Propagation Islam thru culture Sunan Ampel's way<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): It is said that more than five centuries ago,
\nSunan Kalijaga suggested to the other Walis, charismatic
\nreligious teachers who disseminated Islam in Java, imbue the
\nteaching with local culture such as selamatan, preparing and
\noffering food as thanksgiving to the powers that be.<\/p>\n
Sunan Ampel then expressed his concern. "Won't that be a
\nproblem in the future? What if the local rituals be considered
\npart of Islamic teaching, while they are actually bid'ah?" he was
\nsupposed to have said.<\/p>\n
The term he mentioned denotes something that people add to
\nrituals with any religious ground. This is considered to be a
\nviolation of religious rules.<\/p>\n
It is said that the other Wali, Sunan Kudus, placated Sunan
\nAmpel by saying, "I'm sure that, someday, there will be Moslems
\nwho will work to perfect the Islamic rituals here."<\/p>\n
Today, many ulemas believe that there is a great portion of
\nIslamic rituals here which has yet to be purified, purged from
\nthe contamination of local tradition and beliefs. There are
\nplenty of Moslem organizations who strive to do just that,
\nincluding the Muhammadiyah, but even a brief look at many Islamic
\nworship places here will demonstrate that the job is not an easy
\none.<\/p>\n
In addition, there are many people ready to defend the current
\nsituation by saying that the mixture of Islamic teaching with
\nlocal tradition was precisely why Islam became the majority
\nreligion here.<\/p>\n
Centuries ago, indigenous Javanese, for instance, might have
\nfound it much easier to convert to Islam when they felt at home
\nwith it, when there were links between Islam and their local
\nculture which was based on other beliefs, such as Hinduism and
\nBuddhism.<\/p>\n
Cultural approach<\/p>\n
Sunan Ampel, according to many scholars and historians, was
\nvery successful in disseminating Islam precisely because he was
\nusing a cultural approach. H.A. Hafidz Madjid, a spokesman of the
\nSunan Ampel Mosque, was quoted by Antara news agency as saying in
\nDecember, that "Sunan Ampel propagated Islam through local
\ntraditions".<\/p>\n
To know this great Moslem teacher and missionary, whose life
\nhistory is also a mixture of legends and academic studies, one
\nneeds to go back further than five centuries.<\/p>\n
According to tradition, there were nine outstanding figures
\nwho together were largely responsible for the dissemination of
\nIslam throughout Java. Known as Wali Songo (the nine Islamic
\nsaints), they are recognized today as having been especially
\ninfluential in the transformation of Javanese culture and
\nreligion.<\/p>\n
The tombs of the Wali Songo, as well as those of many other
\nimportant figures, can be found scattered along Java's north
\ncoast between Surabaya and Cirebon. The Walisongo Pilgrimage
\n(1992) lists the nine walis and the locations of their graves as
\nfollow:<\/p>\n
1. Maulana Malik Ibrahim, in Gapura Wetan, Gresik, East Java<\/p>\n
2. Sunan Ampel (or Raden Rakhmat), in Ampel Denta, Surabaya,
\nEast Java<\/p>\n
3. Sunan Giri (or Raden Paku) in Giri, Gresik, East Java<\/p>\n
4. Sunan Bonang (or Raden Machdum Ibrahim) in Tuban, East Java<\/p>\n
5. Sunan Drajat (also known as Raden Qosim), Paciran, East
\nJava<\/p>\n
6. Sunan Kudus (or Ja'far Shodiq), in Kudus, Central Java<\/p>\n
7. Sunan Kalijaga (or Raden Mas Said), in Kadilangu, Demak,
\nCentral Java<\/p>\n
8. Sunan Muria (Raden Umar Said) in Colo, Mt. Muria, Central
\nJava<\/p>\n
9. Sunan Gunung Jati (known also as Syarif Hidayatullah) in
\nMt. Sembung, Cirebon, Central Java.<\/p>\n
If the first of the Walis, Maulana Malik Ibrahim, was
\nconsidered to be the "father" of the Wali Songo, then Sunan Ampel
\nwas the elder brother of the Walis, who are often considered
\n"Islamic saints" Indeed, two other walis, Sunan Bonang and Sunan
\nDrajat, were Sunan Ampel's own sons.<\/p>\n
While Maulana was the pioneer who founded the earliest Islamic
\ncommunity in Java, Sunan Ampel is recognized as the figure who
\ncultivated and consolidated the influence of the other Walis.<\/p>\n
As to the origins of Sunan Ampel, it is believed that his
\nfather Syekh Maulana Ibrahim Asmorokondi, who came from the
\nMiddle East or somewhere in Central Asia, married a princess in
\nCempa or Champa.<\/p>\n
Solichin Salam wrote in Sekitar Wali Sanga (1960), citing the
\nEncyclopedia Van Nederlansch Indie, said Champa is a small
\nkingdom within what is now known as Cambodia.<\/p>\n
It was from Campa that the young Raden Rachmat, or Rakhmat, or
\nRahmad, arrived in Java early in the 15th century. He married a
\nwoman from Tuban, Nyai Ageng Manila, and had four children: Nyai
\nAgeng Maloka, Sunan Bonang, Sunan Drajat and another daughter who
\nbecame the wife of Sunan Kalijaga.<\/p>\n
Kingdom<\/p>\n
Sunan Ampel first established an Islamic school in an area now
\nknown as Ampeldenta in Surabaya. He trained young men and women
\nand sent them to various regions to spread the teaching.<\/p>\n
Sunan Giri, Raden Patah, Sunan Bonang, Sunan Drajat, and
\ncountless other people who struggled to spread Islam in Java were
\nall Sunan Ampel's disciples.<\/p>\n
It is also said that Sunan Ampel was the spiritual force
\nbehind the founding of Java's first Islamic kingdom in Demak,
\nCentral Java. He picked his disciple Raden Patah to become king
\nof Demak.<\/p>\n
Sunan Ampel was buried in a plot inside the mosque's compound.
\nToday, dozens of foreign and domestic scholars and ulemas are
\ngathering in Surabaya to commemorate the 546th anniversary of the
\ndeath, or known locally as khaul, of Sunan Ampel by discussing
\nhis role in the spreading of Islam here.<\/p>\n
-- Santi W.E. Soekanto and Wisnu Pramudya<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/propagation-islam-thru-culture-sunan-ampels-way-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }