Islam in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia Becomes Active in Seaborne Trade

600

In the 600s and into the 700s, Southeast Asian sailors, namely Sumatra and Malaya, became involved in seaborne trade. They contributed luxury items such as aromatic woods, and spices like cloves, nutmeg and mace, which became very important exports to China, India and the Mediterranean area. As Muslim control of coastal trade and shipping of India continued to increase, these trade links, and others like it, allowed more elements of Islamic culture influence the region.

Collapse of Shrivijaya

1200

Shrivijaya was a powerful trading empire whose rulers and officials were Buddhists, meaning that there was no incentive for the traders of the port to convert to Islam. However, sedimentation of the Musi river estuary prevented the kingdom's capital from having direct sea access and impeded trade in the Kingdom's capital. As the decline of the capital and its influence continued, Arab and Indian traders were able to establish Muslim trading centers and preach the faith of Islam to the region.

Islam Continues to Spread into the Malay World

1300

During the fourteenth century, the Malay world continued to experience Islamization through many influences, especially Sufi teachers and men from Muhammad’s family and ruling classes of the Hadramaut and the Persian Gulf who married into Malay royal families. The Sufis translated classics of Sufi literature from Arabic and Persian into Malay, and transformed Malay into a major Islamic language. It has also been recorded that the Sufis transcribed original Islamic works in Malay at this time.

Malayan King Converts to Islam

1414

Islam spread to the port city of Malacca in the Malay peninsula, which would become the leading islamic center for the entire region in the fifteenth century. In 1414, Parameswara, the Malaccan king, converted to Islam and assumed the Muslim name of Megat Iskandar Shah. He contributed to the subsequent adoption of Islam by most of his subjects.

Reign of Mudzaffar Shah

1446

Mudzaffar Shah was the sultan of Melaka from 1446 to 1459. Under his reign, Islam became the official religion of the State. His successor’s religious scholarship and leadership also contributed to the conversion to and spread of Islam. These events worked in coherence with the influence of ongoing trade and conquest, which also contributed to the conversion and eventual spread of Islam, among the people residing in the Malay peninsula, as wall as in littoral and riverine cities.

Raden Patah Conquest of the Demak Kingdom

1475

In the midst of the 1400s, many lords of port towns, including Demak, Jepara, Gresik and Tuban on the north coast of Java began a transition of converting to Islam. These lords also began to trade independently from Majapahit, which was experiencing a decline. Raden Patah was one of the lords involved in this transition. In 1475, Raden Patah founded the Demak Kingdom, which was the first Islamic kingdom in Java.

Rule of Zayn al-Abidin

1486

Zayn al-Abidin was the fourth Imam and the first real Muslim ruler of Moluccas from 1486 to 1500. During the 1400s and into his reign, the Islamization process continued throughout the kingdom. The presence of the Islamic religion remained strong in the region, even with the arrival of the Portuguese, who fruitlessly attempted to replace Islam with Christianity.

Islamization of Brunei, the Sulu Archipelago, and Mindanao

1500

Arab traders and pious men journeying from Malacca to the Philippines brought Islam to Brunei, the Sulu Archipelago, and Mindanao. The Islamic communities of these regions faced persecution and mass killings with the invasion of the Spaniards. The Spaniards in the Philippines inflicted these sufferings on the people who refused to accept Christianity, which was detrimental to the population of Muslims in these areas. Muslims in these areas are referred to as "Moros," the god of death in Greek.

Raden Patah of Demak Conquers Majapahit

1500

Raden Patah was the Islamic ruler in Demak in Indonesia from 1500 to 1518 and when he conquered Majapahit. Following his conquest, he established an empire in Java and Sumatra that would extend over a majority of what used to be Majapahit. Raden Patah turned the conquered territories into Islamic states, and promoted trade and the religion of Islam. Islam had been introduced to Majapahit earlier, but after a period of decline, famine, and civil war, his influence strengthened Islamic presence.

Portuguese Conquer Malacca

1511

The Portuguese conquered Malacca, marking the end to Islamic political power. However, much of Java had already been influenced by Islam and the spread of Islamic religion continued even after the fall of Malacca. Muslim traders were forced to relocate to areas of northern Sumatra or other Muslim ports like Banten and Brunei. Trade with Malacca had been prosperous for many, including Majapahit; however, the benefit and power gained from this relationship was lost after Portuguese conquest.

Acheh Becomes Center of Muslim Power

1524

In 1524, Ali Mughayat Chah captured Pasai from the Portuguese. He could then begin to prepare and lay the foundation for political rise of Acheh. Aceh, controlled many Malay states, and had a powerful and growing entrepot trade.The kingdom of Acheh remained in power into the 1600s. Its most successful leadership was under Sultan Ibrahim from 1507 to 1528 and Sultan Iskandar Muda from 1607 to 1636. Following this reign, the kingdom declined, but Islam itself became more entrenched in Sumatra.

Spanish Conquest of the Philippines

1570

Following the conquest of the Philippines, the Spanish king was determined to establish Christianity in the region. This prevented the religion of Islam from spreading further in Southeast Asia. It was not long after that Christianity became the predominant religion of the region. Consequently, the millions of native Muslims were forced to resettled or flee south following the confiscation of their ancestral lands by the Spanish. This continues to be a source of Muslim unhappiness to this day.

Rule of Sultan Iskandar Muda

1606

Sultan Iskandar Muda ruled Acheh from 1606-1637. During his reign, Aceh was the leading center of Muslim Power and it marked the peak of this kingdom. He won control over the northwestern portion of the Indonesian archipelago, and all major ports on the west coast and most of the east coast of Sumatra. The spice trade was a major economic influence of Aceh during this time. It also became an important center of scholarship during his reign, although success declined after Iskandar Muda's death.

Establishment of the Majlis Agama Islam

1826

After settling in Malay, the British promised not to interfere with matters that would affect Malays and their religion in the 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty. However, after establishing the Straits Settlements of Penang, Singapore and Malacca, British laws were enacted as laws of the land for many Malay states, and some religious rulings affected Islamic courts and laws. The Islamic Religious Council, was established and it undermined the role and power of Sultans, Islamic bureaucrats and jurists.