Signs of the Wali

SIGNS OF THE WALI Narratives at the Sacred Sites in Pamijahan, West Java SIGNS OF THE WALI Narratives at the Sacred Sites in Pamijahan, West Java Tommy Christomy Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/wali_citation.html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Christomy, Tommy, 1959- Title: Signs of the wali [electronic resource] : narratives at the sacred sites in Pamijahan, West Java / author, Tommy Christomy. Publisher: Canberra : ANU E Press, 2008. ISBN: 9781921313691 (pbk.) 9781921313707 (web) Notes: Bibliography. Subjects: Islam and culture--Indonesia--Java. Muslim saints--Indonesia--Java. Islamic shrines--Indonesia--Jawa Barat. Sundanese (Indonesian people)--Rites and ceremonies. Sundanese literature--History and criticism. Saints in literature. Dewey Number: 899.22209 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design by Teresa Prowse Printed by University Printing Services, ANU This edition © 2008 ANU E Press Islam in Southeast Asia Series Theses at The Australian National University are assessed by external examiners and students are expected to take into account the advice of their examiners before they submit to the University Library the final versions of their theses. For this series, this final version of the thesis has been used as the basis for publication, taking into account other changes that the author may have decided to undertake. In some cases, a few minor editorial revisions have made to the work. The acknowledgements in each of these publications provide information on the supervisors of the thesis and those who contributed to its development. For many of the authors in this series, English is a second language and their texts reflect an appropriate fluency. This publication — based on the thesis originally submitted in January 2003 for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The Australian National University — is a substantially revised volume. Table of Contents Foreword xi 1. Introduction 1 Custom: Tali Paranti 1 B. Going to Pamijahan 4 C. Signs 6 D. Narratives 9 E. Research Questions 15 F. Volume Structure 17 2. Signs in the Valley 19 3. Manuscripts in Pamijahan: Kakantun Karuhun 25 A. Introduction 25 A Shattariyyah Manuscript (ms. A) 27 A Shattariyyah Manuscript (ms. B) 29 A Shattariyyah Manuscript (ms. C) 30 A Shattariyyah Manuscript (ms. D) 31 Kitab Istiqal Tarekat Qadiriyyah-Naqhsabandiyyah (ms. E) 32 A Shattariyyah Manuscript (ms. F) 35 Babad Pamijahan (Ms. G) 36 Babad Pamijahan (Ms. H) 36 Conclusion 37 4. The Babad Pamijahan: Sunda, Java and the Identity of the Pamijahanese 39 A. Introduction 39 B. The Babad in Sunda 41 C. The Babad Pamijahan (BP) 42 D. Translation of The Babad Pamijahan (Ms H) 44 E. The Structure of the Babad 47 F. The Narrative of East and West 47 G. The Horizontal Axis 48 H. The Vertical Axis 50 I. Saur Sepuh or `What the Ancestors Say...' 52 J. The References 56 K. Space and Place: Limestone (Karang) 57 vii Signs of the Wali L. The Interpretant: The East and The West 58 M. Sumedang and Mataram 60 N. Conclusion 62 5. Karuhun, Space, Place and Narratives 65 A. Introduction 65 B. Karuhun 66 C. The Sacred Landscape of Pamijahan and its Environs 68 D. Four Symbolic Spaces 71 E. Kokocoran and the Notion of Proximity 74 F. The Places 77 G. Mystical Paths 81 H. Conclusion: The Growing Signs 85 6. Linking to the Wider Worlds of Sufism 91 A. Introduction 91 B. The Roots of Shattariyyah 92 C. The Shattariyyah Order in the World of Islam 94 D. The Shattariyyah Silsilah in Indonesia 95 E. The Shattariyyah Silsilah in West Java 99 F. Shaykh Abdul Muhyi 99 G. The Successors 103 H. Conclusion 108 7. Grasping the Wali's Teaching 111 A. Introduction 111 B. Origins of Shattariyyah Teaching 116 C. Martabat Tujuh or The Seven Grades 116 D. Conclusion 126 8. Tapping A Blessing in The House of A Young Sufi 129 A. Introduction 129 B. Holding the Line, Grasping the Blessing 129 C. The Zawiya 133 D. The Communal Congregation 137 E. The Baiah Session 143 F. The Shattariyyah Dikir 147 G. Conclusion: Telling Stories, Taking Precedence 149 9. Pilgrimage at Pamijahan: Practice and Narrative 157 viii Signs of the Wali A. Introduction 157 Mediation or Approach 159 C. Custodianship 162 D. Pilgrims 169 E. The sequence of rituals 172 F. The Prescribed Sequences 186 10. Conclusion 193 Glossary 195 203 Bibliography 211 Original Acknowledgments for the Thesis 219 ix Foreword Signs of the Wali is a remarkable study. It focuses on a place of pilgrimage (ziarah) Ð Pamijahan in Tasikmalaya Ð that is of great historical significance for the foundations of Islam on Java. Pamijahan is the burial site of Shakyh Abdul Muhyi, the prominent