ISLAMIC SCIENCES IN INDIA AND INDONESIA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY //.. THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIAEMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF |i Bottor of pi)iIoigopt)p IN Faculty of Theology MUHAMMAD MUJAB Under the Supervision of DR. M. Saud Alam Qasmi Nazim Sunni Theology A.MU. DEPARTIS/IENT OF SUNNI THEOLOGY ' AUGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 2001 T5574 Phone—Office : 515 DEPARTMENT OF SUNNITHEOLOGY ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH—202002 Ref. NOt- Dare(/-ll*4x20Ql_ CERTZfZCATE This is to oertify that Mr. KukUMMd Muj«b h«a compl«t«d his worlc of Ph.D. sntitlsd " Zslaaie Soisnoe in Zndia & Indonesia • A eomiNurative study* under my supervision. The work is original based OR Xilscary. research and analysis. (Or. N. Saud Alaa) supervisor Preface Background of the Study The history of Islam bears ample evidence to the fact that the arrival of Islam in any country was followed by the spread of its teachings and sciences by the Utema and theologians. As the muslim masses stand in need of comprehending the message of Islam and orient their lines accordingly, Ulema are entrusted with the onerous task of imparting appropriate Islamic knowledge to the Muslim masses. Again our historical experience relate that the Muslim communities everywhere build some Islamic institutions which could provide instruction by dedicated teachers and from specialized curricula for their organizational institutions. Madrasahs and other Islamic institutions of learning have had been built not only by the muslim rulers and Islamic preachers (da'ee) but also by the Ulema down the history and round the globe. Islam entered India in the first century of the Islamic Calender, followed by the estblishment of Muslim rule for many centuries. This particular historical background of Islam in India had a lot to do with the rich Islamic tradition in the land, consequently its contribution to the development of Islamic sciences. Emergence of thousands of prominent Ulema with uncounted works in all branches of knowledge (religion and non- religious - covering the whole spectrum of human life) on the screen of Indian Muslim history is not surprising. So it is in the fitness of things that great institutions like Darul Ulum Deoband, Nadwatul Ulama and Jamia Millia were established in the recent past. n The development of modem education in the recent times isolated religion from the other branches of knowledge including the objective sciences thus posing a major dilemma for the Mulsims. It was made to ajppeai as if modem education was incompatible with Islam. To counter this threat Islamic religious education was sustained throu^ut the region. But, this generally means nothing more than promoting a rudimentary and ritualistic introduction to Islam, incorporating the basic teachings of the religion and quranic literacy, which, in this context simply means the ability to read the Quran without understanding it. Significance of tiie Topic After Indonesia, India probably ranks as the second counry with largest Muslim population in ti^ world. The two countries with large Muslim population have the common background of being ruled by Hindus prior to the coming of Islam. Unlike India, Indonesia is the latest contry with the Muslim culture that appetacd on the stage. However, historic depth of its Muslim culture is very shallow as compared to heartland of Islam and lands like India, where seeds of Islamic culture were sown in much earlier period. For illustration we can say; when Imam al-Ghazali (d. 1111 CE) was engaged in polemics with the philosophers in the twelth century the considerable region in Indonesia, Jawa was still controlled by a Hindu emperor, Jayabaya (King of Kediri). Again v^en most powerful Hindu dynaasty, Majq>ahit had established its rule in Indonesia in 1297 CE, India had already been part of the Muslim world for the six centuries (Muhammad bin Qasim had conquered Sind in 711 CE). Ill As the two countries possess very large chunks of the muslim population and have historical similarity in being ruled for centuries by the Hindus, it shall be definetly very interesting to make a comparative study of the legacy of the Islamic institutions of the two countries. Being placed in the same region adds to the prospects of the convergence of the religions experiences of the two countries. Being placed in the same region adds to the prospects of the convergence of the religions experiences of the two countires, it is more relevant if we have a systematic study of the legacy of the orthodox Islamic institutions which have been set up in these two countries in the recent past. India and Indonesia are two countries which deserve to be discussed in the perspective of Islamic sciences, since the both are non Arab countries, but the role played by ulemas and Muslim scholars of these countries is very significant, especially their contribution in spreading Islamic sciences through madrasahs, traditional institutions and Islamic centres of learning. The great historical Islamic background