Islam in Malaysia

http://islamic-world.net/islamic-state/islam_in_acheh.htm

Muslim Sultanates in Peninsular Malaysia

Before Islam spread throughout Malaysia, Hindu and Buddhist has been
introduced by the Indian traders to the Malay settlers in Peninsula
Malaysia. The indigenous Malays also embraced an ancient religion with
various forms of belief with some of the population belonging to the
Hindu, Buddha religion and some with the animism. Islam like its
predecessor also brought by the Muslim traders who expand through trading
and inter marriage.

Growing demand for eastern spices by a prosperous Renaissance Europe and
the cessation from the 8th/14th century of direct Chinese trade to India
brought the Gudjarati merchants into great prominence as intermediaries
in the spice trade. Their great numbers in Malacca, the major emporium in
the Malay- Indonesian archipelago in the 9th/15th and 10th/16th centuries,
facilitated the work of Muslim missionaries in spreading the ideas of
Islam in the region. As good impression shown by the traders to the
local people many of them attracted to convert to Islam.

The spread of Islam was greatly enhanced partly by social contact as a
consequence of trade, but more important still, by marriages. In a few
decades, the Javanese, Sumatran, Malay and other aristocracies of the
coastal districts had gone over to the new faith. The common people
followed in gradual stages down the social scale. Diplomatic marriages
between aristocracies of different kingdoms spread the faith even
further. A notable example was the marriage of the first Muslim Sultan of
Pasai on the North-Western coast of Sumatra (Aceh ) who died in 1297 A.D.,
to daughter of the ruler of Perlak, also on the northern coast of
Sumatra. The powerful Sultanate of Malacca too, arranged many such
diplomatic marriages with Borneo, Pahang and Kedah and with the Sumatran
river ports of Siak, Kampar, Inderagiri and Jambi.

In the Malay Peninsula, the first physical evidence of the arrival of
Islam was found at a spot twenty miles up the Terengganu river. There, a
stone inscribed with Arabic letters has been found, dating as far back as
1386 or probably 1326 A.D. This evidence of the existence of Islam in
Malaysia's east coast perhaps initiated the theory that Islam came to
Malaysia through China.

Another source of information about the beginning of the spread of Islam
in the Malay Archipelago is provided by Marco Polo. He visited the port of
Perlak, which he called "Felech", on the Northern coast of Sumatra in 1292
A.D. on his return voyage to Europe through the Straits of Malacca Marco
Polo remarked in his later writings that many of the inhabitants of Perlak
had at that time been converted to Islam by the foreign merchants who
frequently called there. Pasai on the north-western coast of Sumatra
whose first Muslim ruler died in 1297, five years after Marco Polo's
visit to Perak, provided probably the first foothold for Islam in
Sumatra.

The coming of Islam has changed the mind and perspective of the local
people. They were no longer imprisoned within a religious caste system
and the notion of living in "classes". In Islam there was no
discrimination, or division on the basis of colour, class tribal
affiliation, race, homeland and birthplace, all of which gave rise to
problems. Equal rights seemed the right human solution, which in practice
meant the acceptance of rights and obligation as a member of the Islamic
Community. The pious person achieved sublimity and nearness to God.

The local population saw that Islam could save them from this bondage and
provide the means for the extirpation of social evils. The new religion
gave the small man a sense of this individual worth - the dignity of man
- as a member of an Islamic community.

Malaysia also is not safe from any colonisation by western countries who
destroy the development of Islamic teaching and social life. The first
colonizer was the Portuguese who were followed in succession by the
Spanish, the Dutch and the British who took land in these places and
altered all the laws and ways of living by one means or another, based on
the 'divide and rule policy' so well known throughout the third world. The
coming of the West could normally be considered under three categories:
trade, conquest and Christianisation of the colonial subjects.

The fall of the Malacca sultanate to the Portuguese in 1511 was the
beginning of colonisation on the Peninsula, that is, the breakdown of
Malay political authority in this part of the world and the beginning of
a setback to the spread of Islam. From Malacca the colonisers seized all
administrative functions that were typically Islamic. The people had to
endure a number of disturbing experiences, and to witness some of their
number cooperating with the colonisers for their own personal gain.

