Sunan Sitijenar is, according to the Babad Tanah Jawi ("History of the land of Java") manuscripts, one of the nine Wali Sanga ("Nine Saints") to whom Indonesian legend attributes the establishment of Islam as the dominant religion among the Javanese, Indonesia's largest ethnic group.
However, some Javanese texts relate stories about Syekh Siti Jenar (also known as Syekh Lemah Abang) having conflicts with the Wali Sanga and the Sultanate of Demak. This was because his perspective on Islam was different to that of the other members of the Wali Sanga.[1] Siti Jenar, who came from Campa[a], was influenced by Campa's traditions and emphasized the more mystical approach of sufism,[2] called pantheist sufism (union of man and God, wujûdiyah, manunggaling kawulo gusti) - which opposed chariatic sufism. This brought out strong oppositions. Siti Jenar and his disciples Pangeran Jipang and Sunan Panggung (Pengging) were executed upon the order of either Ja’far Sadik or Sunan Kudus,[3] hardliner islamist[4] who was at that time at the head of religious affairs in Demak Sultanate.[3] Politics dictated these executions: Jenar was perceived as an opponent to the political orientation of the sultanate. Theological dynamics were often influenced and/or interrupted by political interventions from one faction or another[4] - and reciprocally.[b]
Dang Hyang Nirartha was also a student of his;[6] he had a significant influence in the kingdom of Majapahit, the biggest Hindu kingdom in Nusantara, East Java;[1] and later in Bali.
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