SUFI STORIES #17. SULTAN AL ARIFFIN SHAYKH ISMAIL OF PULAU BESAR & WALI SONGO OF JAVA
One day in late 1994 Atta (my Qadiri Shaykh, see SUFI STORIES #12) told me that Sultan Al Ariffin Shaykh Ismail (1463-1521, May Allah sanctify his soul) had invited me to visit him as soon as possible. He is the “Patron Saint” of all Sufis in this country. His mausoleum is in Pulau Besar (an island off Melaka, not to be confused with Pulau Besar off Johor).
So the next day I set out on the journey from Kuala Lumpur by car, together with my wife, 2 young daughters (3 years & 6 months old), and my god-brother and god-sister (husband and wife), and their 2 young children (2½ years & 1 year old). They are a revert couple. He is a former Hindu, and she is a former Buddhist. He was the one who introduced me to Atta about 2 years earlier.
We left in the late morning. After about 3 hours of leisure driving, we reached Melaka. We checked in at a resort to rest, especially with the young children in tow. By the time all were fully rested, it started to get dark and I thought it would be better to sleep overnight at the resort and take the boat trip the next morning.
I called Atta to inform him of the change of plans. To my surprise, Atta said I must proceed that night as the Shaykh may be disappointed as he was expecting me on that day. I must visit his mausoleum before midnight.
So we checked out, had dinner at the sea-food restaurant at the Umbai jetty, and looked for a boat to cross over to the island. As it was late, the regular boat and ferry services had already closed, so we had to find a boatman willing to take us, and fortunately we did. The island is about 4km off the coast (about 15km from Melaka town). The trip normally takes 10 minutes by speedboat and 30 minutes by ferry. Since it was already dark, out boatman made a slow safe trip across. It was already night when we arrived.
As the jetty on the island was closed by then, we landed by the beach near the warehouse for the sea-activity equipment belonging to the resort that we had booked to stay in. We had to wade through the water for several metres before we reached the beach. So there we were, 2 couples with very young children walking up from the sea towards the warehouse under the moon light, and spotlights from the warehouse.
It so happened that the owner of the resort, a distant relative of mine, was checking out something at the warehouse at that time, and he came towards us upon seeing us.
With a bewildered look, he asked me why did I come with small children at night? I introduced myself (he knew my eldest sister, my elder brother and his wife quite well, but didn’t know me) and said that even if I told him the reason, he would not understand!
After checking-in and refreshing ourselves, we went to the mausoleum that very night.
The next morning, after breakfast, we visited the mausoleum again and also paid respects to the great Shaykh’s family members whose graves were also nearby. In the few days we were there, I managed to spend sufficient time getting close to him to make up for not coming years earlier as suggested by Atta. Ever since I knew Atta, he had many times suggested that I visit the mausoleum in Pulau Besar, but I kept giving excuses that I was busy with work et cetera.
It was only when the great Shaykh specifically invited me that I obliged. At that time I did not fully understand the importance of the Shaykhs in the journey towards God, and I had not understood the important role he (Sultan Al Ariffin Shaykh Ismail) continues to play in the spiritual affairs of all living Sufis, Shaykhs and Saints in this country, and also in this region.
Sufis are often accused of worshipping the departed Saints (or worshipping their graves) and thus committing shirk (Malay – syirik = Idolatry, polytheism or ascribing partners to God which is the greatest and unforgivable sin in Islam). That is a very wrong assumption. We do honour and venerate them, just as we honour and venerate our departed parents and elders when we visit their graves, but we definitely do not worship them.
This is similar to the misconception many people have about “ancestor worship” practiced by many cultures, especially the Chinese. The “worship” is actually veneration based on love and respect, and is different to the worship of God by believers.
Interestingly, in ancestor worship, some cultures believe that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fate and fortune of the living.
Sufis not only believe the same about the departed Prophets and Saints, in fact the living Shaykhs and Saints are in constant contact and are guided and instructed by them in their spiritual missions. And indeed they may intercede in the affairs of the living. All this, I must stress, is WITH GOD’S PERMISSION. So there is no issue of heresy. Only those who do not know or experience these spiritual encounters and connections say that these are impossible, nonsensical and heretical.
