History of Islamic Culture in Indonesia

History of Islamic culture is a term commonly used in mobile academia to describe cultural practices for historical Islamic societies. As a religion that originated in the 7th century Arabia, this early form of Muslim culture was dominated by Arabs.

Along with the rapid expansion of the Islamic empire, in the history of Islamic culture there has been assimilation of the Balkani, Bangladeshi, Berber, Byzantine, Indian, Indonesian, Malay, Mongol, Pakistani, Persian, Roman, Spanish, Sicilian, Turkish, and Greco-Roman cultures.

In the history of Islamic culture, the culture itself is still under debate. Followers of the Islamic faith live in many different countries and communities. So it is difficult to limit the points of cultural unity among Muslims, other than the practice of Islam. Anthropologists and historians continue to study Islam as an aspect of and influence on culture in an area dominated by Islam.

The history of Islamic culture in general includes all the practices that have been developed around the religion of Islam. Things that are part of the history of Islamic culture include the Koran as reading prayers and prayers that are not related to the Koran, for example the division of the world in Islam. This includes the Baul traditions of Bengal.

The Role of Walisongo in the History of Islamic Culture

The history of Islamic culture in Indonesia itself is strongly influenced by the existence of Walisongo. Walisongo became a symbol of the spread of Islam in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java. At the time of the spread of Islam by Walisongo, this period was the end of the domination of Hinduism and Buddhism in the culture of the archipelago.

And the history of Islamic culture in Indonesia began. Actually, before Walisongo there was already a figure who spread Islam in Indonesia. The name of the figure is Sheikh Jumadil Qubro, he is the son of Princess Kelantan Tua or Princess Saadong II named Princess Selindung Bulan.

In fact, many other figures have contributed to the history of Islamic culture as propagator of Islam in the archipelago. However, Walisongo has more value because its influence is very broad in the history of Islamic culture in Java.

The nine guardians did not spread Islam at the same time, but were closely related to each other. Some have a teacher-student relationship. They assimilate Islamic culture with the culture of the archipelago which has its roots in the traditions of its people so that the history of Islamic culture in Indonesia is born.

In spreading Islam, the Walisongo have a unique role in the history of Islamic culture in Indonesia. For example, Maulana Malik Ibrahim who acted as a healer for the Hindu Majapahit Kingdom, Sunan Giri was nicknamed "the pope of the East" by colonialists and Sunan Kalijaga worked in art using Hindu and Buddhist nuances that were understood by the Javanese people.

History of Islamic Culture in Several Regions in Indonesia

The history of Islamic culture in Kalimantan begins with Islamic teachings that come from two routes, namely Malacca and Java. At that time, Kalimantan was still known as Borneo. Malacca is known as the Islamic Kingdom after Pasai and Perlak. Da'wah also spread as Malacca fell and was colonized by the Portuguese so that the Islamic community and missionaries carried out an exodus and settled on the west coast of Kalimantan.

The second path in the history of Islamic culture in Kalimantan is the sending of missionaries from Java. The culmination of this missionary expedition in Kalimantan was the establishment of the Kingdom of Demak.

Many preachers came to Borneo from Demak so that the Islamic Kingdom of Banjar was born. The scholars from the Islamic Kingdom of Banjar include Sheikh Muhammad Arsyad al Banjari. Apart from him, there are also many great ulama figures who came from the Islamic Kingdom of Banjar.

The history of Islamic culture in Sulawesi was triggered by the relationship between thousands of islands in the archipelago. The relationship is based on economic and political factors as well as the interests of the kingdom.

With this relationship, the da'wah of Islamic teachings also entered Sulawesi, which is also known as Celebes. Referring to the records of trading companies that came to Sulawesi in 1540, it was revealed that in several areas in Sulawesi there were already Muslim settlements. The path of da'wah continued until it had an influence on the kings of the Kingdom of Gowa.

Sultan Alaidin al Awwal was the first King of Gowa to embrace Islam in 1603. So was Karaeng Matopa, his Prime Minister or Grand Vizier. These two people who incised the history of Islamic culture in Gowa.

In fact, before the Islamic da'wah reached Sultan Alaidin, Tonigallo, who was his father, had already accepted the da'wah. However, Tonigallo was worried that if he converted to Islam, his kingdom would fall under the influence of the Ternate kingdom. This is because the Sultan of Ternate has first embraced the teachings of Islam.

The history of Islamic culture in the Kingdom of Gowa records Datuk Patimang, Datuk ri Bandang, Datuk ri Tiro and Khatib Tunggal as well-known scholars during the reign of Sultan Alaidin. They are famous for their understanding and da'wah activities. This can easily be seen from the title of the datuk that became their predicate.

Datuk are missionaries and scholars from Minangkabau who spread Islam in Makassar. From the da'wah centers established by the Kingdom of Goa, the journey continued to other areas to the Kingdoms of Wajo Soppeng, Bugis, Luwu, Palopo, Sidenreng, and Tanette.

The history of Islamic culture in Maluku began earlier than Makassar and other islands. This is because Maluku has been visited by many traders around the world for a long time thanks to its reputation for abundant agricultural products.

Islam entered the Kingdom of Ternate since 1440. This kingdom is the largest kingdom in the Maluku Islands. When the Portuguese set foot in Ternate in 1512, Bayang Ullah, who was the king of Ternate at that time, was a Muslim.

The Tidore Kingdom also made a history of Islamic culture in the Maluku islands. The territory of the Tidore Kingdom is quite wide which includes the west coast of the Papua islands, parts of the Seram islands and parts of Halmahera.

In addition, there is also the Bacan Kingdom with King Zainal Abidin as the first king to embrace Islam in 1521. Still in the same year, the Jailolo Kingdom was established whose government was influenced by Islamic teachings.

The history of Islamic culture in Papua comes from the kingdom in the Maluku Islands whose territory covers part of the island of Papua. The government administration of the Bacan Kingdom oversees many tribal chiefs in the Misool, Waigeo, and several other areas.

Still in the same period, many tribal chiefs on this island embraced Islam as an influence of da'wah by the Bacan Kingdom. However, the development of Islam on this island is not too big.

The history of Islamic culture in Nusa Tenggara began in the early 16th century. The teachings of Islam sailed to Nusa Tenggara thanks to the good relations between Sumbawa and the Makassar Kingdom.

This can be traced by examining the tomb of Sultan Bima. He was the first to embrace Islam but it can be said that the entire population of Bima had been Muslim from the start.

Besides Sumbawa, the history of Islamic culture also entered Lombok through the Bugis who came from Sumbawa. The combination of the archipelago's culture, which was already influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism, added to the historical pattern of Islamic culture.