exponent and noted teacher of Sufi Order, Shattiriyyah. Through its custodians, who oversee the places of visitation for an ever increasing number of pious visitors, Pamijahan retains its links to the past while endeavouring to propagate the message of Islam in a changing contemporary context. In Signs of the Wali, Dr Tommy Christomy charts his personal intellectual journey. A study initially conceived of as a philological exploration of historical manuscripts was transformed into a study of `living manuscripts' Ð the contemporary narratives of the custodians (juru kunci or kuncen) at Pamijahan. In a growing body literature on the study of ziarah in Indonesia and elsewhere in the Islamic world, this study is a milestone. It is a study of depth and nuance written with an understanding of the past but with an equal understanding of modern-day Sundanese language and culture. It is sophisticated in its approach to literary and semiotic analysis and incorporates anthropological acumen that provides an essential context. Signs of the Wali also offers vital insights into the past and present role of Sufi orders (tarekat) in West Java. As elsewhere in the Islamic world, tarekat and ziarah intersect in popular practice at Pamijahan. Dr Christomy explores this intersecting world, explaining the steps of his own research investigations that enfold as a journey of discovery as he proceeds. This investigation involves the search for traces of Tarekat Shattiriyyah in Pamijahan, given the pervasive presence of Tarekat Qadirriyah-Nashabandiyyah throughout Tasikmalaya. That Tarekat Shattiriyyah survives to this day is itself evidence of the tenacity that its historical roots have established in a particular place. Good research sets directions and opens avenues for more inquiries. Dr Christomy's works suggests a range of possibilities for further research on the sacred sites, oral history and the transmission of Islamic knowledge in specific social contexts in Indonesia generally and in Java in particular. One hopes that this study will prompt more critical investigations that continue these invaluable efforts. With initial degrees from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Indonesia, Dr Chistomy took up a position as Associate Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul shortly after submitting his doctoral dissertation in Southeast Asian Studies at The Australian National University. He has now returned to the University of Indonesia where he holds the position of Senior xi Lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities. This appointment gives him an admirable vantage point for conducting further research along the lines he has set forth. James J. Fox xii Chapter 1: Introduction Custom: Tali Paranti On a Thursday evening in mid-July 1972, close to the time of the maghrib or sunset prayers, my grandmother ordered me to go and pick seven different kinds of flower buds from the gardens in people's backyards in our village. She also told me to go to the small shop on the edge of the village to buy a fine cigar, or surutu. When I returned with the flower buds and the cigar she led me to a room located in the farthermost back part of our house where our paddy was stored between seasons. She asked me to put the buds in a bowl filled with the spring water that spouted from from a bamboo pipe, or pancuran, in the back yard. She then burned incense, menyan. For a minute, we remained silent as the smoke and the aroma of the incense wafted out through narrow spaces in the bamboo walls and roof. Meanwhile the call to prayer, the adzan, had sounded. The boys of my village, in their checked sarongs and black caps (pecis) made their way to a small mosque for the shalat prayers. The whole village was enveloped in serenity as we prayed, the women at home and the men and boys at the mosque. Times moved on. Grandma, who in her daily activities was a small batik cloth trader, or tukang batik, in the Tasikmalaya market, was faced with financial difficulties. Her partner had asked her to give him a certificate of land title to be deposited in the bank as surety for a loan. Then, instead of acquiring additional capital to develop the business, she experienced the most horrible episode of her life. She was summoned to court by the bank. It turned out that her partner had been unable to return the money he had borrowed and that Grandma, as the guarantor, had to pay it back herself. All the members of my family were in a panic because the land comprised 90% of their assets. Grandma came to me and asked me to accompany her in her ancient car, a 1948 Morris.

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