However, there are those who visit the mausoleums and tombs and overdo things in their actions of veneration that could be seen as worshipping the tombs, forgetting or not understanding that such actions are forbidden. Because of them, Sufis as a whole get a bad name. Many who visit the mausoleums are not even Sufis, but people who hope to get some blessings from the greatness of the Saints, as they may have heard of miracles and healings happening after such visits. Some of the visitors seeking the blessings are not even Muslims. These errant practices were often seen at the mausoleum in Pulau Besar, causing much controversy and bad publicity, and the authorities had frequently warned against and have curtailed such practices.
Sultan Al Ariffin Shaykh Ismail is the “Patron Saint” of the Sufis for this region. All the Sufi Shaykhs and Saints here must visit his mausoleum and pay their respects, as do many of the Shaykhs and Saints who come from overseas.
When the late Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani (May Allah sanctify his soul) visited him, they had a long “conversation”. Around that time there was some controversy over the mausoleum, and there was also a long drought in Melaka. Apparently Sultan Al Ariffin Shaykh Ismail was not happy with some of the development going on the island. I was not with Shaykh Nazim’s entourage, so I cannot share more than that.
SULTAN AL ARIFFIN SHAYKH ISMAIL WAS SENT BY THE PROPHET (PBUH) TO SPREAD ISLAM IN THIS REGION
Shaykh Ismail ibn Abdul Qadir (Sultan Al Ariffin is his title) was born in Baghdad in 1463. He was an 18th generation descendant of The Prophet (PBUH) and also a descendant of Ghawth Al Azam Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah sanctify his soul). His father’s name was also Shaykh Abdul Qadir.
He received religious and spiritual training from young and continued in the footsteps of his father, who was a scholar and Sufi Shaykh.
He also became a Sufi Shaykh and belonged to 4 Tariqahs (Sufi Orders) - Qadiriyyah, Naqshbandiyyah, Shattariyyah dan Jistiyyah (Chishtiyyah).
One day while visiting The Prophet’s (PBUH) tomb in Medina, he heard a voice commanding him to preach in the Malay lands. So he sailed to south-east Asia together with his teacher Shaykh Yusuf Siddiq (May Allah’s Mercy be upon him) and his family.
He reached Pulau Besar in 1495 and made it his base. His teachings spread throughout the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago through his students. He was also known as “Wali Lanang”.
Although his role in promoting Islam here is significant, the record of his life is scanty. He acquired many students and disciples and preached until his death in 1520 at the age of 58. He and most of those who came with him were eventually buried in Pulau Besar. To this day his mausoleum is visited by many people, especially by the Indian Muslims. And the island is made even more popular by its many legends and myths.
THE 9 WALI SONGO OF JAVA, INDONESIA
Among his students were 2 famous Saints of Indonesia who were members of what is popularly known as Wali Songo (Nine Saints) or Wali Sanga (Community Saints), may Allah sanctify their souls! They are much revered among the Muslims of Indonesia for their role in spreading Islam in the 14th to 16th centuries. These 2 were Sunan Giri (Raden Paku, 1442-1506) and his nephew Sunan Bonang (Raden Makhdum Ibrahim, 1465-1525).
The Wali Songo were responsible for the rapid spread of Islam in Indonesia. There are claims that Islam first came to Sumatera Indonesia (either in Acheh or Barus) as early as in the 8th century through Arab and Indian traders and missionaries, and by the 13th century Islamic Sultanates were already established. But it was only from the late 14th century onwards that it had a firm footing in Java through the preaching of these 9 Saints.
The 9 Saints started with Sunan Gresik (Mawlana Malik Ibrahim, often confused with Raden Makhdum Ibrahim who was his grandson Sunan Bonang) who was sent together with his father and a group of Sufis scholars by Sultan Muhammad The 1st (the first Ottaman Caliph) to preach Islam in this region. His origin is disputed (Turkey or Persia or Uzbekhistan). He was a descendant of The Prophet (PBUH).
The others who accompanied him were from Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Turkey, Persia and Uzbekhistan. From Java, he went to preach in Champa (now central/southern Vietnam) for 13 years, where he got married to a local princess and had 2 sons, one of whom was Sunan Ampel (real name Ali Rahmatullah, the 2nd Wali Songo, and father of 2 other Wali Songo - Sunan Bonang and Sunan Drajat). After completing his mission there, he returned to Java.
