Islamic Intellectual Legacy in Southeast Asia: The Dynamics of Thought and Civilization

Authors

  • Mesi Rawanita UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh
  • Muji Mulia UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh
  • M. Ikhwan STAIN Teungku Dirundeng Meulaboh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19109/ampera.v6i02.27993

Keywords:

Islam in Southeast Asia, Islamic Intellectual Tradition , Islamic civilization

Abstract

This article examines the dynamics of the Islamic intellectual heritage in Southeast Asia and its role in shaping the region’s civilization. Unlike other areas, the Islamization of Southeast Asia occurred through peaceful means such as trade, Sufi missionary activities, and education, resulting in a unique integration of classical Islamic traditions with local cultures. Employing a multidisciplinary theoretical framework, including cultural diffusion theory, historical-sociological approaches, and contextual theories of religious thought, this study explores how scholars such as Hamzah Fansuri, Nuruddin ar-Raniry, and Syekh Yusuf al-Maqassari contributed to the formation of Islamic intellectualism in the region. The study also highlights the vital role of Islamic educational institutions, such as pesantren and dayah, in preserving and transmitting religious knowledge across generations. Despite the challenges posed by colonialism and modernization, the Islamic intellectual tradition in Southeast Asia demonstrates resilience and creative adaptability, offering significant contributions to the global tapestry of Islamic civilization. These findings reaffirm that Southeast Asia actively contributes to the evolution of Islamic thought worldwide.

References

Abdullah, M. A. (2015). Religion, Science, and Culture: An Integrated, Interconnected Paradigm of Science. Al-Jami’ah: Journal of Islamic Studies, 52(1), 175. https://doi.org/10.14421/ajis.2014.521.175-203

Abdullah, M. A. (2017). Islam as a cultural capital in Indonesia and the Malay world: A convergence of Islamic studies, social sciences and humanities. Journal of Indonesian Islam, 11(2), 307–328. https://doi.org/10.15642/JIIS.2017.11.2.307-328

Ahmed, S. (2016). What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvc77krt

Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1980). The Concept of Education in Islam: A Framework for an Islamic Philosophy of Education. International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC).

Amin, F., & Ananda, R. A. (2019). Kedatangan dan Penyebaran Islam di Asia Tenggara: Telaah Teoritik tentang Proses Islamisasi Nusantara. Analisis: Jurnal Studi Keislaman, 18(2), 67–100. https://doi.org/10.24042/ajsk.v18i2.3069

Azra, A. (2004). The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia. BRILL. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004488199

Braudel, F. (1980). A history of civilizations. University of Chicago Press.

Bruinessen, M. Van. (1995). Kitab Kuning, Pesantren, dan Tarekat: Tradisi-Tradisi Islam di Indonesia. In Mizan: Vol. II.

Bustamam-Ahmad, K., & Jory, P. (2013). Islamic Thought in Southeast Asia: New Interpretations and Movements. University of Malaya Press.

Derks, W. (2006). Book Review: The Heritage of Traditional Malay Literature: A Historical Survey of Genres, Writings and Literary Views. South East Asia Research, 14(2), 309–323. https://doi.org/10.5367/000000006778008077

Feener, R. M. (2007). Muslim legal thought in modern Indonesia. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511495540

Feener, R. M. (2019). Islam in Southeast Asia to c. 1800. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.013.40

Gallop, A. T. (2002). The study day on Indonesian manuscripts. Indonesia and the Malay World, 30(86), 5–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639810220134629

Hamzah, N., Mohd Noor, A., & Denisova, T. (2014). The Books of Bustan a-Salatin by Nur al-Din al-Raniri as Historical Text: The Structure and Purpose of Writing. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 9(2), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol9no2.3

Harrison, B., & Milner, A. C. (1983). Kerajaan: Malay Political Culture on the Eve of Colonial Rule. The American Historical Review, 88(2), 458. https://doi.org/10.2307/1865532

Hefner, R. W. (2019). Whatever Happened to Civil Islam? Islam and Democratisation in Indonesia, 20 Years On. Asian Studies Review, 43(3), 375–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2019.1625865

Huda, N. (2018). Continuity and Change of the Islamic Intellectual Discourse in Indonesia Malay World. Journal of Malay Islamic Studies, 2(2), 147–166. https://doi.org/10.19109/jmis.v2i2.2542

Johns, A. H. (1993). Islamization in southeast Asia: reflections and reconsiderations with special reference to the role of Sufism. Southeast Asian Studies, 31(1), 43–61.

Laffan, M. F. (2003). Islamic Nationhood and Colonial Indonesia. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203222577

Madjid, N. (2008). Islam Kemodernan Dan Keindonesiaan. In Mizan Media Utama.

Nasr, S. H. (1994). A Young Muslim’s Guide to the Modern World. Kazi Publications.

Niel, R. Van, & Roff, W. R. (1967). The Origins of Malay Nationalism. In The American Historical Review (Vol. 73, Issue 2). Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/1866329

Piscatori, J., & Eickelman, D. F. (2018). Muslim Politics. Princeton University Press.

Quandt, W. B., & Hodgson, M. G. S. (1997). The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization. Foreign Affairs, 76(5), 232. https://doi.org/10.2307/20048252

Reid, A. (2017). Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300159455

Ricklefs, M. C. (2012). Islamisation and its opponents in java: A political, social, cultural and religious history, c. 1930 to the present. NUS Press.

Saputra, D. (2024). Urgensi Sejarah Masuk dan Penyebaran Islam di Kawasan Asia Tenggara. Inspirasi: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Kebudayaan, 1(1), 1–15.

van Bruinessen, M. (2002). Genealogies of Islamic Radicalism in Post-Suharto Indonesia. South East Asia Research, 10(2), 117–154. https://doi.org/10.5367/000000002101297035

Woodward, M. (2011). Java, Indonesia and Islam. Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0056-7

Yock Fang, L. (2013). A History of Classical Malay Literature. ISEAS Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1355/9789814459891

Downloads

Published

2025-04-30

How to Cite

Rawanita, M., Mulia, M., & Ikhwan, M. . (2025). Islamic Intellectual Legacy in Southeast Asia: The Dynamics of Thought and Civilization. Ampera: A Research Journal on Politics and Islamic Civilization, 6(02), 76-88. https://doi.org/10.19109/ampera.v6i02.27993