Introduction
Southeast Asia had been the region that links between China and
India. This region was known as the place to trade goods between east and west.
Since this region is primarily an archipelago, the most important jobs were a
seafarers. These seafarers can be among the locals itself like the Malays,
Javanese or Bugis; or it can be Arabs, Chinese or Indian who come and settle
down in Southeast Asia.
Islam had spread to Southeast Asia through Arabs and Indian
seafarers. Their roles are very significant because they present themselves
first and foremost as traders towards local rulers before teaching Islam to the
common people. Islam do not come to Southeast Asia by imperial expansion just
like what happen in Persia and Egypt back in the times of the Umayyad.
This uniqueness of the way Islam was spread helped shape the
Muslims in Southeast Asia today. The religion and the local culture had
integrated and even the local folk story had been told in line with Islamic figures
and principles.
Statement of the Problem
The study will looks on how the seafarers and traders influence the
local rulers and common people to accept Islam. The study also try to configure
on what kind of teaching was employed by the first Muslims in Southeast Asia to
disseminate Islam in a peaceful way without resorting to war. We also look onto
the differences between the Arabs, Indian and Chinese seafarers in dealings
with local rulers in the earlier day of Islam in Southeast Asia.
Significance
The study will help us to understand the process and stages of
Islamizing the local people in Southeast Asia. We also sees the unique position
of Southeast Asia between East and West in the past and how it is still the
factor in determining the policy and people’s culture in this region.
Literature Review
Trade had emerged as major forces in the Muslim world, replacing
the religious and intellectual forces. This happens after the 12th
century especially after Mongol conquest of Baghdad. This compels Muslim
scholars to start focusing the spread of Islam toward places out from Mongol
influence. From the network of trade, Islamisation also flourish among
sub-Saharan region and Malays archipelago. Traders also have a lot to gain in
commercial by converting to Islam. (Osman Bakar)
While Mongol conquest had destroyed several cities and kingdoms,
new system emerged to manage the huge empire that was conquered. The tribal
rivalry in Central Asia was consolidated. The rule of law was fiercely
protected to allow safety in trade and commercial. The Mongols allowed
tolerance on religious matters, and eventually some of them embracing Islam.
One of the kingdoms after the breaking up of Mongol Empire, the Timurid rule by
Timurlane, which controls much of the Central Asia, Afghanistan and Persia and
construct his capital in Samarkand (now in Uzebekistan). He was so ambitious
and start spending money to build palaces and mosques and buy trading goods
from China such as silks, diamond and ceramics. But Timurlane eventually
stopped trading with China and this gives the ‘bullion famines’ effect where
China produced more than they can sell. The global money supplies ran short and
it effected the Malays archipelago traders where they have to create new
currency out of tin. (Peter Frankopan)
Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei,
Singapore, Thailand and Phillipines has a prominent Muslim populations
especially among Sunnis. Not only that, it has also very specific type which is
the theology (kalam) was following Ash’arite, the fiqh was
As-Shafii’ madhhab and Sufism according to Imam Ghazali. This formation
was strengthened from 17th century onwards because a lot of Malay
scholars obtained their education in Mecca and Medina. While Malaysia and
Brunei have declared Islam as official religion, Indonesia who has the largest
Muslim population in the world never declared Islam as official religion. The
state recognize the existence of religion under the auspices of Pancasila which
has the first pillar as belief in One Supreme God. (Azyumardi Azra)
The Indian Ocean civilization which contained countries on East
Africa, Arabian Peninsula, India and Southeast Asia was and currently still the
meeting point of several civilization. This civilization can be either Islam,
Persia, India, China or even the West especially after the Portuguese
expedition onto Indian Ocean. This area also contains the rarely discussed
impression of Islam and the role of trade and global energy politics that
shaped it. The Islam in this region has very old framework, with their own
traditions and characteristics, but still struggle in finding their identity in
the 21st century. The Malacca Strait had been labeled as the heart
of maritime Asia where now it is an important route to transport oil and gas
from Arabian Peninsula to China and Japan. (Robert D. Kaplan)
The idea of Islamic golden age had been existing in the Islamic
mind for a long time. It was referring to the time of Prophet Muhamamad and the
khalifah ar-rashidun and the society surrounding the city state of
Medina. But it was regarded as unattainable when the Islamic land was expanded,
but it was continued to become a model to the latter Muslim society. The
differences of how religion and politics practiced in different region had not
created a prefect monolith of Islam that some people thought Islam should be
especially the extremists who force other Muslim to become exactly like Muslims
in Medina in the times of prophet. There is similarity in Islamic vocabulary,
but it was employed to serve specific objective in specific settings. The
experience of Islam in South and Southeast Asia become more complex because it
was contributed by influx of Sufism and syncretism that allowed religion their
own identity different from ruling kingdom of dynasty. Mughal emperors himself
had been positioned as a a near deities to the Hindus. This shows that Muslims
ruling class was not necessary putting the religion of Islam as driving force
especially for dissemination. This was done by scholars or education institute. (Mohammed Ayoob)
There are three different identities that can be identified among
Muslim in Indonesia. First is Santri who referred to Muslims that performed the
requirement for Muslims such as performing Solat and paying Zakat.
