Reforming Sufism in Malaya: The teachings of Tuan Tabal and his followers

This paper examines the efforts made by ‘Abd al-Ṣamad ibn Ṣāliḥ (1840-1891) and his descendants, who were the members of the Aḥmadiyyah Idrīsī order (ṭarīqah), to reform Malay Sufism during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century. Under the leadership of ‘Abd al-Ṣamad, the order attracted thousands of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mohd Amin, Wan Mohd Azam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IIUM Press 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/35183/4/35183.pdf
Description
Summary:This paper examines the efforts made by ‘Abd al-Ṣamad ibn Ṣāliḥ (1840-1891) and his descendants, who were the members of the Aḥmadiyyah Idrīsī order (ṭarīqah), to reform Malay Sufism during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century. Under the leadership of ‘Abd al-Ṣamad, the order attracted thousands of followers and its central issue was reforming the doctrine of “the unity of existence” by reconciling it with the “unity of consciousness” (waḥdat al-shuhūd), the teachings of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindī (d.1624). The reform efforts continued by Wan Musa (1874-1939), Nik Abdullah (1900-1935) and Nik Muhammad Salleh (1920-1972). They, however, adapted the framework of Shāh Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī (1703-1762) ) in their undertakings. Kertas kerja ini mengkaji usaha-usaha yang dibuat oleh ‘Abd alSamad ibn Salih (1840-1891) dan keturunannya, yang merupakan ahli-ahli kumpulan (tarekat) Aḥmadiyyah Idrīsī, untuk mengubah tasawuf Melayu pada abad ke sembilan belas dan ke dua puluh. Di bawah kepimpinan ‘Abd al-Samad, kumpulan itu yang menarik beribu-ribu pengikut dan isu utamanya adalah untuk membuat pembaharuan kepada doktrin “kesatuan wujud” dengan menyatukannya dengan “kesatuan kesedaran” (waḥdat al- shuhūd), ajaran Syaikh Ahmad Sirhindī (d.1624). Usaha pembaharuan ini diteruskan oleh Wan Musa (1874-1939), Nik Abdullah (1900-1935) dan Nik Muhammad Salleh (1920-1972). Walau bagaimanapun, mereka telah menyesuaikan dengan rangka kerja Ṭarīq Shāh WalīAllāh al-Dihlawī (1703-1762) dalam usaha mereka.