Islam in Malaysia
by
Hj. Ahmad Kamar
Introduction
The recognition of Islam in this part of the world has been a fact since C.E. 674
(forty-two years after the death of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh) when the
Umayyad ruler Muawiyah was in power at Damascus. Two hundred years later
in C.E. 878 Islam was embraced by people along the coast of Peninsular Malaysia including the port of Kelang which was a well-known trading centre.
Before
the coming of Islam, the indigenous Malays embraced an ancient religion
with various forms of belief with some of the population belonging to
the Hindu/Buddha religion. Life was structured and arranged in ways that
showed the influence of more than one religion. This can be seen not
only in the Malay's cultural patterns but is also part of the 'power'
structure of state dignitaries and princes.
At
the political level, the royal ruler and the head of state in most
communities in the Malay world embraced the Islamic religion. The people
were impressed and attracted by the provision in the Qur'an and the
Hadith that mankind should be ranked on a basis of interpersonal
equality. Those who for so long had been considered of low caste
saw how the different strata of Islamic society were laid before them.
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 extricate 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.
The efforts of the ulama'
in implementing Islamic teachings gradually reached rulers, officials,
community leaders and the ordinary people. Their efforts left its mark
in such places as Banten (formerly Bantam), East Java, Macassar, Kalimantan, the Southern Philippines, Southern Thailand, Malacca, Trengganu and elsewhere. The ulama' also played a part in the administration, and some of the powerful sultans held firmly to the teachings of Islam.
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 padi 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
Christionisation 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 madrassahs 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.
The Effects of Colonization
It
is unfortunate that while the process of Islamisation was in progress
in South-East Asia, the colonisers from the West came on the scene. The
first ones were 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
missionary is a revolutionary and has to be so, for to preach and plant
Christianity means to make a frontal attack on the beliefs, the
customs, the apprehensions of life and the world and by implication on
the social structure of the society. Beyond the missionary, the colonial
administrators, planters, merchants, western penetration, etc.,
performed a much more severe and destructive attack.
The
Malay Archipelago which became a trading area and a well known area for
"spices" and all sorts of products of the soil and marine technology
had become an area of intense rivalry as a consequence. The greed for
double profits by the Western traders transformed the style of political
power by colonisation. One by one the trading centres and the Islam
influenced sites fell.into the hands of the colonisers, bringing a new
administration and a military presence to reinforce it.
To
strengthen their economy, the colonial powers (the British in
particular) in the Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore brought in many
labourers from India and China so as to constitute a political problem,
which is still with us. Problems of immigration, citizenship, special
rights (Malays and indigenous), language, culture and economy became
political issues that led to a certain amount of nationalistic
touchiness.
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 role of the ulama'
was compromised for as time went on, they were weakened by the
formation of various 'religious councils' on the pretext, in the
colonial period, of preserving Malay customs and the Islamic religion.
However, as can be seen from the Acts establishing these Councils 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.
Another
effect was the opportunity for the Christian religion to establish
itself in a number of areas in these districts and Christianise the
native population. Schools and churches were opened once cooperation was
secured from colonial officials. The Chinese and Indians
who were brought to the Peninsula - Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei -
became the middlemen and were given protection. Many of them entered
schools belonging to Christian organisations and subsequently became
Christians themselves. But for Malays it could be said they were "out"
as far as Christian eligibility was concerned, and it was simply on that
account that they were disparaged by the colonisers either on religious
grounds or because they were said to be unskilled in basic human needs.
The
colonisers' policy and political game consisted in restricting the
natural growth of the indigenous people so that in many spheres of
activity they were hobbled or rendered ineffectual. Strict adherence to
Islam was not so firm or so uniform throughout Peninsular Malaya
particularly as the education policy gave advancement in the British
system to those educated in colonial schools. Thus was produced a
generation of Muslim bureaucrats who were 'westernised' and
'secularised'.
Abridged, edited and web version prepared by Dr. A. Zahoor.
The full article appeared in Al-Nahdah as "The Spread of Islam in Peninsular Malaysia."
Al-Nahdah, a RISEAP Publication.
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