Ancient Records Reveal How Islam Was Received in Sriwijaya, a Buddhist Centre

As a centre of Buddhist scholarship in Southeast Asia, Sriwijaya was also known as a kingdom open to various nations. Evidence shows that the port of Sriwijaya was frequently visited by Arab and Persian ships, leading to early interactions between the local community and Islam. Through the arrival of Arab and Persian traders and sailors, the inhabitants of this maritime kingdom began to learn about the teachings of Islam, with some records even hinting at the existence of native Muslims within the Sriwijaya sphere. The book ‘Jaringan Ulama Timur Tengah dan Kepulauan Nusantara Abad XVII-XVIII’ notes that although Sriwijaya was famous as a leading centre of Buddhist scholarship, it was a cosmopolitan kingdom. The renowned Chinese Buddhist monk and traveller, I-Tsing, provided information that he boarded Arab and Persian ships to reach the port of Sriwijaya. Yuantchao, in the ‘Tcheng-yuan-sin-ting-che-kiao-mou-lou’ written in the early 9th century, stated that in the year 99 H/717 AD, around 35 Persian ships arrived in Palembang. Following unrest in Canton, many Arab and Persian Muslims who were expelled from Canton headed to Palembang to find a safe haven. Based on I-Tsing’s records, Prof Azyumardi Azra explained in the book that there are indications the people of Sriwijaya had interacted with Muslims from the Middle East and, to a certain extent, had become familiar with some Islamic teachings. Al-Ramhurmuzi in ‘Aja’ib al-Hind’ hinted at the presence of a number of native Muslims among the population of Sriwijaya. This account by Al-Ramhurmuzi appears to be corroborated by Chau Ju-Kua, who stated that a large number of the inhabitants of that country (San-fo-chi) had the initial name ‘P’u’. As explained by Hirth and Rockhill, the term ‘P’u’ originates from ‘Bu’, an abbreviation of ‘Abu’ (father), which is found in many Muslim personal names.