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understanding of mystical gnosis
184 Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives
Syair Perahu, Bahrunnisa, Syair Dagang,
(makrifat). 5
Hamzah’s second book, Asrar al-
‘arifin, is a prose commentary on his
mystical poems arranged by Hamzah
himself, included in the midst of his
explanation. The writing process of
the longest among Hamzah’s works
may have been inspired by Ahmad
al-Ghazali’s Sawanih, Ibn ‘Arabi’s
Tarjuman al-ashwaq, ‘Iraqi’s Lama‘at,
and ‘Abdurrahman al-Jāmi’s Lawā’ih.
Comparing this work with the other two
treatises , Abdul Hadi noted that the
Asrār al-‘arifin is the most distinguished
and original of Hamzah’s books. 6
By contrast, al-Muntahi is Hamzah’s
shortest prose work though its substance
is dense and profound. Drewes and
Brakel (1986:12) concluded that al-
Muntahi consists of collections of
Qur’anic verses, prophetic traditions,
mystical poetry, and ecstatic utterances
by Sufis, all of which are employed to
explain the spiritual meaning of the
hadith statement, “a man who knows
himself, will know his Lord”.
In addition to these treatises, Hamzah
Fansuri’s mystical thoughts may also be
found incollections of poetry such as his
5. Hadi 2001: 147.
6. Hadi (2001: 152).
Hamzah Fansuri’s poetry although
Syair Si Burung Pingai and many others.
However, some scholars have been
reluctant to attribute these works to
Hamzah Fansuri, since the evidence for
this supposition remains weak.
The typically mystical way of thinking
like that of Hamzah Fansuri continued
to exist in a member of the next
generationof Acehnese ‘ulama,
Shamsuddin al-Sumatra’i (1550?-1630)
7
who was also famous for being the
Shaykh al-Islam, the Palace supreme
‘alim during the reigns of three Sultans,
i.e. ‘Alauddin Ri’ayat Shah (1588-1604),
‘Ali Ri‘ayat Shah (1604-7) andIskandar
Muda (1607-36)had the closest
relationship with him. Observing his
works, it is clear that Shamsuddin knew
7. His background was barely unknown, but his
name simply appeared to be installed “Shaykh
al-Islam” in court at the beginning of the reign
of Sultan ‘Alauddin Ri’ayat Shah up to the two
following rulers. Paying attention to his works, it is
very clear that he knew and was influenced as well
by the notions of Hamzah Fansuri, even though
there was no evidence that he had ever met him
(See Anthony Johns, “Reflections on the Mysticism
of Shams al-Din al-Sumatra’i (1950?-1630)” in
Jan van der Putten and Mary Kilcline Cody (Eds.)
Lots Times and Untold Tales from the Malay World
(Singapore, NUS Press, 2009” 148-163). This
article was then republished for greater readers
in Studia Islamika vol. 18 no. 2(2011), p. 227-248.
See also Peter Riddell, Islam and the Malay-
Indonesian World: Transmission and Responses
(Singapore: Horizon Books, 2001), p. 110-115.
Thoughts of Indonesian Islam
no written evidence has been found
that indicate that he knew Hamzah After Hamzah Fansuri and Shamsuddin
al-Sumatra’i, from the beginning of the
8
personally. th
Unlike Hamzah, Shamsuddin not only 17 century, the constellation of Islamic
wrotehis mystic-theosophical thoughts scholarship was both clearer and there
in Malay, but also in Arabic. This is an were decisively more social relations
indication of his superior intellectual between religious intellectuals and
capacity compared to contemporary between the Malay-Indonesian Islamic
Acehnese ‘ulama. In fact, he was a world and other Islamic places, especially
native Acehnese ‘alim who was highly Mecca and Medina (Haramayn). The
competent in religious knowledge. intimate relations between these two
Shamsuddin’s mystical ideas on Islamic regions encouraged intellectual
profound mystical gnosis are especially traditions marked by closemaster-disciple
manifest in one of his masterpieces in relationshipsbetween Malay-Indonesian
Arabic, Jawhar al-Haqā’iq, in which he ‘ulamaand those of the Haramayn that
continued to play its role as the center of
explained his deep understanding of Islamic learning. 10
existential monism by way of underlining
the importance of tawhid, in addition Several Malay-Indonesian ‘ulama
to his interpretation of the divine finest extended their Islamic knowledge in
namesbased on the expression la the Haramayn. They were known as
ilaha illallah. Several other works members of the Jama’at al-Jawiyin (the
9
Shamsuddin wrotein Arabic include Javanese community) in Mecca. They
Mir’at al-muhaqqiqin, Kitab al-Khirqah, include Nuruddin al-Raniri (d. 1658),
Nur al-Daqā’iq, and Tanbīh al-Tullāb. His ‘Abdurrauf bin Ali al-Jawi al-Fansuri
works in Malay include Anwar al-Daqā’iq, (1615-1693), and Muhammad Yusuf
th
Bayan al-Qulub, Da’irat al-Wujud, Haqq al-Makasari (1629-1699) for the 17
century; Abdussamad al-Palimbani,
al-Yaqin, Sharh al-Ruba‘i, Mir’āt al-Iman Arshad al-Banjari (1710-1812), and
a part from many others. th
The Global Network of Islamic Daud al-Fatani (d. 1847) in the 18
10. On this see Azyumardi Azra, Jaringan Ulama
8. Johns (2009: 150). Timur Tengah dan Kepulauan Nusantara Abad
9. Johns (2009: 153). XVII dan XVIII (Bandung: Mizan, 2 reprint, 1994).
nd
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