in India has had a definite impact on the richness of its institutions of Islamic learning. The role played by Muslim scholars in this country has had great impact on the Indian Muslims as well as on the Muslims of the neighbouring countries. In fact both countries have much close similarity in culture and education. But in some aspects Indonesia is far behind India, especially in its contribution to Islamic sciences and culture. There are many similar features with regard to the Islamic education in India and Indonesia, they can be summarized as foUows:- - Both India and Indonesia are secular countries; rv - Both the countries have Islamic institutions called madrasahs and traditional Islamic institutions; - The subjects of study are almost the same, purely religious, partly religious and secular sciences; - At higher stage in both countries there are two kinds of universities. Universities under control of government and Independent Universities; - The languages of instruction used in Islamic institutions are local as well as Arabic. It is necessary to know, what are the contributions of Muslim scholars in the two countries to Islamic sciences, the reasons of the establishment of such institutions, the Islamic books which are taught in the institutions concerned, and the challenges faced by contemporary ulemas and their institutions, particularly when the Muslims have turned their head away from these institutions preferring to study in some non-religious universities for their prosperous future. While examining the spread of Islam in Indonesia, we could not neglect the historical background of the country that had been for many centuries under the Hindu rule. It is a matter of fact that Muslims in Indonesia are still having customs based on the pre-Islamic traditions. In the present times two clear trends are easily observable; the one, led by the secular educationists who are bent on downplaying the importance of the Madrasas and discouraging their establishment. The second, led by the Indonesian Muslim scholars, who are spreading Islamic sciences through Islamic boarding schools and Islamic Universities. This work seeks to investigate the development of Islamic sciences in India and Indonesia, with a comparative view. The attention of the scholars mostly has centered on the political history of the two countries. The main aim in this comparison is to make the picture clear about Islamic sciences and its development in both India and Indonesia.The term Islamic sciences in this study is used in general sense to refer to non secular sciences. Reasons of Choosing the Title At least there are three reasons why the title has been chosen for this thesis. Firstly; to show the roles played by Indian and Indonesian ulemas and their contributions to the Islamic sciences through Islamic institutions are very important. They played the following roles; i. Spreading Islamic da'wah; ii. Consolidating Islamic practices; iii. Imparting Islamic education to Muslim children; iv. Removing bad customs of Muslim societies; and V. Shaping Muslim societies in accordance v^ath the society of Prophet and his companions. VI Secondly; to investigate the distinguished Islamic institutions, where Islamic sciences are taught, which have been established in the recent times both in India and Indonesia. Since the topic is about the contribution to Islamic sciences, it is very meaningful to discuss about some personalities who significantly contributed to Islamic sciences through their efforts. Thirdly; to encourage researchers interested in studies in this field for the future research. Starting fi"om this point, the problems that will be investigated in this thesis can be summarized in the foUov^ng way:- 1. How the Islamic sciences developed amongst the Muslims in India and Indonesia? 2. Which institutions and academies have supported in development? 3. What roles have been played by the Muslim scholars in the development of these sciences up to this period? 4. What are the contributions that have been made by the Ulemas and Muslim scholars for the maintenance of these sciences.? Aims and the Uses of the Research This research is aimed at: 1. To know the differences of the systems used for developing the Islamic sciences, either in madrasas or ma 'had and centres of Islamic learning. vn 2. To know the works and roles played by some important Muslim scholars in India and Indonesia and their contributions to the development of Islamic sciences in the 20* century. 3. To the benefit of scholars in India and Indonesia, especially those who are interested in studying Islam in the two countries. Methods of Study This research is comparative in its nature; hence only reliable sources are used and consulted for the references. Besides, other documents and reports regarded to be supportive and useful for the research are also referred. This research is library research. The method being applied in this research is:- Literary or Library Research The research is started with the collection of literary sources to collect data and information about the position of Islamic sciences among the Muslims.