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The history of the arrival of Islam in Indonesia is somewhat unclear.[1] One theory states that Islam arrived directly from Arabia as early as the 9th century, during the time of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. Another theory credits Sufi travelers for bringing Islam in the 12th or 13th century, either from Gujarat in India or from Persia.[2] Before the archipelago's conversion to Islam, the predominant religions in Indonesia were Hinduism (particularly its Shaivism tradition) and Buddhism.[3][4]
The islands that now constitute Indonesia have been recognized for centuries as a source of spices such as nutmeg and cloves, which were key commodities in the spice trade long before the Portuguese arrived in the Banda Islands in 1511.[5][6] Due to the archipelago's strategic place as the gateway between the Muslim world and Imperial China, it became a busy international hub for merchants engaged in many forms of trade.[7] It became a place where different peoples shared their respective cultures, including Islam.
Despite being one of the most significant developments in Indonesian history, evidence about the coming of Islam to Indonesia is limited; there is considerable debate among scholars about what conclusions can be drawn about the conversion of Indonesian peoples.[8]: 3 The primary evidence, at least of the earlier stages of the process, are gravestones and a few travelers' accounts, but these can only show that indigenous Muslims were in a certain place at a certain time. This evidence cannot explain more complicated matters such as how lifestyles were affected by the new religion or how deeply it affected societies. It cannot be assumed, for example, that because a ruler was known to be a Muslim, therefore the Islamization of that area was widespread. Nevertheless, a clear turning point occurred when the Hindu Majapahit empire in Java fell to the Islamised Demak Sultanate. In 1527, the Muslim ruler renamed the newly conquered Sunda Kelapa as Jayakarta (meaning "precious victory") which was eventually contracted to Jakarta.
The spread of Islam was slow.[9] The limited evidence that is currently known suggests that the spread of Islam accelerated in the 15th century. One of the defining characteristics of the spread was that it was achieved through generally peaceful means.[10][11][12][13] As Muslim traders settled in coastal areas, they began to assimilate with the local population. Soon new Muslim communities were created, as evidenced by the travel journals of Ibn Battuta, Zheng He, and Marco Polo. Many Muslims inter-married with royalties, with their descendants establishing various sultanates in Sumatra and Java.
Dominant kingdoms included Mataram in Central Java, and the sultanates of Ternate and Tidore in the Maluku Islands to the east. By the end of the 13th century, Islam had been established in North Sumatra; by the 14th in northeast Malaya, Brunei, the southern Philippines and among some courtiers of East Java; and the 15th in Malacca and other areas of the Malay Peninsula. Although it is known that the spread of Islam began in the west of the archipelago, the fragmentary evidence does not suggest a rolling wave of conversion through adjacent areas; rather, it suggests the process was complicated and slow.
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- ^ "Introduction to Islam in Indonesia - Development of Indonesian Islam". www.indonesia-investments.com. Indonesia Investments.
- ^ Nina Nurmila (31 January 2013). Jajat Burhanudin, Kees van Dijk (ed.). Islam in Indonesia: Contrasting Images and Interpretations. Amsterdam University Press. p. 109. ISBN 9789089644237.
- ^ Jan Gonda (1975). Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 3 Southeast Asia, Religions. Brill Academic. pp. 3–20, 35–36, 49–51. ISBN 90-04-04330-6.
- ^ Ann R. Kinney; Marijke J. Klokke; Lydia Kieven (2003). Worshiping Siva and Buddha: The Temple Art of East Java. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 21–25. ISBN 978-0-8248-2779-3.
- ^ Giles Milton. Nathaniel's Nutmeg: The True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History. Penguin Books. p. 5.
- ^ "The Trade in Spices | Silk Roads Programme". en.unesco.org. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ "The Strait of Malacca – a historical shipping metropolis". World Ocean Review. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
RICKLEFSwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Audrey Kahin (2015). Historical Dictionary of Indonesia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 3–5. ISBN 978-0-8108-7456-5.
- ^ "Did you know?: The Spread of Islam in Southeast Asia through the Trade Routes | Silk Roads Programme". en.unesco.org. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Alles, Delphine (2015). "Historical Detour: The Long Interplay between Transnational Islamic Actors and the Archipelago's Foreign Relations". Transnational Islamic Actors and Indonesia's Foreign Policy: Transcending the State. Routledge. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-317-65592-3.
- ^ Ipenburg, At; Roof, Wade Clark (2011). "Indonesia". Encyclopedia of Global Religion. SAGE Publications. p. 558. ISBN 978-0-7619-2729-7.