Page 189 - INDONESIAN ISLAMIC CULTURE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

The fortress of Tolucco, dwellings for scholars, thinkers and remembered. The tradition of kings
which was a Portuguese authors of religious texts. Ibn Battuta’s being surrounded by scholars would
stronghold during the report about Samudra Pasai and Tome continue, although later on religious
attack against Ternate. Pires’ testimony about the ruler-traders life had become bureaucratized. This
It was built by Fransisco who were surrounded by mullahs are was a reasonable thing, said the Tajus
Serão in 1540. evidence that this was common in Salatin (quoting the Sifat as-Salatin

Source: Directorate of Islamic kingdoms. Not only Iskandar as its source), “let the king always be
History and Cultural Thani and his empress who later longing for companions who are people
Values, Ministry of became his successor, Sultanah Tajul of knowledge and who are adamant
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Education and Culture Alam Safiatudin, saw how also scholars to do religious work”. Because it was
of the Republic of competed for a place in the palace in in this way a just situation could be
Indonesia, 2013. order to advance their religious beliefs. achieved and finally cosmic unity could
Even Sultan Agung experienced this. be realized.
Sultan Agung was very much upset by However, the historical dynamics related
the criticisms launched by scholars from to this natural necessity resulted in
Tembayat, but how close he was with structural diversity and even in different
his advisers. According to Dutch reports, political traditions in each kingdom. This
the scholar who was most familiar with only became evident when the formation
Sultan Agung was “Kalifagypan” (maybe of this ideal had entered the historical
his correct name was Haji Fachrudin). arena --in fields that combined ideal
He, the report said, was a man of desire with structural necessity. At that
manners. Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa point a choice had to be made. At that
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was reportedly also to have often moment a constellation of power had to
been surrounded by a congregation of be determined and its ideological basis
scholars. Foreign reports mention many had to be formulated. In other words, the
scholars who came from the Middle East, process of the formation of the political
through Surat, to Bantan. Of course, and power tradition had sbegan. We can
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the loyality of Sheikh Yusuf of Gowa’s thus also say that a structural difference
loyalty when he joined Sultan Ageng in came up between one centers of power
his fight against the VOC was always with the other centers.
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80. de Graaf, 1986: 106-7,120.
81. Schrieke, 1956 II: 241-242.
82. Tjandrasasmita, 1967. 83. Khalid’s edition, 1966: 75.

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