Chinese Emperor Admired Prophet Muhammad, Called Him the Most Noble Person in the World
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — The great legacy of Prophet Muhammad once captivated a Chinese emperor. This admiration came from Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, who openly praised Islam and Prophet Muhammad as a noble figure bringing mercy to all creation.
Zhu Yuanzhang ruled during the period 1368-1398. In historical records, his reign is known as one of the most conducive phases for Islam’s development in China. It is even referred to as the golden age of Islam. During this era, Islam not only existed as a religion for a minority community, but developed into a part of the social, political, and administrative structure of the empire.
Research titled “Islam in Imperial China” (2019) revealed that during Zhu Yuanzhang’s rule, there was a significant increase in the number of people who embraced Islam. This was accomplished through individual proselytising to communities, villages, clans, and social networks that allowed Islam to grow systematically.
The state supported this development. Unsurprisingly, the spread of Islam was accompanied by the establishment of mosques and Islamic learning centres. Additionally, the Ming Dynasty also recruited Muslims en masse into the imperial structure. From administration, the military, to the palace. Muslim scholars received official state support.
In the practice of governance, Muslims were also trusted to fill strategic positions as palace advisers, eunuchs, imperial envoys, regional governors, and diplomatic officials. Islamic inscriptions in Arabic and Persian script were even carved on imperial palace porcelain, serving as a symbol of recognition of Islamic culture within Ming civilisation.
However, this pro-Muslim policy had a paradoxical aspect as it required the Muslim community to assimilate with local culture. In other words, Islam was accommodated as a religion, but its identity underwent transformation.
“Along with this support, there was a process of Sinicisation of the Muslim Hui community or cultural assimilation that gradually caused some of their Islamic cultural identity to merge into Chinese culture,” according to research titled “Islam in Imperial China: Sinicisation of Minority Muslims and Synthesis of Chinese Philosophy and Islamic Tradition” (2019).
The most symbolic evidence of Zhu Yuanzhang’s admiration for Islam and Prophet Muhammad is reflected in a poetic praise text attributed to his reign. In the poem known as “100-word Praise,” Prophet Muhammad is depicted as a universal and wise figure, as seen in these excerpts:
“The universe begins with a celestial tablet that records his name. The great sage bringing religion, born in the western realm. Bestowing and receiving the sacred heavenly scripture in thirty sections, universally transforming all created beings. Mercy to all creation, whose path has been foremost throughout the ages. Muhammad is the most noble sage.”
According to research titled “Praising the Prophet Muhammad in China,” the presence of this poem suggests that the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty understood Islamic teachings but was not a follower himself. Furthermore, this praise is also considered the climax of how the religion that entered China since the 7th century A.D. was once viewed as a moral and spiritual force, not an ideological threat.