The History of Chinese Muslims in archipelago (nusantara)

Some of the Walisongo who arrived in Indonesia for the purposes of dakwah had some Chinese ancestry maternally; for example, Sunan Ampel (Chinese name Bong Swi Ho), Sunan Bonang (Ampel's son, Bong Ang), and Sunan Kalijaga (Gan Si Cang).

The theory of Chinese ancestry maternally of Walisongo was publicized for the very first time in the book entitled "The Collapse of Javanese Hindu Kingdom" (1968). The Chinese Muslims played an important role in the spreading of Islam in the archipelago (nusantara).

In his notes, Marcopolo writes, when returning from China to Italy in 1292 AD, he does not pass through the Silk Road, but it passes through the sea towards the Persian Gulf. He stopped in Perlak, a Port City in Aceh, located in Southern Malacca. According to Marcopolo, in Perlak, there are three groups, namely:

(1) Chinese, who are all Muslims

(2) Western (Persian), also entirely Muslims

(3) indigenous in the hinterland, who worship trees, rocks, and spirit

In his testimony, he said: "The Kingdom of Ferlec (Perlak). "This kingdom, you must know, is so much frequented by the Saracen merchants that they have converted the natives to the Law of Muhammad (Islam).

One hundred years after Marco Polo, came Admiral Zhang He (Laksamana Cheng Ho), a Chinese Muslim from the Hui minority in China to Java in 1405 AD. He noted, when stopped in Tuban (a town located on the north coast of Java) he found there were 1000 Chinese religious Muslim family. In Gresik (a regency within East Java Province of Indonesia), he also found there were 1000 Chinese Muslim family, as well as in Surabaya there were also 1000 Chinese Muslim family.

During the Ming Dynasty ( 1368-1644) in China, Admiral Zhang He sailed several times to the then Malay archipelago, like Indonesia and Malacca until the Eastern coast of Africa. Zheng He, a Muslim originating from Yunnan, led seven naval expeditions on behalf of the Emperor Yong Le, with more than 300 ocean going vessels, and many Muslims among his crew of 200,000 to 300,000 men. Much of the information on Zheng He’s voyages were compiled by Ma Huan (馬 歡), also Muslim, who accompanied Zheng He on several of his inspection tours and served as his chronicler / interpreter.

Over the past decades, researchers have concluded Zhang He and his armada were the key force behind Islam’s spread in Southeast Asia. The Arabs established settlements in Southeast Asia from the eighth century. But Islam did not become dominant there until the 15th century – around the time Admiral Zheng began to sail in the South China Sea.

On Zhang He's seventh (last) visit to Java in 1433 AD, he invited his scribe named Ma Huan. According to Ma Huan, the Chinese and the Arab population of the cities on the northern beaches of Java were all Muslim, while the indigenous population were mostly non Muslim because they were worshipping the trees, rocks, and spirit. In his seven voyages, Zheng He sailed from China to all major ports in Southeast Asia and India, from Champa to Aden, via ports among which are Ayutthaya, Melaka, Palembang, Surabaya, Jakarta, Semarang etc.

According to Ma Huan, in Chao-wa (Java) if a man touches another man head with his hand, or if there is a misunderstanding about money at a sale, or a battle of words when they are crazy with drunkenness, they at once pull out their knives and stab each other. He who is stronger prevails.

When a man is stabbed to death, the killer would run away and conceals himself for three days before emerging, then he does not forfeit his life; but if he is seized at the very moment of the stabbing, he too is instantly stabbed to death. This was the jungle law practiced in Jawa before the introduction of Islam.

The term Carok in Madura also derived from the ancient Javanese Tradition. Carok in Javanese Kawi means fighting; Warok means a fighter; and Ken Arok means the leader of fighters. Therefore, the Muslims introduced new terms such as "sabar" (patient), "adil" (fair), 'tawadhu' (humbleness), "ngalah" (surrender) or ngAllah to avoiding conflicts.

Historians found evidence of Zheng’s missionary work in documents discovered in Semarang, Indonesia, by Dutch officials in 1925. This prompted Indonesian religious leader Hamka to write in 1961: “The development of Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia is intimately related to a Chinese Muslim, Admiral Zheng He.”

In Malacca, Admiral Zheng He built granaries, warehouses and a stockade, and most probably he left behind many of his Muslim crew because the local community was Muslim. Under the influence of Zheng He between 1411-1416, in the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, and the Philippines, many mosques were built by the Chinese Muslims.

The crowning moment of Zheng’s expedition was converting the Ruler of Malacca, Parameswara, to Islam shortly after he paid homage to the Yongle Emperor in Beijing in 1411. The conversion played a crucial role in the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia, according to Professor Xiao Xian of Yunnan University.

The foundations of Sam Poo Kong (三保洞 or the cave of 3 gems) were set when Chinese Muslim explorer Admiral Zheng He arrived in the western part of Semarang via the Garang River. The original site of Sam Po Kong is where Admiral Zheng He does his daily 5 prayers (solat) after disembarking from his ships. Admiral Zheng He was also known as 'San Pao' or 'Sam Poo' (3 gems).

Meanwhile, Muslim dignitaries with Chinese origin who converted to Islam and married local women, who can be traced in various places from Aceh to Palembang in Sumatra, to Banten in Java, and further to the East in Semarang and Mojokerto gave heavy influence on the social, political and economic scenes in Indonesian. The Chinese Muslims, in spite of their racial differences, were masters of trades that successfully helped to spread Islamisation.


Wallahu'alam

Footnote:
ref: Muljana, Prof. Dr. Slamet (2005). Runtuhnya kerajaan hindu-jawa dan timbulnya negara-negara islam di nusantara. Yogyakarta: LKiS. pp. 86–101. ISBN 979-8451-16-3.
ref: Sejarah Indonesia: Wali Songo
ref: Yuanzhi Kong (2000). Muslim Tionghoa Cheng Ho: misteri perjalanan muhibah di Nusantara. Yayasan Obor Indonesia. p. 236. Retrieved February 4, 2016
ref: Muslim Tiong Hua Cheng Ho by Prof Kong Yuan Zhi