It can also be referred as Orthodox. There is also an Abangan, who only a Muslims
on name but hope to be ‘real’ Muslims in the future expecially if they learn
Islam wholefully. The third one is called is Priyayi, who is the descendants of
the aristocrats since the time of Hindu-Buddha before Islam came to Java. There
have very mystical view of the world and puts them as a better class than other
Javanese people. They also have good relationship with the Dutch in the time of
colonization because they was educated in the Western education and given
administrative works under colonial government. (Greg Barton)
Sunan Kalijaga is one of the scholars who spread Islam while
integrating it with Javanese culture, apart from Syekh Siti Jenar. Sunan
Kalijaga original name was Raden Syahid before he was appointed as one of the
Wali Songo, which is a council of Islamic scholars that influential in the
dissemination of Islam in Javanese island. The name Kali means river in
Javanese. Sunan Kalijaga replacing Syeikh Subakir who went back to Persia.
Sunan Kalijaga had learned from several scholars such as Sunan Bonang at
Kadipaten Tuban (now East Java), Sunan Ampel and Sunan Giri. He also goes
travelling to learn and teaching Islam at Pasai, Pattani and Malay Peninsula.
He was known as Syekh Sa’id and Syekh Malaya because of his role in teaching
Islam in this region. He was also quoted in Hikayat Pattani as traditional
healer to the King’s skin disease. (Achmad Chodjim)
The voyage of Portuguese lead by Vasco Da Gama by encircling
African Cape of Hope towards Indian Ocean was to find a new trade network to
the east. He found that this ocean was trading world on its own among the
Muslim communities and merchants from East Africa to Indonesian archipelago.
Part of this network was the pilgrimage route in Red Sea with the port at Jeddah.
The arrival of Portuguese triggered the Ottoman to destroy the enemy fleet from
disrupting the safety of commercial network in Indian Ocean that was for so
long control by Muslims. Under Sultan Selim I and Sultan Mehmet II, attention
was given to develop the sailors in seamanship, navigation and map-making.
Vasco Da Gama in 1502 sank a Mamluk sultan pilgrim ship, and this also
triggered the Mamluk to oppose the Portuguese. Because of the lack of resources
and efficient navies of the Mamluk, they collaborate with the Ottoman to build
a Red Sea fleet. The Mamluks failed to defeat the Portuguese and they
eventually captured Goa and Malacca. The Ottomans continue to challenge
Portuguese by attacking Goa in 1538 with 100 ships and 20,000 men, but still
unsuccessful. (Ziauddin Sardar)
Bibliography
1. Osman Bakar (2003) “Traditional Malay thought and
globalization”. In Asmah Haji Omar (ed) The Genius of Malay Civilization.
UPSI, Perak.
2. Frankopan, Peter. (2015) The Silk Roads: A New History of the
World. Bloomsbury, London.
3. Azyumardi Azra (2005) “Islamic thought: Theory, Concepts, and
doctrines in the context of Southeast Asian Islam”. In K.S. Nathan and Mohammad
Hashim Kamali (ed) Islam in Southeast Asia. ISEAS, Singapore.
4. Kaplan, Robert D. (2010) Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and The
Future of American Power. Random House, New York.
5. Mohamed Ayoob (2008) The Many Faces of Political Islam.
NUS, Singapore.
6. Barton, Greg (2016). Dari Pesantren Ke Istana. IBDE,
Selangor.
7. Achmad Chodjim (2013). Sunan Kalijaga: Mistik dan Makrifat.
Serambi, Jakarta.
8. Sardar, Ziauddin (2014). Mecca: The Sacred City.
Bloomsbury, London.
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