The colonisers started to make or establishing the Religious Councils on
the pretext of preserving Malay customs and the Islamic religion. In
fact, their main function was to limit the role of Islam to purely
personal matters. For their part the British promised they would not
intervene in matters pertaining to Islam or Malay traditional practices.
However, the separation of religion from the practical affairs of
government and law was, in itself, an interference in matters pertaining
to Islam. The ulama' whose previous function had been to advise and
attend to state requirements were now replaced by a British Advisor or
British Resident and the role of the ulama' became purely "religious" in
the narrow sense.

Spread of Islam

After the initial introduction of Islam, the religion was spread by local
Muslim scholars or ulama' from one district to another. Their normal
practice was to open a religious training centre called "pondok" or hut
from the small sleeping quarters constructed for the students. In
addition to giving lectures in houses, prayer houses, or mosques, they
also performed tasks such as working in paddy fields, gardening and
craftwork and other jobs according to each individual's capabilities. The
role of these ulama' was not merely that of a teacher but also that of
advisor for the village families and communities. The role they played
was fairly broad one by reason of their expertise and capability in more
than one field of human activity. After graduating, the pupils would go
back to their homeland, often in some remote corner of the country,
forming a link in the chain between one ulama' and another.

Islam in the Malay Archipelago in general and Malaysia in particular
follows the Shafie Mazhab. However there are many Muslims in Malaysia who
do not follow any particular school. In Perlis, the state constitution
specifies that Perlis follows the Qur'an and Sunnah and not a particular
mazhab. Many Muslims in Perlis therefore do not follow any mazhab, as is
the case with the followers and members of the Muhammadiyah Organisation
in Indonesia.

One noteworthy feature in the religious education scene is the close
relationship between the Pondok schools, the teachers and even the pupils
although the distance between them may be quite considerable as from
Kubang Pasir for example, or Kedah to Achen, Java, Kalimantan, Kelantan
and Terengganu. The unifying factor that makes strong ties among them is
the uniformity of the system of instruction, for not only are the Holy
book and the language used the same but also the socio-political
problems, even though in Indonesia the Dutch were the colonial power and
in Malaysia (or Malaya) the British. The colonisers whether Portuguese,
Dutch or British attempted Christianisation by various means, in
particular through their educational systems.

There were, however, a number of Muslims who felt that the pondok schools
could not deal with the challenge of colonial education institutions. In
order to overcome the problems, the Madrasatul Mashoor al-Islamiyah was
established in Pulau Pinang in the year 1916 using Arabic as the language
of instruction. The madrasahs taught Fiqh as well as secular subjects.
This institute of learning was not merely intended to enhance the
position of Muslims in Penang and northern Malaya but in Southeast Asia
as well. This school chose as its inspiration the name of Syed Ahmad Al
Mashoor, alternatively known as Ayid Mashoor, a leader of Arab descent on
that Island. After Malaya achieved independence on August 31, 1957, the
growth of religious education at government subsidised schools was a
result of sustained effort on the part of the Malay community. This can
be seen at the Islamic College and the National University of Malaysia.

The best known and reputedly oldest pondok in Malaysia is that of Tok Guru
Haji Muhammad Yusof or Tok Kenali, who constructed it himself in Kota
Bahru, Kelantan. He received his basic education in Kelantan and then
like any other pondok teacher pursued his studies in the Masjid al-Haram
(the Great Mosque of Makkah). The Tok Kenali pondok became a famous
centre of learning which led to large numbers of people from different
states coming to learn at the pondok, and subsequently other pondok
schools were opened by some of the former pupils who in time became
community leaders. This teacher-pupil- teacher network spread to Southern
Thailand and Indonesia.

Some Malaysian ulama' became teachers at the Masjid al-Haram. At the time
of this writing one ulama' from Kedah, Muhammad bin Abdul Kadir, and
two from Petani were teachers there. Muhammad's father was also a teacher
at the al-Haram Mosque.

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