2 Calligraphy of Surah Al-Imrān made in the form of Semar.
2
(a series of lectures) with Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad and Nani Abdul Rahman (probably Dani’s relative):
The Nature of Java - Nani Abdul Rahman
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1vZdf3cF8T_ CSAw1BpOR8ASvGjy5lfekc.
Outward and Inward - Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ALG6E9VSmkOlYVcqPLk0vHBnGKva 0TiL/view?usp=sharing.
Watch the full lectures on Cambridge Muslim College website
https://cambridgemuslimcollege.teachable.com/courses/ enrolled/754866.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LBXedNoFQ8A.
5
3 Wayang kulit or Shadow puppet theater in Java, originally being used as an entertainment in the court of Majapahit Kingdom, then with Sunan Kalijaga ingenious idea it became a vehicle of Da’wah in Java and spread throughout the whole Malay-Indonesian Archipelago. For more on the relationship of Wayang as da’wah read, Hifni Nasif, “Wayang as Dakwah Medium of Islam according to Sunan Kalijaga,” Kalimah: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama dan Pemikiran Islam, Vol. 16 No. 2 (Ponorogo: UNIDA Gontor, 2018), 252-264. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BB5R3T1HLLfhoLjNSbbwiYz8lHW5vBS-/view?usp=sharing.
4 Demak mosque, Central Java. The first Islamic Kingdom in Java was established here, founded by Raden Patah or Sultan Sultan Shah Alam Akbar al-Fattah with the help of the Nine Saints or the Wali Songo. The name Fattah or Patah was deliberately chosen by the Nine Saints as his epithet because the establishment of the Islamic kingdom in Java was an opening for Islam to be more widespread throughout the archipelago.
5 Bima Suci defeating the Dragon Snake, taken from Serat Dewa Ruci, 1904. Manuscript. From Koninklijke Verzamelingen, ‘Dewa Ruci’ Mystiek Filosofich Javaans Gedicht UIT Yogyakarta https://www.koninklijkeverzamelingen.nl/en/mediabank/detail/6367bcca-d653-54c3-ac18-c66b67777a12/media/d5a13a515d83-ee22-5c4e-acde3514b8b3?mode=detail&view=gallery&q=Dewa%20Ruci&rows=1&page=1 (Accessed December, 16 2022).
For more explanation of Serat Dewa Ruci and its Islamic teaching read Bernard Arps, “Dewa Ruci and the light that is Muhammad: the Islamization of a Buddhist text in the Yasadipuran version of the Book of Dewa Ruci,” Pantheisme - Manunggaling Kawula Lan Gusti Dalam Naskah Nusantara (Leiden: Universiteit Leiden, 2007), 1-39. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/19569, Pdf: https://www.academia.edu/1885565/Dewa_Ruci_and_the_light_that_is_Muhammad.
6 Nine Muslim figures (on the back, from left to right) who proposed Suharto (on the mic) to step down from his position as President after 32 years of dictatorship. Mei 21, 1998. Nine is an important symbol in the consciousness of the Javanese people, as in the Wali Sanga or Nine Saints of Malaya.
7 Painting of the wali songo
8 Cak Nun or Emhan Ainun Najib (a famous muslim preacher from Java) on stage in front of Maduranese and Dayak people during the sampit conflict in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. While holding a baby, he said rhetorically to the crowd, “If indeed conflicts, wars, or killing each other must be continued, please continue! so that your children and grandchildren will witness it.” After he left, his team received reports from the location that the conflict had gradually decreased.
Source: https://www.caknun.com/2018/silakan-teruskan-biar-disaksikan-anak-cucumu/.
9 Wali Sanga gathered in Giri Kedathon, judging Sheikh Siti Jenar (middle) or Syekh Lemah Abang because of his statement, “There is no Syekh Siti Jenar here, only Gusti Pangeran (God)” and for teaching this doctrine to common people, he ended up executed like his spiritual teacher Syekh Mansur Al-Hallaj of Baghdad. Screenshot taken from the Sunan Kalijaga dan Syech Siti Jenar, 1985. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTX2f9gLlm0&t=7566s
10 In Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet theater), the gunungan is a character that represents chaos and disorder. It is typically depicted as a large, amorphous, and sometimes comical figure with exaggerated features. The gunungan is usually portrayed by the dalang, or puppeteer, as a way of introducing the story and setting the scene for the performance. The gunungan was originally created by Sunan Kalijaga, who is credited with introducing Wayang Kulit as a means of da’wah in the Archipealagp. Sunan Kalijaga is said to have used the gunungan as a metaphor for the chaotic and unpredictable nature of life, and as a way of encouraging people to seek order and balance in their own lives. In Wayang Kulit performances, the gunungan often appears at the beginning of the show, announcing the theme of the story and setting the stage for the other characters to enter. It is typically played for comedic effect and is often used to lighten the mood before the more serious and dramatic action of the play begins.
11 Scene from the story of Dewa Ruci in shadow puppet theater, screenshot taken from Dewa Ruci-Ki Manteb Soedarsono (English Sub), 2014. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCxSw8qkOvc&t=2397s.
12 13
12 Varieties of shadow puppets in South East Asia.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/104795627892683/posts/292480722457505/
13 Characters in Malaysian shadow puppet.
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/802555596100394710/.
1. 2. 3. 4.
https://soundcloud.com/mohd-nadzrin-wahab/sufismislamisation-of-the-malay-world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrDjDBLto4Q.
https://www.youtube.com watch?v=CqVW8QGRudY&t=8s
Nusantara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIq0YX1ztUo.
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14
14 Maps of South-East Asia.
Source: Nicolaes Visscher Indiae Orientalis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolaes_Visscher_Indiae_Orientalis.jpg.
15 Neue Indisch ABC, “Hadji.”
17 Masjid Kampung Laut, Kelantan, Malaysia. 18 Masjid Menara Kudus, Central Java, Indonesia. 19 Masjid Lama Masjid Tanah, Malacca, Malaysia.
• Cekelan or grip: A person must have a grip or guidelines in his or her life.
• Pancadan or foothold: Everything needs to be grounded on a strong foundation.
• Tandhing or deliberator: In life we must be ready to nandhingke (compare) or weigh a situation before deciding something. If our considerations are mature and strong, then our decisions will be right.
• Singkal (abbr. sing sugih akal or the intellegent one): In living this life we need to be farseeing ( panjang akal or broad mind), unrelenting, and when a problem comes we are bright enough to solve it.
• Kaijen or the edge of singkal: Kaijen comes from the root word Ka-Ijen means the One, in living this life we must remember one thing, namely God Almighty.
• Racuk or the tip of Luku: Our direction should be focused only to the One.
21 Look at the kid with the green shirt, there is something in his hand.
22 Malacca port, reminds me of laketown from The Hobbit Desolation of Smaug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWwiw45Ycx0.
