Trade Relations and The Beginning of The Islamic Sultanate in Indonesia

INDEPHEDIA.com - History records that the sultanate as a government by Muslim rulers was present in Indonesia around the 12th century AD. Islam was brought to the archipelago by traders from Gujarat, India during the 11th century AD, even though Islam actually entered Indonesia in the 7th century AD.

The spread of Islam to the establishment of the Islamic empire in the country because at that time there was a busy and international trade shipping lane through the Malacca Strait connecting the Tang Dynasty in China, Srivijaya (Sriwijaya) in Southeast Asia and the Umayyads in West Asia since the 7th century AD.

The first kingdom in Indonesia with nuances of Islam was the Sultanate of Samudra Pasai, on the northern coast of Sumatra Island, precisely in Lhokseumawe City and North Aceh, Aceh Province. The Sultanate of Samudra Pasai was founded by Marah Silu with the title Sultan Malik As-Saleh in 1267 AD.

Chinese sources from the Tang Dynasty said, towards the end of the third quarter of the 7th century AD, an Arab trader became the leader of Muslim Arab settlements on the coast of the island of Sumatra. Islam also had an influence on the political institutions that existed at the time.

This was seen in 100 H (718 AD) King Sriwijaya Jambi named Srindravarman sent a letter to the Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz from the Caliphate of the Umayyads asking to be sent a preacher who could explain Islam to him. Two years later in 720 AD, King Srindravarman, who was originally a Hindu, converted to Islam. Sriwijaya Jambi is also known by the name 'Sribuza Islam'.

Islam continues to strengthen into a political institution that carries Islam. For example, an Islamic sultanate called the Peureulak Sultanate was founded on 1 Muharram 225 H or 12 November 839 AD Another example is the Kingdom of Ternate. Islam entered the kingdom in the Maluku islands in 1440. The king was a Muslim named Bayanullah. (SJ.IN/ENG/*)