The Spread of Islam in the Malay Archipelago

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical figures, groups, locations, and terms related to the spread of Islam in the Malay Archipelago.

Shāfi'iyyah

The Islamic jurisprudence sect predominant among Muslims in the Malay Archipelago, as well as on the Coromandel and Malabar coasts of India.

'Abd Āllāh 'Arif

An Arab missionary who visited Atjeh about the middle of the twelfth century, credited by Malay chronicles as the first missionary to the island.

Burhan al-Din

A disciple of 'Abd Āllāh 'Arif who carried the knowledge of Islam down the west coast of Sumatra as far as Priaman.

Jūhan Shāh

The traditionary founder of the Muhammadan dynasty of Atjeh who acceded in 1205 under the title Srī Padūka Sulṭān.

Parlak

A petty kingdom on the north-east corner of Sumatra visited by Marco Polo in 1292, where Saracen merchants had converted the townspeople to Islam.

Shaykh Ismā'īl

The leader of a mission sent by the Sharīf of Mecca to convert the population of Sumatra to Islam.

al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ

The title adopted by Mara Silu upon embracing Islam; he founded the cities and kingdoms of Samudra and Pasei.

al-Malik al-Ẕāhir

The king of Samudra visited by Ibn Baṭūṭah in 1345, described as a zealous Muslim ruler, general, and patron of theologians and scholars.

Padris

Sumatran religious reformers who, influenced by the Wahhābī movement in 1803, declared a Jihād against the Bataks and fought the Dutch from 1821 to 1838.

Minak Kamala Bumi

A chieftain from the southern extremity of Sumatra who embraced Islam in Bantam around the end of the fifteenth century and introduced it to the Lampong districts.

Sīdī 'Abd al-'Azīz

A trader and commander from Jiddah who arrived in Malacca and persuaded its king to convert to Islam.

Pra Ong Mahāwāngsā

The Raja of Queda who converted to Islam around A.D. 1501 through Shaykh 'Abd Allāh and took the name Sultan Muzlaf al-Shāh.

Samsams

Converts to Islam living in the northern Malay states bordering Siam who speak a mixed jargon of the Malay and Siamese languages.

Ḥājī Purwa

The elder brother of the king of Pajajaran who converted to Islam through Arab merchants in India around 1190, making the first attempt to introduce Islam into Java.

Mawlana Malik Ibrāhīm

A pioneer Islamic missionary who settled near Gresik on Java's east coast in the late fourteenth century, died in 1419, and is venerated as Java's first apostle of Islam.

Majapahit

A powerful Hindu kingdom in central and eastern Java whose capital fell in 1478 to a coalition of Muslim princes led by Raden Patah.

Raden Raḥmat

The revered chief apostle of Islam in Java who established the main Islamic center at Ampel after receiving permission from the king of Majapahit.

Arya Damar

The governor of Palembang in Sumatra who raised Raden Patah and Raden Ḥusayn.

Raden Patah

The governor of Bintara and son of a concubine of the king of Majapahit who led the Muslim confederacy that overthrew Majapahit.

Shaykh Nūr al-Dīn Ibrāhīm

A prominent missionary of Cheribon who gained wide influence by curing leprosy and introduced Islam to the eastern parts of Java.

Baduwis

Descendants of adherents of the old religion who fled to Java's woods and mountains after Pajajaran fell, strictly maintaining a population limit of forty households.

Shaykh Manṣūr

An Arab missionary who converted Tjireli Lijatu, the heathen king of Tidor, and many of his subjects to Islam in the fifteenth century.

Datu Mullā Husayn

A merchant who introduced Islam to Ternate by reading the Qur'ān aloud in the presence of the inhabitants.

Khaṭīb Tungal

A famous missionary to the Macassars whose efforts in Tallo helped establish Islam among the Macassar-speaking tribes.

Sharīf Kabungsuwan

A missionary from Johore who introduced Islam to Mindanao, establishing power through marriage and conquest of local chiefs.

Sharīf Karīm al-Makhdūm

An Arab missionary who arrived in Sulu around 1380, built a mosque at Bwansa, and converted many local chiefs.

Abu Bakr

An Arab missionary who arrived in Sulu around 1450, married the daughter of Raja Baginda, and organized the government according to Islamic law.