational institution for those who in the archipelago. These institutions Mataram had come to power in the which in turn gave them their rural
wanted to explore religious knowledge. were set up by scholars after they had 17 century. This was certainly a character. This makes it understandable
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Unlike a rangkang that was located in visited Aceh. Thus, in Minangkabau, consequence of the “tradition of that during the Dutch colonial period
Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 111