According to one narrative, all the 9 Saints were related (directly or by marriage, starting with Sunan Gresik), and some were also teachers of the others.
They were very successful in their preaching as they taught a tolerant Islam based on theology, fiqh (jurisprudence) and tasawwuf (spirituality and character-building).
The first Wali Songo (Sunan Gresik) was born in mid-14th century and died in 1419. The last member died in the later part of the 16th century. So their history spanned over two centuries.
The fascinating story of the Wali Songo is full of legends and mysticism. Although their existence was historical, it is difficult to determine which version (there are many) of their history is correct. Even their genealogies are mixed up in these different versions.
THE CHINESE CONNECTION IN WALI SONGO
The Chinese (Muslims, non-Muslims and pirates) already had a presence in Indonesia even before the arrival of the famous Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho), who visited Indonesia several times during his 7 voyages in the first third of the 15th century. His visits spurred many migrant Chinese to become Muslims. He built many mosques in Java and Sumatera, and helped establish Chinese Muslim communities. The most notable of these was in Semarang, Central Java. Unfortunately, after his death, some of these communities turned the mosques into temples for worshiping him! The Sam Poo Kong temple complex (also called Gedung Batu) in Semarang is an example. It has a huge 35-foot bronze statue of him. Fortunately, some of his mosques survived, the most famous being the Cheng Ho mosque in Surabaya.
According to scholar Kong Yuanzhi, Sunan Ampel had Chinese ancestry and his Chinese name was Bong Swee Hoo. He married a Chinese Muslim and had two sons Sunan Bonang and Sunan Drajat and two daughters, one of whom was the mother of Sunan Kudus. His cousin Sunan Giri was also his student. All the men mentioned were Wali Songo. According to this narrative, 7 of the 9 Saints were part-Chinese and had Chinese names.
Those who are fascinated by this story can read more here:
I have shared the stories of Sultan Al Ariffin Shaykh Ismail and the Wali Songo to highlight that the Sufis played a huge part in spreading Islam to the Malays of the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian Archipelago (it was also largely through the works of the Sufis that Islam spread beyond Java to Lombok, Sulawesi and Maluku). Another interesting point (if true) is that most of the Wali Songo were of Chinese descent.
The Malays eventually embraced Islam en-bloc after their rulers and leaders reverted (converted). How did it happen? The Malays found the tolerant and compassionate Islam taught by the Sufis to be conducive to their nature (but after over 500 years, now the Malays do not seem to be as tolerant and compassionate anymore, and many are only Muslim by name but do many things that Islam forbids).
During the 444 years of European Christian colonial rule in Malaya (Portuguese 1511-1641/ Dutch 1641-1824/ British 1824-1957, with 3 years break under the Japanese Occupation 1942-1945), the colonizers brought their religion and missionaries, built many churches and Mission Schools that Muslim children also attended (and had to read the Bible), yet the Muslims did not convert to Christianity even though there was no law against proselytizing to Muslims then (the law only began with our Independence in 1957).
On the other hand, many non-Muslims of other races converted to Christianity (and continue to do so) such that now (2019 census) 13% of the Malaysian population are Christians (it was 9.2% in the 2010 census). In East Malaysia, they make up 33% of the population (2019).
Likewise, in Indonesia, after almost 350 years of Dutch influence and colonization (the first 200 years ostensibly under the Dutch East India Company, and later directly under the Dutch government as the Dutch East Indies) mostly only the non-Malays and indigenous peoples converted. Now, 11% of the population are Christians (2018 census). Some provinces are majority Christian. The Indonesian Malays are also somewhat resistant to converting, but there is no law prohibiting proselytization to Muslims there, and conversions (both ways) are becoming more common.
This is not a complaint against Christian missionaries (I believe in complete freedom of religion), but recognizing what I feel is the legacy left by the Sufi pioneers like those mentioned above who managed to not only convert the Malays to Islam, but also make them treasure it and find it difficult to abandon even when they have not become good Muslims anymore!
Salam/Peace. See you at my next SUFI STORIES post!
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