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in Aceh and Sultan Iskandar Thani
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books as well as prosecuting their existence of Allah, the nature is Divine wujudiyah came up it was deviant... and
(1636-1641) immediately appointed followers--- led Mulla Ibrahim (from and God is the universe--- that is the the sifat’ul qulub?” 42
him as his trusted scholar. He also Medina) to issue a fatwa reprimanding saying and belief of a real infidel.” Al-Raniri’s attack against Hamzah
very quickly attacked Hamzah Fansuri al-Raniri harsh ways of operation. Al-Raniri equated these teaching with Fansuri and Syamsuddin al-Sumatrani’s
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and Syamsuddin as-Sumatrani’s Sufi Moreover, no real debate could those of the nasara, (Christians), “it is teachings failed to do away with their
teachings which he accused of being take place as al-Raniri attacked the said that Jesus is God”. Furthermore, influential Sufi ways of thinking. Indeed,
examples of misguided wujudiyah wujudiyah teachings when Hamzah and he said, “Whoever wanted to interpret this is also one aspect of the history
dhalalah (deviating existentialism), Syamsuddin had already passed away. 37 that God is nature and that nature is of religious thought: the success of a
“apostate” (mulhid) and “heretic” Divine... and again said that mankind new way of thinking did not mean the
(zindiq). Al-Raniri’s onslaught was His harsh and intolerant attitude, plus his is Divine... means to deny God and His eradication of the old ways of thought.
part of his attempt to expand his own very strong dependence on the Sultan’s messenger, and to justify the beliefs Quite often, what was “new” was
influence within the palace, or perhaps power, did not help the attempts of the of the Jews and the Christians.” The more an intermezzo when the “old”
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they were a reflection of the shock he orthodox movement al-Raniri started. correct wujudiyah, which is monotheist had not yet reached the height of its
experienced when he saw that esoteric Shortly after the sultan had died, other (muwahhid), is “that God’s existence development. And, al-Raniri’s influence
teachings had become widespread scholars launched a counter-attack and is one, uncountable and limitless, no within the world of Islamic thought in the
among ill-trained groups of people and Sultanah Tajul-Alam (1641-1675) thought totality and no halve, not assembled archipelago became more meaningful
this may also have been an example it was not in her best interest to defend and not divided in parts, no special when orthodoxy had increasingly gained
of, as Drewes pointed out, how the al-Raniri. Thus, al-Raniri was in a hurry type and no generality, no substance power. According to Sheikh Ismail al-
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debates that were going on in another to leave Aceh. According to a Dutch no organic structure... and so He exists Banjari, he used the Sirat al-Mustaqim
part of the Islamic world (India) were report, another religious scholar replaced and created all things”. Al-Raniri wrote to write his own book on Islamic law
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also reflected in the archipelago. What him in the palace. even harsher criticism in a text he wrote (fiqh). But this happened at the end of
is clear is that al-Raniri’s intolerance In Hujjat as-Siddiq li daf’i al-zindiq, after his return to India, Al-Fath al- the century, when two decades had
---burning Hamzah and Syamsuddin’s al-Raniri said that Hamzah’s teachings Mubin a’la al-Mulhidin (1657 A.D./1068 passed and after al-Raniri’s hasty exit
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1637), he played an important role, and he was were apostate and heretical, fallacious A.H.). But the work in which he truly a and when Sheikh Abdur Rauf al-Singkili
even promoted, according to al-Attas, to Sheikh frontally attacked Syamsuddin’s group is had returned to Aceh in 1661. As
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al-Islam. In 1644, after writing many books, like and cursed. “The heretical wujudiyah his book, Al-Tibyan fi Ma’rifati al-Adyan,
his very famous Bustanus-Salatin (1638), Sirat al- said that existence is one; this is the 42. Al-Attas, 1966, quotes p. 15.
Mustaqim (1634), Asrar al-Insan fi Ma’rifat (1640- which according to al-Attas, was written 43. If Rinkes’ (1909) estimation that Abdur Rauf
1644), and Hujjat al-Siddiq li daf‘ al-Zindiq, and 36. Johns, 1975, 1976. between 1641 and 1644. It states, ibn al-Sinkel, born in Singkel and also known as
other books, he rushed back to Ranir. He passed 37. This fact was underlined by al-Attas, who Teungku in Kuala is not totally wrong, he went
away in 1658 while he was finishing his book, tends to defend Fansuri (al-Attas, 1966: 16-17). “when Syamsuddin al-Sumatrani’s to the Holy Land when he was 25-30 years old,
Rahiq al-Muhammadiyah fi Taufiq al-Suffiyah. According to al-Attas (ibid, 27-29) Fansuri was students’ heretic, apostate group of the so he was probably born around the year 1615,
From al-Attas, 1986, on al-Raniri, see also among no less orthodox than al-Raniri. Moreover, the because he was in Arabia ---studying with fifteen
others Daudy 1983, 1987; Tujimah, 1961; Drewes, “heterodox” Fansuri mostly resulted from al- 39. Al-Attas, 1966: 86-89. scholars and Sufis--- for about 19 years. Rauf only
1974; al-Attas, 1966. Raniri’s distortions of Hamzah Fansuri’s writings. 40. Al-Attas, 1966: 89. went home after his teacher, al-Qushashi, died
35. Drewes, 1986. 38. Ito, 1978. 41. Daudy, 1987. and he had received the diploma from Qushashi’s
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