CHAPTER II: Methods of Islam Spreading


The history of Islam spreading across the island of Java marked as one of the most important transformations in the both of cultural and spiritual identity of the Javanese people. Specifically in Yogyakarta, Blora, and Magetan that reflecting religious development were heavily tied to the unifying and blending of diverse characteristics, the culture of Islam and Javanese people. The process of Islam spreading in the three regions happened neither because it is forced by certain communities. It spread gradually and adapted by the locals with grace and adapted by the merging of Islamic teachings and the native traditions of Javanese people. This chapter will specifically discuss the methods and the way of Islam evolved in these three regions across Java Island.

First, In Yogyakarta, the primary introduction of Islam started by the influence of the Demak Sultanate in the 15th and 16th centuries. As one of the oldest Islamic kingdoms in Java, the Demak Kingdom sent the preachers, known as Wali Songo with the aim to spread Islamic teaching and knowledge peacefully to the locals at that period of time. One of these figures, known as Sunan Kalijaga, held a significant role in the Islamization process that happened in Yogyakarta. Sunan Kalijaga used acculturation instead of force, integrating Islamic values with Javanese cultural expressions including wayang (shadow puppetry), gamelan, and temple ceremonies. As a result of this, the Islamic values were integrated into the local’s culture without dismissing the existing cultural character in Yogyakarta. The evolution of Islam spreading in Yogyakarta was solidified under the Mataram Islamic Kingdom, where Islamic governance and practices started to influence the educational, social, and political structures. These traditions, namely as Sekaten, Grebeg Maulud, and Mubeng Beteng, is a solid proof of how Islam and Javanese culture blended peacefully, resulting in Yogyakarta as a core of Islamic learning and cultural conservation.




Source: Liputan6.com


Moving to Blora, the Islamic values spread with different yet resonate the same way of methods. Rather than a royal-based agenda like in Yogyakarta, Islamization in Blora was more of a community-oriented. These methods include the activity of Muslim traders, scholars and teachers, because Blora was a passage for them, located near the border of the Demak and Pajang Sultanate. These trading activities also involved the blending of Java tradition and Islamic values into the local community, the teachers who are carrying the Islamic values to the locals often referred as kyai or ulama. They are teaching Islamic values to the locals by building Islamic boarding schools, known as Pesantren  as the center of Islamic educational system. The system of Pesantren is not functionally operating to the activity of learning Islamic values, but also emphasizing on moral education and implementing the Islamic values on a daily basis.

Whereas in Magetan, located on the …. of Java Island, the process of Islam spreading through the island took the similar pattern as Yogyakarta and Blora. Islam reached Magetan with the influence of Mataram and the Islamic knowledge carried by the local figures coming from the region located near Magetan, Ponorogo and Madiun. The spreading of Islamic values and knowledge had the similarity in Blora, with kyai or ulama having the vital role in spreading the Islamic values to the local. They practiced Islamic teaching in daily practices, social activities, and religious norms. Masjid At-Taqwa, located in Magetan is one of the historical evidence of Islam spreading through the region long ago in Magetan. 

In conclusion, the strategies used to spread Islam in Yogyakarta, Blora, and Magetan were based on the same idea, peaceful integration via trade, education, and culture. Islam in these areas developed a kind of spirituality that was firmly attached in Javanese ideals, rather than displacing regional customs. Islam's growth may therefore be viewed as more than just a religious phenomena, it is also a social and cultural development that has shaped Javanese society's identity through generations.

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